A couple of months ago I was having a funny conversation with Linda Buquet of 5StarAffiliatePrograms.com. We were discussing how she uses forums and blogs to drive traffic to promote affiliate programs. I joked that I wanted to make her a t-shirt that said, “I blog for traffic!” We had a laugh, but in reality it is often the elbow grease you apply to your PR strategy that drives success.

Affiliates can use this strategy to create traffic that turns into profits. Luckily, as the web has evolved so has our ability to connect with targeted groups of people online. To prove this point I did a fun search on the forum search engine at www.itch.com.

I searched for “poultry” and actually found an active forum that discussed the topic. At this point I am convinced that there must be a forum or blog for just about every niche possible. Can you imagine the amount of discussion boards dedicated to music, art, fashion or technology? I know that at this point you are giddy to go out and post spam ads on every board possible, but wait…there are rules. Here are a few unspoken rules for participating in forums and blogs to boost traffic.

No Spam – It is very easy to recognize spam. We can no longer just act like that link we inserted in our post was innocent. Forum administrators and moderators know better. Spamming a forum will just get you on the blacklist, plus most people scan past that stuff anyways. This type of behavior can also get you kicked out of some affiliate programs. In the end, it never pays to spam.

Signature – Rather than spamming, make good use of forums that allow you to post a signature. Some will even let you link to your website. Don’t tell your complete story in a signature; make it something that teases them to click.

Become a Regular – You should care about the boards and blogs you visit. Try to post regularly and post something useful. It can be a piece of news that is of interest, an article or just respond to a heated topic. You need to be visible to other forum members and make people want to read your posts.

Focus – Your niche might have 100 forums and blogs for your target topic. It’s simply impossible to make an impact if you target too many websites. Focus on the top 5 with high registration and post counts. By focusing your time and energy on high profile websites, your investment will pay off.

Most importantly, remember you are a part of this community. Have respect for the purpose of the board or blog and help promote that message to everyone.

Oh, by the way if you are interested in learning more about poultry, as well as beekeeping, raising cattle or rabbits, just visit this forum:

http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/index.php?s=4aa4c147d7d9c2a28f91ff08c87f7c48

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