I’m not usually one for analysing visitor stats too much - but I simply cannot ignore the HUGE power of posting on forums to send targeted traffic to your websites.

The other day a single post on a forum sent me 21 visitors to my website, and another post sent me 5 visitors. I would say that 1-5 visitors per post is an average - which doesn’t sound a lot, but when you consider the fact that I am posting on multiple forums, and making many posts each and every day, then these sorts of numbers start to REALLY add up.

And the great thing is that this is all TARGETED traffic. People browsing and posting on forums are looking for information, and because they are all looking for information on one specific area or subject it means that you’ve got a ready-made collection of potential buyers.

The key however is NOT to sell, but to participate in discussions, and generally be as helpful as you can.

One of the key things I am trying to do is get people to ‘PM’ me (that’s where someone sends you a private message.)

Imagine the scenario from the other person’s perspective:

You’re browsing a gardening forum (substitute that for any niche you wish), and you see a really helpful post from someone who seems like they know what they are talking about. You join in the discussion, ask a question, and this person replies with exactly the info you were looking for, and generally they are VERY helpful indeed. Then they PM you (or they ask you to PM them) and they give you some more really really helpful information - and they offer it completely free, without the expectation of anything in return.

By now you’ve got a pretty good relationship with this person. You feel like they are genuine, and they appear an ‘expert’ on the subject. So when you see a link to one of their websites in their signature, are you going to check it out? I DEFINITELY know I would…

… and people DO. If you seem like someone who is helpful and genuine you will get people actively asking you for information and advice - and someone who you’d turn to for advice is exactly the type of person who you might buy an info product from, right? After all, if the info they give for free is THIS good, then how good would their paid stuff be?

I’m quite excited by all the possibilities forum posting can offer. Having a signature link to your website is just one such way that forums can benefit your business. It’s all about building relationships with people, and I find it really fun too.

If you’re not already then try it today. Sign up to forums relating to the niche you’re operating in, have a signature link to your website (check that it’s allowed first), and get stuck in to discussions. Be genuinely helpful and make posts that subtly suggest you know what you’re talking about (because you DO - and don’t let anyone say otherwise - an expert is merely someone who knows more than the person they are giving advice to.)

Just because something seems simple doesn’t mean it doesn’t work. This is a VERY VERY powerful method, and I urge you not to underestmate the power of forum posting. It’s a great way to generate traffic, and completely free too :)