There is more to forum marketing than what you can imagine. Learning what some of these things are, and more, will help boost your marketing and overall business results. If you have not spent any time in forums marketing for your business, then there may have been a few things that you have missed. They are so out in the open and common that it would not have been that difficult to overlook.
The majority of people will not change their usual personality when joining a forum. There will be many who will be either introverted or extroverted. So, unless you are very good at turning people off with your personality, then act the way that you always do. If you're more reserved and unsure, then just observe the forum until you become comfortable enough to contribute. Many people like to do this, which is known as lurking. Making a first post can seem little scary in the beginning. Just post in other threads and add something to the conversation.
One quick and easy way to get an idea if marketing is allowed in a forum is to look for signatures. Determine if the signatures possess links in them. If the webmasters allow marketing, then you will see these links. When you start to frequent plenty of forums, you will be able to determine what the members can do in terms of marketing. Also, you will know what you can do by studying the signatures of other members on the forum. For instance, you can often see multiple links with graphics, etc. This will give you an indication that it's really a marketing friendly forum and you can proceed to join.
Some people in forums start threads all the time. Sometimes, they are viewed in a dim light by other forum members. So, even if you have a lot of great ideas for threads, spread them out over time.
Comment on other threads at the same time. Remember that forums are filled with real people and human nature often rules. That being said, you sometimes need to have your own opinion and stand by it too. These are the gray areas in forum marketing you'll experience. Having a variety of ways to share your knowledge is a good approach in forums. It is possible that, after reading this, that you may already know he has a good point most of what we have discussed. As long as you use common sense, and stick to the rules (regardless of the forum you're on), you should do just fine. Be a good community member and that will take you most of the way.