Those who want to know how to make money online with forums should
not only know only about the methods, but also the ways to get traffic.
It takes time, but can be very rewarding in more ways than one.
Money Tip 1: Standard Methods
The
most common advice you will find for how to make money online with
forums is in the standard online advertising methods: Google AdSense,
banners, and pop-up ads. These methods can work, although they tend to
clutter up a forum and make it look "spammy", which can sometimes
decrease your site's rankings with Dmoz (the largest internet directory
system) and other directory administrators. If you decide to use these
adverts, try to ensure that it adds to the aesthetic appeal of the
website and doesn't become a hindrance.
Money Tip 2: Try an Affiliate Program
Affiliates
programs can be casually constructed between like-minded sites/forums
or can be conducted more formally by using an affiliate network such as
Google Affiliates and Click Bank. If you do not want to sign up for a
network, visit other sites that promote programs or information
complementary to yours. Offer to allow them to post ads on your site and
receive the same in return. Using a network has an advantage over this
casual method, because the results are much more quantifiable and the
big networks have access to the best products and services.
Money Tip 3: Premium Members
When
you first start out with your forum, it is best to concentrate on
building a community before you introduce money making methods. However,
once your forum starts taking off you can introduce a premium section
where members pay to read and post special content. Alternatively, you
might have an adverts section that either requires payment per thread or
premium membership. Some people spend years building up a free forum to
a point where it has a solid reputation, and then one day turning it
into a membership only forum. You have to choose what suits your forum
best.
Traffic Tip: Use Article Marketing
This is related to
blogging, but it can be pertinent to learning how to make money online
with forums, too. Writing good, original, useful and informative content
on your area(s) of specialization and allowing others to use them on
their sites can generate traffic to your site. When someone else uses
your free content, they must retain the resource box with your
site/forum's URL. Then, when someone reads that content and likes what
they see, they can click your link and view the forum. This also helps
build backlinks when it comes to climbing the rankings.
Multiple Income Streams
There
is no one way how to make money online with forums; there are many, and
most are very similar. One of the best methods to get your forum in the
black is to shore it up with multiple income streams. By judiciously
utilizing several methods, you will bring money in steadily, albeit in
smaller increments, but those small amounts will begin to add up with
time. It also decreases your reliance on a certain method, such as
AdSense or banners, allowing you to make your site more to your own
tastes and to make your forums more user-friendly.
By learning how
to make money online with forums you can eventually have your online
community become self-sufficient-maybe even generate a profit! Almost
all monetizing strategies for forums revolve around increasing site
traffic, and this does not usually happen overnight.
