Online Forums Can Help You Learn About Your Target Market

Internet forums - also called message boards - are websites where anyone can start or contribute to an online discussion about any topic

. There are forums about any topic imaginable, including regarding your business. Visiting and/or participating in these forums can be a great way for you to learn more about how you should market, product development, and your target market.

The easiest way to find a forum covering your desired niche is to visit your search engine of choice and start looking. Typing "[your business] forum" (e.g. baking forum, weight loss forum, marketing forum, etc.) is a good start. You can also visit the various online directories (use your search engine for this too) which can direct you to forums specifically targeted to whatever you're looking for.

Once you get a good list together - 6 to 10 different forum sites - spend some time exploring each. Each will be designed a little differently, so that may take some getting used to, but look at how it's set up, what people seem to be talking about, and the site's etiquette. The etiquette may be the most important part of a site. Some of these rules are unwritten, but forums are all about community; you want to be a sincere member of the community and add value to discussions.

That being said, forums are not a way for you to shamelessly promote your business. They are not a way for you to spam links to your website. They are not a way for you to talk bad about other companies. And even though it may be tempting, forums are not a place to get into pointless online arguments (which no one ever wins). Forums are about discussion, and you can get banned from a forum for breaking their rules or being a nuisance.

So, you may want to simply read what's being said and not comment or contribute. This obviously limits the discussions you can have to what other people are saying, but you're able to stay detached from what can become an ugly situation. However, there are obvious benefits to participating in the discussion, so if you do sign up for an account (most forums will require you to sign up) be sure to always keep comments professional. These are potential customers and even though you're not (or at least shouldn't be) directly promoting your business, you are a member of the industry and should represent it accordingly.

If you do sign up, you may want to consider spending some time just commenting on current discussion as opposed to posting new comments. Once people see your comments and begin to recognize your username, you will be able to generate discussions about what you're looking for (which is learning more about your target market).

Message boards are a great way to interact with potential customers, industry experts, and people just like you who are trying to learn, grow, and improve their business.

by: Jacque Crook

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