Forum Marketing Secrets: How To Post On Forums To Drive Traffic To Your Website
July 16, 2010 by Rick Smith
Filed under All Posts, Marketing
You are currently browsing comments. If you would like to return to the full story, you can read the full entry here: “Forum Marketing Secrets: How To Post On Forums To Drive Traffic To Your Website”.
I have been reading and commenting on the BMyers Online forum for over 3 years, but I feel that it has becomme almost a cult for Bill. I commented on an alternative to membergate and got attacked. I guess if I spent over $36000 for membergate per website, I would have to defend my purchase.
There is also a lot of conservative political talk that I find offensive when all I want to know is how to produce information products and share what I have found that has worked and not worked for me.
I purchased a considerable amoount of video equipment per the recommendation of Bill only to find out that the post was 2 or 3 years old and the reason the stuff was so cheap on ebay was that no one was using it any more.
I have learned from Bill’s videos and templates. In fact the templates are the key. The only problem is that he always leaves something out or not enought detail.
I find that most of the forum members are membergate people that are self promoting there cloned version of Bill.
So when you make reference to Bill Myers, I have to decide if you are bringing honest value or just another one of the groupies.
I understand what you are saying Matt. There definitely is a sort of hero worship of Bill Myers within the group. I think a lot of people in the group are either just starting out, or stalled in their progress, and Bill is a role model to them.
The cost of membership – $9.95 per month or $24.95 for three months – is very reasonable and should be affordable to anyone with an inkling to get into some kind of business that utilized video technology or internet marketing. If you only take one template or one little tip away, at that price you can’t go wrong.
I do not have a Membergate site and do not intend to buy into that software. I find the price absurd, particularly with the advancements that allow you to create great membership sites on WordPress at very little cost. However, I am interested in membership sites as a business model and so am attracted to any discussions about successes and failures regarding developing and promoting membership sites. Some of the discussion threads are useful along these lines, and again, at $9.95 a month, it doesn’t take much to get your money’s worth out of it.
Frankly, one of the biggest benefits I find is promoting my own products to his members via the forum. I spend 95% of the time when I’m on Bill’s site in the forum. This is a highly focused group of people and I find a lot of them are interested in my niche, which is producing and selling special interest videos. I find that my advice is appreciated, and so this is helping me build my credibility as a resource. It’s like Bill Myers has assembled an audience for me. Then it is up to me to convert them over to my list. When I look at my website stats, BillMyers.com is the second largest feeder of traffic to my main site and several of my other sites which I mention on the forum.
In fact, it was after seeing the results I get from posting on BillMyers.com’s forum that I became very interested in forum marketing. When it is a highly targeted forum, like his, the conversion of traffic to my own list is surprisingly easy.
So my recommendation is to harvest the good bits from any forum and don’t get drawn into any discussions that you find offensive or irrelevant. It’s like going to a party and choosing whom you want to have conversations with.