Forums – Still Alive & Kicking...

The use of forums as a medium for advertising is often overlooked. What people don’t realize is that there are rather large benefits to posting messages in free forums.

1. You are capturing the attention of your audience, your target market.
2. You have the ability to learn more about your own industry.
3. You can meet some really great people and network while you’re “advertising.”

When you join these industry forums, be sure to read and review their forum rules to be sure you do not run the risk of being banned from their site. Some forums do not allow any sort of advertising in poster’s signature lines and some forums have a specific area where you can do your free advertising.

Once you are signed up and have read the rules of the forum, there are a few things you need to do to ensure you are maximizing your exposure:

• Beef up your profile and signature line. Add your website URL, your e- mail address, a quick note about your free e-zine or e-book giveaway. Whatever you can add that will catch people’s attention and want them to learn more about you.
• Post often when you really know your stuff. If someone has posed a question that you know a lot about, make sure to post a response. By showing that you really know your stuff, you are guaranteeing that people will come to trust your knowledge and information and will seek out more on your company and your expertise.
• Offer to moderate a section of the forum if the site is a busy one. Most websites that have large forums are willing to enlist the help of forum users to moderate posts and come up with new discussion topics. By doing so, you can subtly keep the conversations flowing in your area of expertise and then you can show that expertise to your fellow posters.

One word of caution though when doing this – don’t overdo it. Coming off too strong or too focused on selling can turn people off right away and most people can see through the fluff. Instead of offering advice and then trying to direct them to your website or to a product you are trying to sell, let them come to you by making their own decision to do so. These customers are more likely to sell and they’ll come to your business with a positive, appreciative attitude.

Not all forums are great methods of advertising however, some of the forums are outdated, unprofessional or just plain boring! Some advice when searching out a forum:

1. Before signing up an account, check to see how many members the forum has, when the last member signup was, how many posts there are, when the last post was posted, etc. By checking up on the “freshness” of the forum before signing up, you run the risk of having a hundred different signups with no real beneficial sites to visit.
2. Check to see if they make mention of the forum’s geographical location. I joined a few forums before only to find out that they were based in the UK, Australia, etc. which didn’t help me target my specific market.
3. Look at the accompanying website, if there is one, to find out if it fits into your business’ needs, wants and goals. If you don’t think the website would be one you would turn to for assistance, the forum may not be much help either.

Get in the Face of Your Ideal Client at Least Once...

One of the questions I am asked most often by my coaching clients is, “How do I get more clients?“  This can be an easy answer or a difficult answer depending on you.  If you’re the type of person who likes a small amount of work to do, you’ll receive a small return.  If you are willing to spend the time, you’ll receive a higher return.  The way that I answer this question easily for both groups is like this:  get out there and in the face of your ideal client at LEAST once per day.  Every day.  No exceptions.

Here is a short list of ideas around this:

• Join Facebook and look up groups that contain your ideal clients. Real estate VA?  Then join some real estate groups and give advice.  The trick here is not to come across as pushy or ‘selly’ but rather just build relationships and showcase your expertise.
• Sign up for a free Twitter account and tweet about the things you do. Using Twitter can be an amazing tool to further showcase your talents, expertise and what you are up to.  When people see this and have a need for it, you can partner with them.
• Join some industry-specific forums or message boards. Again, look for the forums and message boards where your ideal clients hang out and join in the conversation!  Just remember, it’s all about relationship-building and creating win-win scenarios.
• Write articles and press releases often and submit those. While this isn’t a daily thing, having these things on the web will generate traffic regularly thus increasing your reach.

I also have a short document on how to get clients.  If you are interested, please send me an e-mail to info@thevacoach.com and I’ll send it over – free of charge.

Business Cards – Do You Need Them?...

As a work-from-home entrepreneur, I go back and forth on the issue of business cards. Do I need them, can I do without them… It’s a debate that goes on quite often in my head when I am doing up my marketing and promotion strategy for the new year. I always seem to settle on the fact that they are not overly required. However, there are a few times during the year that I find myself at a networking event and I find myself collecting cards and making up an excuse such as, “They are being re-designed as we speak.” So, I ask you – are they required in a position like mine?

I have asked this of my peers from time to time and the answer I get most often is, “If you don’t have them, collecting cards is not a bad idea – it provides you with a reason to follow up with the people you meet at these events.” This is often very true.

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