How to Get More Clients from Online Discussion Lists and Forums - How do you...
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How do you find discussion lists? Scott Stratten maintains a great list of good business-oriented discussion forums at
http://www.un-marketing.com/index.php?p=u. Many professional associations run their own discussion lists and forums, which is helpful if you're coaching or consulting with others in your own industry.. And, there's always Yahoo and Google groups, ForumHaven.com, and another comprehensive list at QuintCareers.com,
http://www.quintcareers.com/Internet_networking_sources.html.
Here's what you need to consider to make the most of your online networking and ultimately get more clients online:
1. Lurk on the list for 3-4 days before you post anything. You'll want to ensure that the list is active (with daily posts) and that your target market is represented before investing a great deal of time and effort into the list. Read prior posts and determine the posting protocols, what kind of information is shared, as well as "who's who" on the list. I've joined a number of lists and discovered that they weren't as active as I require and so left and found more active lists. In this "lurking" period, you'll also want to get a sense of the tone of the list -- are their posts on-topic and relevant, or are there a lot of self-promotional advertising emails and off-topic posts or "flaming" (derogatory remarks) among the members?
2. Review the rules of the list. The best lists and forums are moderated, which means that there is a real person who volunteers to ensure that the posting rules are followed. Before you post, be sure you read the list or forum rules, which will give you guidelines about how to post or reply to a question and whether or not you can send any promotional emails to the list.
Next: Effective list moderators... >>
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