Forums – how good they can be for your business

My colleague was speaking with one of our clients earlier today, Organic Cotton Shop, she had just bought Sophie the Giraffe.  So what’s Sophie the Giraffe I hear you ask?  In short its a Natural Latex Pacifier and Teether for babies and toddlers.

Now I hear you ask, what has this got to do with forums.  Well to make a long story short, someone bought one, mentioned it in Roller Coaster’s forum and since then their sales have increases 10 fold for this particular product and the footfall through the shop has also increases. 

This is a great case study to show how user generated content in forums can help increase your brand/product awareness.  

Be aware that you cannot use forums to promote your self as you will get a slap on the wrists but it is certainly a good idea to keep an eye on whats being said and getting involved in threads that are relevant to your business. Dont forget to read their policies and T&C carefully but most don’t mind you putting your business name and website address in your signature (and don’t forget keyphrases in your post if you want it to help your website optimisation).