Forum marketing is one of the best methods for promoting your online business today. It's something that can be done in any niche by any one. Just remember that some niches will have more than other forums devoted to them-though most will have a few high traffic forums to choose from.
Also, some businesses prefer to avoid it in favor of what they consider higher value marketing methods. Be that as it may, you can accomplish many goals it you're a niche marketer.
Most people, maybe everyone, behave in forums according to their general personality. There will be many who will be either introverted or extroverted. So, unless you are very good at turning people off with your personality, then act the way that you always do. If you are shy, it is okay to just watch things before you start contributing. This behavior is called lurking and lots of people do it all the time. It might seem too frightening to make your first post. Just begin by answer other threads and being helpful. After arriving at a new forum, you need to surf around to check it out for a couple of reasons. You need to think about why you want to join this forum, which can be determined by looking around. This matters when you're doing this for marketing purposes. When it comes to forums, and online marketing, forum owners will probably not be your best friend. In most cases, online marketing won't occur because the owner won't let you. All you have to do is read the forum rules to understand what is permissible. By simply looking at the official source absence of signatures in forum posts, you will be able to discern if online marketing is possible. You typically can't do direct advertising in any forum. To prevent people from overrunning their forum with ads (like a giant cyber billboard), this is typically why it is not allowed.
Don't even think about networking on a forum until you know who the 'top dog' on the forum is, so to speak. Most of the time there are a few people who could easily claim this role. And of course much depends on the size of the membership. Forums with long histories and large memberships will have more influence bringers than smaller forums. This is something that isn't constant throughout forums. Sometimes it's the moderators who have the most influence. Usually a senior moderator who's been there forever and many people basically try to win favor and acceptance. These are the people you want to work to build a relationship with. In conclusion, if you have spent time doing online marketing on forums, this is probably old news. Really, it's all about knowing the rules, and abiding by them. It really comes down to common sense and experience. Your goal is to offer value, and to contribute to the community in any way that you can.