Forum Marketing – How to get new business posting in forums

April 17th, 2010 by Guest Blogger | No Comments | Filed in Business, Internet Marketing Success

Forums have been part of the internet community for a very long time. It is an easy way for someone to communicate with other people all over the world about shared interests, questions, as well as answers. Online forum marketing is one of the best ways for a small business to promote their product or service as well as socializing with possible buyers of your product.

In today fast paced internet world you can find forums on just about any subject that may be of interest to you. All you have to do is go to your favorite search engine and type in your favorite topic and add forums and you will be greeted with millions of results.  The possibilities are almost endless on the forums that you have the ability to choose from. Once you get the results all you have to do is search through the links and find the forum that you feel may contribute to you or one that may be able to contribute to the forum. If you are trying to promote your business however, you need to click on most of the forums and register.

Once you have registered in a few of the more popular forums you will need to edit your profile. The profile is very important as it will be the one thing that will promote your product online. You may consider on creating a short bio that tells visitors about you and the business you are promoting. Make sure that you include your keywords to both the text and hyperlink to your blog. This will help you show up on the search engines.
Now that you have finished your profile you are now ready to create a signature file. The signature file can help you increase traffic to your website as well as increasing the backlink. This file will appear each time you post in a forum.

Now that you have both of the most important steps done, you are now ready to use the forum to market your business or product.  There are a few tips that you should follow though in order for the forums to work for you.

1. Use the online forums to be able to learn as much as you can about your business. Almost all the forums that are available are free to use so this is a great way to do research. Also some forums allow you to read the posts without even joining which is great as it allows you access to valuable information without having to join. You need to be sure to take the time in reading these forums and asking any questions that you may have.  Learning is one of the most important steps to any internet business as things are constantly changing.

2. Be sure to use the forums to ask questions. Almost everyone in the forum community is willing to help others and answer questions as they can. If you never ask your question, you will never get the answers that you seek. The key though is to be sure that you ask the right questions as you do not want to spam the forum boards. Spamming the forum boards to get people to click on your signature link will only get your post deleted and possibly get you banned from the forum as well.

3. Once you feel you are ready you can begin to answer questions for other members of the forum as well as help them with their problems just as they did for you. This will help you to get your backlink to grow as your trust grows. This will also help you become known as an expert on subject.

4. Try not to post any links in your initial post this is what you will use your signature file for
Forum marketing is a great way to socialize and meet new potential customers of your product. If they are used correctly, you can have a very successful internet business.

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Cheap Marketing Ideas – 7 inexpensive ideas from a spa owner

March 16th, 2010 by Guest Blogger | No Comments | Filed in Business

So you have opened your Spa doors and you now sit in your beautiful Spa eagerly awaiting customers to come flying through the doors and make you lots of money. For some Spas in very visible, high-traffic locations such as hotels, this does happen. More often than not though, the process takes a bit longer and requires marketing. Even if your Spa does start with a bang, it's always wise to have a marketing plan in place and to keep up your marketing initiatives. You never know when the next economic dip could arrive unexpectedly or perhaps the competition moves in next door!  Here are seven inexpensive marketing tips for assisting you in making your business a success.

1. Own a website

You must have a website in this day and age and this needn't cost you a fortune. Don't be shy to shop around for website quotes. Ask to see previous work and find a web designer who is both a good designer and who has search engine optimisation (SEO) knowledge.  It's no use just having a pretty picture online that no-one can ever find, so be sure to quiz your potential designer on their SEO knowledge and design your site with content in mind rather than beauty. Of course, your site has to look visually great, but it should also be optimised for the web in terms of content and keywords. For example, when someone types in "Spa" or "Dayspa" into Google, you want your website to pop up on the homepage.

I would also recommend writing the content for your website yourself initially. This will help you to clarify what you want in terms of your navigation and other elements on your site. For example, a booking request form that gets e-mailed to you and a "subscribe to newsletter" box.

2. Market your website through online marketing tools

The next step is to marketing your website online. This is really important as most people go online as their first port of call when researching new information. Rather be found on the web than not! Here are a few inexpensive things you can do to market your business online (You may need an expert in web design to assist you):-

-Submit your website to search engine directories to start getting organically ranked by Google. If your website has been search engine optimised with the right content and keywords, you should start to get ranked quite highly on Google within six months.

-Register with online directories and booking services – they do their own marketing on your behalf and send you clients. Many of these are commission based businesses, so it won't cost you anything.

-Social Networking – start a Twitter and a Face book profile and update regularly. (go online and research how to do this)

-Google Adwords. If you have a marketing budget, set some money aside for Google Adwords. Again, go online and research this cost per click marketing option.

3. Build your own database as fast as possible

So many spas I have consulted to in the past do not keep a record of their own clients. This is a marketing crime. The quickest and best way to start increasing your revenue is to market to your own customers first. These people are already frequenting your establishment so it should be an easy sell to get them back again.  (Provided they had a positive experience the first time).

So, build your database. Capture their e-mail and cell phone details and then send them regular updates – for instance on your Specials. Which brings us to the next point…

4. Create a Specials/Promotions Calendar to market to your database.

There are twelve months in a year, make sure you have twelve specials lined up, especially for "Special Events" such as Valentine's Day, Christmas, Mother's Day etc. Do not forget these important dates where people are looking to do something extra special with someone they love. And don't just do whatever everyone else is doing, be creative! Think of your own specials that will set you apart from others. You needn't always think "Discounts". You can also think "Added Value". For instance, purchase a full day spa package and receive a French manicure set for free!

5. E- Mail & SMS your database

Now that you have your database and you have your specials lined up, how do you get the information to your clients? Through e-mail and sms marketing tools. E-Mail and/or sms your own database every week or at least every month with your weekly or monthly specials. Don't spam them every day as this will become irritating, but once a week is acceptable and once a month is a must.  

There are quite a few mailing and sms'ing tools out there that offer great rates and also have stunning newsletter templates to choose from. I use Graphicmail which is very user friendly and has great support and offers a 3 month trial, so give it a bash. Alternatively, do research on the internet and choose one that best fits your needs.

6. Gift Vouchers

Gift Vouchers are another great way of marketing your Spa so make sure you offer them. Print out Spa Gift Vouchers and keep them in a very visible location, for instance, at reception where people pay. This will remind them to buy their friends or family gifts where they otherwise may not have thought of it.

Selling Gift Vouchers is a great way to "soft market" your business to new customers while at the same time generating revenue. You should also consider selling Gift Vouchers online from your website. Your web designer will be able to assist you with this.

7. Public Relations (PR)

Paying for magazine or newspaper advertisements is extremely expensive and needs a great deal of repetition in order to be effective, so a great way of getting into magazines for free is through Public Relations (PR). Invite Beauty Editors of the top 10 female focused magazines to visit your establishment for a spa treatment and to write a review.  This review will effectively endorse your spa, which is worth more than just a general ad!

Make sure your best therapist does their treatment and make sure that their overall experience is five star. Do this regularly with Beauty Editors. Do it whenever you wish to get magazine coverage for free. It works.  Bear in mind that magazines have a 2-3 month lead time so your article will only appear 3 months later.

I hope you have found this article useful. Good luck with your business!


If you would like to list your Spa on our Free Spa directory, plus sell your specials online, visit us at  www.wellnessfinds.co.za . If you are looking for great South African Spa deals, click here. Wellness Finds is South Africa's premier online Spa Directory and Spa booking service.  All major credit cards are accepted.
Article Author: Tricia Cook, Managing Director of the Wellness Finds.
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