Posting in network marketing discussion forums is a totally free way to generate leads from an extremely targeted audience. But you MUST go about it with professionalism and integrity. If you have never set up a forum profile before, now is the time to do so. This costs you no money - just your time.



I have been generating leads from forums for about 3 years. At first, I did it absolutely the WRONG way. I went into any forum I could find, and I SPAMMED them! I took my well planned advertisement, started a new thread, and stuck it out there. I was even rude enough to go back a day later to respond to my own thread in order to bump it up! As you can imagine, I received a lot of terrible responses from the active participants of the board - and NO leads. Let that be a lesson to you. You never, ever want to go into a discussion board and open a thread with the express purpose of advertising your business. Each and every forum that is business oriented will usually have an advertising section - that is the ONLY place that it is appropriate to post your ad. If you post your ad elsewhere, or hijack a thread about a competitors program, that is considered SPAM. If you include your link in the body of your message, that is also against forum rules and etiquette.

There is only ONE place for your link, and that is in your signature file. Most forums will have a “profile” section that you can access to upload a thumbnail picture (highly recommended), and to add your signature file. Most, but not all, forums use USB codes so that you can link your text. That is, you can create a one line ad and hyperlink it so that it goes directly to your lead capture page. The code will look like this:

[URL=http://www.YOURCAPTUREPAGEURL.com]Your One Line Ad[/B][/URL]

Once your profile is set up correctly, and your signature file is a clickable text link, you are ready to “go.” Look for threads that have been viewed many times and/or have many replies. These are the threads to spend your time in. Once you have found a decent thread that is on a topic that you feel you can speak on - then add your 2¢ to the discussion. Again, you are joining the discussion in progress, and your comment should be relevant to the topic. Just typing in “me too” or “I agree” is NOT the way to go. You want to be respectful and respectable, and watch your grammar and spelling. I know your mother told you that if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all. Well, this is particularly true on a message board. You NEVER want to get into an argument on a forum. You want to spread good will, helpful advice, and to instill confidence in YOU as a leader. That last part may take a little time, but it's incredibly important to your success. If you are going to spend ANY time attempting to generate leads this way, then you must be effective at this. If you become a “regular” on the boards and have a presence that people respect, then you can and will generate endless leads. That's attraction marketing in action!

What kind of boards should you post on? Forums that relate to your business, or relate to a subject you are either very knowledgeable about, or have a great interest in. The first seems obvious - to find targeted, opportunity buyers, post where they are reading. The second is under utilized, and therefore even more powerful! If, for example, you are a gourmet cake maker, find a board where other cake makers worldwide go to discuss the craft. I can virtually guarantee that most of the people on that board will NOT have a business link in their signature file - therefore YOUR link will stand out and will get a lot of clicks, because people are innately curious. They HAVE to click on your signature to find out how you are making money online!

Use Google to search for relevant forums. Once you have found a few active boards, save those links in your favorites, and try to post at least five different replies on five different threads at least two times per week. By keeping your signature file at the top of those boards, you cannot help but generate leads!

What are the best online forums to generate leads for your network marketing, mlm or direct sales business? After years of working to generate leads online, there are a few forums that stand out as the best for generating leads. There I have created specific tracking links for each forum to determine which sites get the most action. You should do the same.

Don't take my word for it – do your own research here by creating a tracking link to your capture page and tracking the hits and conversions. After a few posts over a couple of days, you should be able to determine if the board is active or not. If you are using aweber, this is a simple thing to do. Simply replicate your capture page for each board and insert a new webform into the new page. That way you will know exactly how many hits and conversions you are getting from each site.

BetterNetworker.com – clearly one of the best! This Network Marketer's dream social network where you can learn from the best! Great conversion on personalized capture pages here.

WAHM.com Work at home mom's forum has a section just for networkers! One of the most ‘trolled' sites online, you will generate great leads from members of the forum, and those who are just reading threads. This site is a Mom's board- but has many Dads on it too… but I think I speak for a lot of Moms on the board when I say there are plenty of other sites for Dad's to hang out on. Leave WAHM.com to the Moms!

MLM.com has been in place forever! This board doesn't allow a signature file, but does enable you to add your link to your profile. If you contribute high quality info to discussions here, you will create a very targeted lead. The individual had to go to extra trouble to connect with you!

HomeBasedBusinessForums.com– definitely geared to online networkers with extensive content on online marketing techniques.

Remember, Time is Money, and a self-generated lead is the BEST lead. Spend an hour or so a week posting in forums after you are done with your prospecting and follow up calls for the day. You WILL generate leads from forums and bring more income into your life as a result if you follow the instructions I have outlined!