Online forums thrive on the idea of a free exchange of thought.
If your business provides a forum you are making it possible for people around the globe to share their ideas and perspectives. Because a single perspective may be at odds with another divergent idea the employment of one or more moderators is vital. This does not mean that the business owner must moderate it, but they can either hire a freelance moderator or they can accept a volunteer moderator from their membership list. Forums can and occasionally do get heated with two or more individuals posting material that may be considered inflammatory or simply designed to ruffle feathers.
This is where the moderator comes in.
Rules should be posted and pinned (stickied) to the top of your forum categories. These rules should be prominent with strong encouragement to read and abide by them. Failure to follow the guidelines could result in either the suspension or banning of a user in violation of the rules. Obviously this action is taken as a last resort, but sometimes it is very difficult to rein certain forum members in. The moderator should use both caution and wisdom in making a decision about the status of a forum member who violates the rules. Posts that attack a person should be dealt with quickly and, in some cases, should be removed. Not everyone who signs up for your forum will stay indefinitely. You may even have some members who will sign up look around and never post. Other member can best be described as lurkers. These members are content to read other posts, but rarely provide their own feedback. This may be a matter of comfort or a simple desire to learn what they can without becoming overly involved in a community such as a forum. The third group of members will likely be the smallest percentage of participants. These members will be active and will spend a significant amount of time with the forum and will respond when others have a question or comment. It is typically from this small pool that you may find your volunteer moderators.
You should also know there is a certain lifecycle to forums. You may find a burst of participation from a core group of members that can last several months, but little by little these cyber veterans drop by less and less while new recruits take their place.
An established forum will change dynamics multiple times over its existence. This is normal and is to be expected. You may also find there may be a need to replace your moderators from time to time especially if they are volunteer. Their interest may decrease over time or their circumstances might change – always make it easy for them to pursue a new life dynamic by leaving them in the driver’s seat when it comes to the length of their involvement. Don’t spend too much time lamenting the changing dynamic because it means you are gaining new interest in your forum and, by proxy, your products or services. Forums provide an excellent opportunity to reach out to consumers, but it’s always in a state of flux. Allow your forum to roll with the punches.
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Marketing On The Playground (TM) In my experience I have seen many levels of introvert and extrovert. Let me share some of my own. — Invite me to a party — I’d rather have a root canal — Have me speak about something I’m passionate about in front of a group of people — I shine.
— Put me in a “casual” networking group — root canal please.
— Put me in a “structured” networking group where I can ask for what I need and help others at the same time — I’m in heaven. We all have our levels of how we interact, the environments where we thrive and the environments where we are extremely uncomfortable. I have seen many people go into business for themselves, myself included, that would rather give up their dream than to market their business and themselves. I was almost one of those statistics. I almost QUIT my dream until I discovered the secret. I’m sure you’ve heard the phrases for successful marketing, Find Your Passion; Market from your Passion; Marketing from Within, etc. This is actually correct, but there are a few more steps. Too many times we focus on things we can’t do (weakness) versus the things we can do (strength). The most common phrase I’ve heard is “I don’t want to feel like I’m selling.” Then we have this belief we’re supposed to market from the standard marketing box; cold calls, networking groups, speaking, knocking on doors, etc. NO! You don’t need to jump directly into the marketing box first. Get out of the should(s) and the can’t(s). Step into what you do well and what you enjoy first, then, open the marketing door.
The Secret 1. Give yourself permission to redefine marketing to fit your style. Example #1: A program participant was very good at her profession as a lawyer but was very uncomfortable with marketing.
I have clients brainstorm and write down their strengths and passions. She expressed she had very few on her list. It doesn’t matter how many are on your list as long as you pay attention to what’s there. Some people have 30-40, others have 5-10. She chose her top 3. Out of her 3 the main passion and strength on her list was one-on-one conversations. We then began thinking of who might be good strategic partnerships for her business. She was thrilled she could not only market from her favorite and most comfortable approach, but also choose her favorite environment, which happened to be in a cozy coffee shop. However, that wasn’t all that was holding her back. She had never given herself permission to call one-on-one conversations marketing. Once she redefined marketing to One-On-One Conversations, she left saying, “I feel like I’ve had a black cloud lifted off my head.” 2. Give yourself permission to market from your comfort zone. When she gave herself permission to market from her comfort zone she began taking more steps naturally. Two weeks later I turned around at my networking group and there she was. She was enjoying herself because she gave herself permission to redefine marketing to fit her passions and strengths AND she allowed herself to market from her comfort zone. I have seen this so many times. Once you give yourself permission to stand in your comfort zone, it’s amazing how you will naturally evolve towards expanding your marketing. It becomes FUN and Exciting! Example #2: Look at what you already have. All you need to market may be right in front of you with your most comfortable group of prospective clients. A Life Coach I met had a horrible fear of marketing but really believed in his chosen profession and didn’t want to give it up.
