By: James Stein

Internet marketing forums are a dime a dozen. There are so many out there that you never know which ones to choose. Unfortunately though, not all forums are equal. Some are simply better than others. Some will also offer different tools for you to use within your business.  There are a lot of features and benefits to using a forum, and you need to know which ones are best for you. Today, let's explore 5 of the features that you should look at in an internet marketing forum, and how to utilize these tools as you develop your own marketing strategy.

Signature Files

The most popular tool to utilize in any forum is your signature file. This gives you an opportunity to brand yourself. Most forums will allow you to put a short blurb about yourself, or your site, and include a link. Now, most forums do not allow an affiliate link. You need to have your own site anyway, even if it is a free blogger blog. Now personally, I don't recommend using free blog sites for a long term business. However if you don't have anything else, it is a good place to start. Create a site and put a couple of articles on it, then link to that site in your signature file. Contrary to popular belief, the site does not have to be about marketing. You can have a site on just about anything. as long as you word things in a way that makes it relevant to the users of the forum, you can get away with it.

User Profiles

Any decent forum will allow you to have a profile. Here, you can talk about your self, and your website. You can usually have a link to your site, and tell people why you are knowledgeable about your topic. For most people this is wasted real estate. However, if you  leverage these profiles, you can get easy rankings in the search engines. You can also use this profile to build up links to your main "about me" page on your own website. After all, the name of the game is to slide your own site into top rankings, and drive the most traffic there.

Forum Blogs

One of the greatest things about the modern forums is the blog functions. Make sure any forum that you join has one of these available. You can use these blogs to build links to your own site, build your reputation, and if the forum allows it, slide in an occasional affiliate link to entice your readers. These blogs carry the full weight of the forum as well as any links that you build up to it. This will allow you to have a better chance at getting some quick rankings, and traffic through your blog.

Explore all the Features Available

Once you start using a new forum, explore all the new tools available. When you can do that, you stand a far greater chance of using it successfully. Learn how to use the editors, and all the cool functions that they include. Specifically look for forums that include the latest Web 2.0 features, and use them to your advantage. Also, make sure you understand the rules of the forum. Every forum has their own rules regarding affiliate links, posting rules, and how you are allowed to use their cool toys. Make sure that you know all the rules so that you don't get your self into trouble.

Internet Marketing Forums are a great way to build your business. You can learn many tips and strategies for free that would cost you a fortune in paid programs. Make sure you take advantage of all the tools available, and you will leverage the full power of the forum for your business ventures.

Affilliate Marketer - Web Advertiser