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I’ve been posting about the importance of using social networks for your business and how you can use them to build trust and relationships that convert into a large list of loyal subscribers. We touched on Facebook and Twitter, and will now touch on Forums and Pinterest.
Forums
Some people don’t consider forums necessarily a part of the social networking world, but they are since they can be a form of relationship building. People go there to share information, ask questions, and engage in dialogue with one another.
The great thing about forums is that where Facebook, Twitter, and other networks are not niche-specific, forums are! You have parenting forums, diet forums, success forums, and so on. And within those forums, you can dig down and expose your expertise even further. For instance, in a parenting forum, you might have discipline, nutrition, education, and so on. They are a great place for you to position yourself as an authority on a subject.
To find a good forum for you, go to Google and type in your niche keyword and the word forum. Look for active forums, not stagnant ones. You want those where people are continually posting in it. Finding one where like-minded people connect can be a great boost for your business.
Join the forum and set up your profile just as you would on other social networks. People will often click through and look at your information to see what you’re all about, so be thorough and hyperlink to your opt-in page and blog if possible.
If you’re allowed to have a signature file, set that up to link to your opt-in page. That way, every time you participate on the forum, and people like what you have to say, they can follow the link and become a subscriber. But be sure to read the rules beforehand so you don’t get your posts taken down or get yourself blocked.
Participate in the forum with threads that you start. Post thoughtful, motivational information, answer questions and guide those seeking help and advice with your expert knowledge. Members will appreciate your efforts, come to respect you, notice your links, and hopefully sign-up on your opt-in page.
Some forums will have an area where you can place offers. Some do it free and some make you pay for the exposure. You can place a listing for your opt-in page here. Providing links to your content will help diversify your link-building aspect and help maximize your SEO results.
Some people will wonder why they shouldn’t just open their own forum. You might in the future, but to start with, let someone else handle the behind-the-scenes drudgework of forum management while you leverage the participation factor.
Pinterest is a visually-based social network that works great for some niches, like cooking, fitness, crafts, and is perfect for specialty shops. The premise of the site is viral sharing because when you post something someone likes, they “Pin” it to their boards, sharing it with all of their own followers.
You can sign-up for an account and showcase different boards (dig down for niche topics) and “Pin” links to your website, your blog, your opt-in page, etc., using memes and images that are visually enticing. You can even embed SlideShare decks!
Create visually striking images that are readily shareable for your Pinterest site. You can gather up thought-provoking quotes, include tips about a subject matter, and more. Turn key points of your blog posts into images and post them to Pinterest. If you’re not a graphics whiz, you can try using this amazing site and its awesome templates.