Welcome to Internet Brands! The new Vendor section of our blog is here to help you make the most of your time as you advertise your business, services or products in our Auto Enthusiast forums. In the age of Facebook, Twitter and other major social media channels, the power of forums in reaching out to your customers should not be overlooked.
Did you know? During the Corvette C7 Stingray debut, CorvetteForum broke site records with nearly 3 million visits in January. Every new development in the automotive world is an opportunity to advertise.
When you choose to become a vendor, you’re choosing to become “one of the tribe.” Here are some basic tips for success when interacting with our communities:
Be Friendly, Be Personable, Be Yourself!
People visit our forums to interact with others who share their passion. Don’t be shy, jump right into the conversation! A good first step is to post an introduction thread in the appropriate forum. Show your potential customers who you are and what products/services you can offer them. Forums are different from other forms of social media because—instead of gaining “likes” or retweets— you are building real relationships with your consumer base. Do not just think about what the community can offer you—think about what you can offer the community.
Tip: Offer forum members incentives for visiting your business. This is a good way to build a buzz and get people interested in you.
Always Be Professional & Considerate
Never forget that the forums reside on the Internet, where anyone with a connection can access your posts. You are representing yourself and your business, so it’s best to remain professional in all circumstances and at all times. The internet is forever. Make sure to take a moment to review your post before you hit the “submit” button. Ask yourself if your language and content is suitable for all readers—community members, fellow vendors, moderators and admin staff. Our family-friendly forums include people from all kinds of backgrounds and walks of life, so you need to be aware of your audience when you post. Diversity enriches the community and keeps it interesting. Consideration of others grows our communities with more members who may be interested in purchasing your products and services.
Tip: If you’re ever unsure of the appropriateness of your post, ask a moderator for advice. It never hurts to play it safe, and our site teams know the communities better than anyone.
Great Communication is Crucial!
Customer disputes often stem from miscommunication. If a user has purchased your product and has questions or issues, be certain to answer them honestly and promptly, even if it’s not what they want to hear. It’s better to respond than to leave the issues open. Likewise, if you discover issues on your end, such as shipping delays, reach out to the affected people; there are several ways to do this, such as through a private message, starting a thread or sending an email. The vast majority of our forum members is reasonable and understanding as long as you address concerns, come up with a resolution and offer a timeline as to when the resolution will take place. If you feel that specific members are unjustly bashing your business, report this issue to a moderator, who will investigate the issue and take appropriate action.
And finally, since we’ve focused on what to do in order to make your stay at our forums a success, here are few simple things you shouldn’t do.
Please avoid:
Making negative posts about any competing vendor. Whether they are a board sponsor or not, even if your allegations are based entirely in truth, we must insist that you refrain from making negative posts about other businesses.
Making posts containing disparaging remarks about the forum, its administrators, moderators or members. If you have issue with Internet Brands/the forum administration, please inform your contact at Internet Brands directly. If you have an issue with the forum moderators, please contact the site administrators, who are there to help you. If you have concerns with a member, feel free to contact the site moderators or administrators for assistance.
Spamming the forum. This includes doing things like posting sale/advertising messages in forums that donʼt allow commercial postings, “excessive” promotion of products and services in multiple threads or threads that were started for other purposes. This also includes sending unsolicited private or visitor messages to any users. If you are unsure if what youʼre about to do is “spam” or not, please feel free to contact a site administrator and clarify with them before acting!
We hope that this guide has been a helpful introduction to our forums. Should you have specific questions about these guidelines or any community issue, you can reach our Community team at autocommunity@internetbrands.com. Now get posting!
