Forums: A powerful source of traffic

Have you considered using forums to increase traffic to your music website?

If you aren’t sure what forums are, they are also referred to as discussion or bulletin boards, and are a way for online communities to ask and answer questions and discuss specific topics. In this case, music!

Here are a few good music forums for you to check out:
http://www.bandlink.net/forum
http://www.muzicforums.com
http://www.music-discussion.com

Start by browsing through the different topics, or “threads,” to see which discussions you may want to contribute to. Once you find a thread you like, register and post your reply. It is free to sign up with most forums.

When you reply, be careful not to advertise yourself. Wait a minute, I hear you saying, I thought I was using forums to advertise! Well, you are, but just don’t do it in the body of your posting.

When you’re a member of a forum, make it your priority to contribute something meaningful to the discussion at hand. Moderators are very sensitive to spam these days (or even postings which seem “adsy,” which they won’t hesitate to delete), so say what you have to say, then sign your name to it, and–here’s the important part–place a link to your website underneath your name.

To accomplish this, a lot of forums have a “signature” feature. A signature is a bit of text (which can include hyperlinks) that is automatically appended to each of your posts. For example, I have a signature that reads “Promote your music and make new friends! http://www.screamalicious.com” that appears after every post I make. People see it and become curious, and presto! Another visitor to my music social networking site.

In conclusion, the advantages to using forums are many. By not engaging in blatant advertising (or outright spamming), you add something meaningful to the discussions. You can also help people with music-related questions they might have, over time establishing yourself as an expert in your field. And the links in your signature file not only help drive traffic to your website, they help with your search engine rankings, too.

To subscribe to our free e-mail newsletter (and be notified when this blog is updated), visit this link:

http://www.screamalicious.com/promote

Also, be sure to pick up a copy of these:
ReachFame.com
ReachFame is strategically designed to get you signed fast, without all of the extra BS, fake managers full of false promises and photographers charging you an arm and a leg… More…

Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook
201 self-promotion ideas for songwriters, musicians and bands. “The most directly applicable, start-tomorrow, creatively inspiring book I’ve ever seen on promoting your music!” says Derek Sivers, president of CD Baby. More…

The Little Black Book of Band Profit Secrets
This 253-page e-Book is packed with tons of useful examples, charts, tips, techniques, secrets, principles, diagrams, and more. These techniques have been tested and proven to work with literally anyone regardless of age or experience! More…