One very effective way to build your brand and show potential clients your expertise in your chosen field is by participating in online forums. These are a great place to come together with others who share the same interests as you and for you to shine as an expert.
Forums are extremely easy to find whatever line of business you are in just go to Google and type into the search bar your subject and forum, for example "online business forums" if you are an internet marketer, you will find a huge selection to choose from no matter what market you are in.
What I suggest next would be to spend some time reading through some of these potential forums to find which ones may suit your needs the best, it is also worth while seeing which ones are the most active as you want to be in regular contact with other members, not just once in a blue moon!
Most forums will want you to sign up before you can post but usually you can read through most sections in the forums without joining, so you should be able to get a rough idea whether the forum will suit you and your needs.
Once you have picked a few forums that you like, it is worth taking the time to fill in your profile, add your photo - people like to see who they are talking to and it will make you seem more trustworthy.
If allowed add your website URL, you can sometimes add this to your signature, so every time you post people can see your link to your site, which means if you're giving great advice or help people will visit your site to find out more about you and what you offer.
When first joining the forum I think it is always a good idea if they have a welcome to new members board to post there, say hi and introduce yourself, usually you will find most members extremely welcoming as they like new input in their community.
Read any rules and sticky threads about what you can post, then start communicating with people, don't go straight in trying to sell yourself or your business let the regulars get to know and trust you, offer helpful constructive advice and stay out of any heated debates between existing members, as usually there are a couple who will always take little digs at each other, leave it to the moderators to sort out.
Once you have been a member for a couple of weeks and have joined in some conversations it is a good idea to start posting some interesting current topics that are being talked about in your industry, basically getting involved, showing you are up with the current affairs and have an opinion and importantly showing that you are someone that understands your niche!
Benefits of forum posting...
Exposure - Expose yourself and your business to potential new clients.
Gain backlinks to your website - Help improve your ranking in the search engines.
Expertise - Use your knowledge to help others.
Posting in forums really is an easy and fun way to interact with your peers and paying public, so why not get started today? Go and spend a little time researching the forums in your niche, then get posting!
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