Groups and forums
The internet is a worldwide community connecting people with common interests who
would otherwise never have had the opportunity to meet. There are groups and forums
dedicated to just about any topic imaginable. For you, the main benefit of finding a
group or forum related to your subject is a pre-assembled bunch of folks you know will
be interested in what you have.
When dealing with groups and forums, the worst thing you can do is join up and
immediately post a message asking people to buy your product. For internet group
members, this is like having a salesperson show up uninvited at the front door of their
house. At best your message will be ignored; at worst, you may find yourself banned
from the group before you get started. When you find groups or forums relating to your
topic, sign up and spend some time looking around, posting introductory messages and
reading what the other members have to say. Reply to some posts and get to know
some of them first. Then when you’re ready to start talking about your product, you’ll
have a more receptive audience. During this time, do your research: notice what the
group likes and dislikes, the things that interest them enough to spark long discussions.
Pay attention to the general demographics of the group as well. What is an “average
member” like? This will help you hone in further on your target market.
Here are some places to get started finding groups and forums:
- Yahoo! Groups: A directory of online groups and forums hosted by Yahoo,
searchable by category or keyword. Yahoo! is one of the most popular
Brought To You By