Black Belt Web Marketing.pdf - Costa del Sol

Exercise 7-2 -- Evaluating Which Discussion Groups to Join
Discussion groups are like magazines: there are simply too many that interest you. You
don’t have time to read them all. You have to be choosy. The choices you make should
come after careful evaluation.
Of the hundreds of possible discussion groups that might offer some benefit from
participation, you want to narrow the list of candidates to a manageable number – say 12
groups. The groups you end up choosing should meet most of these criteria:
Group discussions cover topics of interest to your target audiences
The group has a large number of participants or members
The group is active with a sizeable number of postings each day
A high percentage of postings are relevant, on topic.
The discussion threads offer you numerous opportunities to join in.
The subject of the group concerns a skill you are anxious to learn, such as graphic
arts.
Assessing High-Priority Discussion Groups
When deciding in which groups you will participate in discussions by periodically posting
messages, give the highest priority to the ones where you are most likely to find large
numbers of your target audiences. You are most interested in this type of web traffic.
Postings to other groups may also boost traffic but if the visitors don’t belong to your
target audiences, then you are less likely to benefit from the increase in traffic. You
are less likely to see repeat traffic.
It’s also important that the membership of a group be large and active. No matter how
focused the discussion group is on subjects of interest to your target audiences, if few
belong, then your participation will have minimum impact. The time it takes to monitor
discussions, draft and post a message may not be worth the results. A discussion group
that may not be quite as focused on target audiences but is larger may be more desirable.
A large number of postings each day is also a plus. Few daily postings mean offers fewer
opportunities to make a meaningful contribution. Members are less likely to follow
discussion threads in these groups because of a low interest level or get actively involved
in current threads.
Lesson 7 Pg. 6