The Ins and Outs of Advertising on Online Forums
Learning how to advertise your direct sales business online can mean a definite increase in sales for your business. The thing that you need to keep in mind, however, with direct sales is that there is often a different set of rules for online advertising so make sure you check with your company to verify what you can and can not do online.
Here are some tips and tricks for advertising your direct sales business online through forums.
Finding the right forum is essential if you want to connect with people that want what you have. Creating relationships with meaningful posts and replies will give you the advantage over other people trying to put up a link to make a quick sale – which probably isn’t likely to occur.
Forums can be a great place to advertise your business within reason. You can participate in the forums –offering genuine support and advice when needed, which not only builds trust among the online community you are participating in, it is just simply fun to do. Choose your forums selectively. If you sell make-up you probably won’t want to post too much on travel forum but a forum filled with women is a completely different story.
While you want to make sure you are targeting people that will buy your products don’t be afraid to think outside the box. As a candle consultant leaving thoughtful comments on a real estate or other service based forum might get you some business. Just make sure that you are saying more than “good post” or “that’s great”. Then when someone is looking for a product that you may offer, you can casually mention that you are a rep for a company that carries what they need and the person will be encouraged to make a purchase from you since you have spent the time and have built that level of trust. And no matter what, make sure to follow the rules and regulations of the forums that you would like to potentially advertise in. You do not want to be reprimanded for spamming.
If you are not allowed to post advertisements on online forums, then look into the possibilities of advertising in your forum signature. All you need to do is create a catchy tag line or reference to your business to encourage people to click on your link and hopefully make a purchase. Using an email signature for advertising in the emails that you send is also a good way to get your information out. Each time you correspond with someone you are advertising your business.
These are only a few of the many ideas that you can implement as you are working on your online advertising campaigns. Keep yourself aware of the rules whenever you are advertising and realize each forum you participate in might have their own set of rules. You do not want to be accused of spamming even if it is unintentional. By using forum advertising this way, you’ll be off to great sales in no time.
photo credit: david.orban
