You probably know that my favorite marketing method is using SEO to
drive search engine traffic to my sites. However, there ARE other
methods which I also use with good success in my online businesses.

Using forums to drive traffic to sites is not a new idea. It is a
tried and proven method if done correctly! I don't suggest it (or
any technique) be your only marketing method. Use forums in
conjunction with your other affiliate marketing tools.

All you need is a forum in your chosen niche which will allow your
link in a signature file (not all do), some knowledge of the niche
(so you can converse in your posts intelligently), and a great
product to offer.

First let me describe how NOT to do this. Simply having an obvious
affiliate link in your signature DOES NOT WORK (some forums
specifically do not allow affiliate links in signatures anyway).
Nothing is a bigger turnoff than having one of those ugly affiliate
links near your name.

I'll cut right to the chase here and tell you exactly what works
well. It does require some work, but you probably already know
there is no quick or easy method in all this.

It works best to have a link in your signature which directs
visitors to a page on your own site with content related to the
niche and product you are promoting. Never promote anything you
don't have firsthand knowledge of; you must know and believe in the
product yourself! The landing page your link points to should be
very informative and interesting to the visitors. The product you
are promoting should solve a problem or offer some great benefit to
visitors interested in this niche. In this case, having an honest
review of the product (with your affiliate link at the end) is a
GREAT way to promote!

In short, your site or landing page should offer valuable content
the users of the forum will find useful. If you post on a regular
basis, you will be seen as an authority in the niche. Combining
that with a quality landing page WILL produce sales!

Also remember that participating in forums has an accumulative
effect (sort of like article marketing). Most quality forums enjoy
very good rankings in the search engines. The more you post, the
more likely your posts are to show up in search engine results like
Google and Yahoo. At that time, your potential audience will be FAR
greater than just the members of the forum!

Just a few short and high quality posts per day in most forums will
be enough to make a significant difference in your affiliate
product sales over time!

One side benefit to forum posting is the time you will have to
network with others. You'll be amazed at the opportunities which
will present themselves over time as you interact with others
interested in the same niche!