There is more to forum marketing than what you can imagine. If you learn what these advantages are you will have a better business in the end. If you have overlooked forums as a way to market your business, then you might have missed out on a golden opportunity. It is so out there that it would have been easy to miss.
Remember that your goal is to be viewed as an expert in your niche. It's important to build a good reputation in the forum. If you fail to do either, you'll have less than optimal results. You must first, of course, be seen. What you want to avoid is spending a lot of time in any forum. This, after all, is only one part of a much larger marketing strategy.
On the other hand, if you dive right in and make a mountain of posts, it annoys the long-term members. So time your visits when there are the most members present. Go for quality over quantity and you will win friends and influence people every time. There are several things that you need to consider when you go to a forum your very first time. Looking around is essential for deciding on whether or not this forum is for you. Since your primary purpose is to market your products and services, a few things need to be known. Consider the fact that most forum owners are not very fond of IMers in general. If your goal is to do this, but the owner won't allow you, it's not going to happen. All you have to do is read the forum rules to understand what is permissible. The biggest hint that online marketing is not permissible will be the absence of links or signatures on each and every post. Regardless of the type of forum, direct advertising is usually not allowed. Should a forum owner allow this to get out of control, the forum would turn into an advertising website, which is not what most of them want to have happen.
Don't even think about networking on a forum until you know who the 'top dog' on the forum is, so to speak. In general, there are a few people who carry a lot of sway on the boards. The number of active members in a forum will have some influence on this too. There are some large marketing forums that have been around a while, and there are many people who have social influence. It really will vary from one forum to the next-often the influence bringers are moderators. With senior members and moderators you'll often be able to recognize others attempting to garner favor. Once you know who these people are, then you can work to build a rapport with them.
A lot of people become overly attached to the forums they visit. Just remember why you're there. Don't lose sight of the value your time has link and where it would be wisest to invest it. It's important to spend your time where it will provide the best ROI.