How many of you are already using discussion forums as a part of your reputation management strategy? So, the good old discussion forum may not have the glamour of instant messaging or community sites, but they are still a very valuable method of online interaction with your potential clients and other people in your industry.
Demonstrate your expertise
Discussion forums are a perfect place for you to get your expertise out there. If you know something and can help people, why hide away? On any given day there will be a load of people who have issues which you can address. And for every one asking the question, there are probably another 50 reading it with the same problem. Seems like a pretty captive audience to me.
However, do not use the forum to simply show off how good you are and use it as a free form of advertising. Your fellow forum members will not like it, nor will they like you. You may even find that the forum rules state that blatant advertising will get you banned. See the discussion forum as your community – help people out with your expertise, but remember that you may need them too one day.
Gain goodwill
Isn’t it nice when someone gives us a helping hand, genuinely, without asking anything in return? It gives you a warm feeling and a sense of the goodness of humanity. So by you selflessly giving back to others you are going to help generate that same feeling towards you.
No matter what, people do business with people they like and trust. If you have gone out of your way to help someone out, give them some advice or reassurance, or offered them your assistance on a forum, then chances are they might like you, and remember you for next time.
Develop curiosity (which could mean traffic)
The more visible and active you become on forums, the more people will get to know you. Most forums allow you to put a signature on your posts. Each forum will vary on what your signature can contain and how long it can be, but if you put a link from it through to your blog, the more visible you become, the more curious people will be.
And curiosity leads to clicking on links…
Get known
Your reputation, as we all know, is based solely on what other people think or say about you. The more people know you, the more things are going to be said about you. It seems pretty obvious, but becoming an active forum member will get you out there in front of more and more people…all of whom are likely to talk to others.
Learn
One of the most fantastic things about forums is that they provide a wealth of information and advice for you. Yes, you may be pretty good in your field, but there is always going to be someone who knows something you don’t. And because the chances are they will be trying to achieve all of the things mentioned above, it will give you the chance to learn.
The more you learn, the better your expertise, and the more you can get out there and build your reputation.
Find forums in your niche area. There are absolutely loads of forums on the web, ranging in activity levels. The more active the forum, the more of an impact you can make, but it is worth getting involved in several. Try and keep up with what is going on and become a visible and valuable member. Go on…get talking!
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