Through the process described above most of his fears disappeared. But he still found himself hesitating. He had identified his best client but that first step of where to begin seemed too big. In asking Bob about his past profession and contacts he realized not only would they be a perfect client but he knew a large number of people he could comfortably approach.
Bob did several things. 1) Gave himself permission to redefine marketing to fit his style. 2) Gave himself permission to market from his comfort zone. 3) Identified a market he had come from and was comfortable. 4) He became so energized with his approach he is making cold calls speaking from the passion of his business. Sometimes we are so close to things we can’t see them. Look right in front of you – your perfect client and ease of approach might be within reach. However you approach your marketing, you get to choose how you do it. If need be, ditch the word marketing and insert ____________ (the words that fit YOU).
Marketing On The Playground (TM) Do you ever watch animal programs on TV? There’s one in particular I watch on Sunday mornings. I always learn so many things but this last week was different. The animals made such a connection with how we market. The show was focused around Pets Ahoy! at SeaWorld in Orlando, FL. It is a hilarious show with a menagerie of animals all working (playing) together.
While listening to the producer talk about the program and animals, you could tell there was a lot of hard work that went into getting the show where it is today and continuing to keep it fresh.
By the way, that’s definitely something important in our marketing— Keeping it Fresh! As I continued to watch in amazement my mind went to the statement, “The trainers sure are smart to be able to teach all of their animals those amazing tricks.” I continued to watch and wonder how they could choose such intelligent animals. Well, when I heard the answer did I ever feel silly. I had reverted back to my old way of thinking like I had when I first started to market my business. You know, looking at the marketing tools that are available and trying to fit ourselves into pre-structured molds. The trainers obviously had a high level of training skill and a way with animals, but they were smarter than I had given them credit for. They didn’t teach the animals the tricks first; they spent a lot of time with each animal before ever putting them into the show. Do you know what they did? They brought them to the producers’ private grounds and had them play around a replica of the actual set at SeaWorld. During that time the trainers WATCHED to see what the animals liked the most and where they shined with their skills. Here is the key to anything, especially our marketing. The trainers built upon what the animal enjoyed most and what they did best. They enhanced the natural playful nature and strengths that were within the animal.
DUH! There are lots of things out there for you to enhance your marketing, to get you focused and to have fun doing what you do best. It’s just a matter of finding what works for YOU isn’t it? I really get it because I almost quit what I loved because I let marketing get in my way.
It wasn’t until I discovered The Secret to Finding Your Inner Marketer did I excel in my marketing and business. It wasn’t until I paid attention to what I liked and my natural strengths did I begin to have fun with my marketing. One HUGE discovery I made along the way. I really enjoy creating marketing tools, services and storybooks that will benefit my clients in their marketing. What is it that you enjoy – what are your talents that you can bring to your marketing and your business?
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Alberto Martinez We are living in a world that is mainly loaded with money.
One of the problems is making it. Many of us do not know how to turn a buck. Certain, we all understand the concept of going out and searching for a job, or tackling a four year term at a University in order to complete higher education, but many of us don’t grasp the different ways to produce capital. In this technologically advanced world, there are more independent ways of earning a buck. If you really want to make money fast, then hop online and check out the present-day playing field. An income is something that we all need. We understand that home payment is due, and the electric bill is coming up, but we are tired of being left with nothing in the end. Would not it be nice if there were a simpler way to make money fast? Well, have you considered investing? Innumerable people, rich and middle-class, delve into the stock market. It really does not matter if you have millions or just a little to spare. Check online to see how the stock market works these days. So much can be accomplished from your home computer. Imagine that you purchased 20 shares at 5 bucks a pop, and then sold them a week later for 25 bucks a pop. Is not this a cool way to make money fast? If you do some research and really get to know how the market works and how to buy and sell wisely, there is much money to be made.
Many of us dream of having that job without a boss.
We wish to work on our own time, and do it from home. Not only that, but we desire to enjoy what we do. Believe it or not, this dream is now possible. There are many ways to make money fast by using the Internet. Begin your own business making unique jewelry, or come up with your own providing service. There is always a demand for goods and services. People do these things everyday. This way they are not relying on some big company, who may drop them at any moment in order to increase their own income. The Internet has really opened up infinite doors. If you are selling online, then you have an complete world of potential clients. If you are looking for ways to make money fast, but have no idea where to start, jump online and do some browsing. The great thing about cyberspace is that so much is free. You can find oceans of information and tips that will help you get started making money fast. It is your life, do not waste it on someone else’s time clock.
