News | How to use the Shell LiveWIRE Discussion Forum & Social Network (to help & promote your business)

Friday 27th July 2012

Whether you're new to Shell LiveWIRE or a long-term member, here's how you can make the most of our Discussion Forum and Social Network to help and promote your business.

1. The first thing to realise is that our Forum has been created as a place to find and ask for free business startup advice in the UK.

Google Analytics shows us that the vast majority of people who visit the Forum are just browsing and reading the information on there, which is cool with us, but if you have a specific question or need an answer quickly then we'd like to encourage you to start a new thread by clicking on the 'new thread' button at the top or bottom of the page.



(The Shell LiveWIRE team will try to answer if we can or signpost you to useful / relevant information in our Business Library or other resources we have come across in our work. However, 9/10 you will get a good answer from other Shell LiveWIRE members who are in the same situation or who have been there and done that).

2. As well as using it to get free advice and to make new business contacts, the Discussion Forum is a useful way to give your SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) a little boost.

The most effective way to do this is to add your website and social media info to the bottom of your Discussion Forum 'Signature'. This means that EVERY time you start a new thread or post a reply to an existing one, your links will automatically appear at the bottom, providing a backlink to your site. The Shell LiveWIRE site and particularly our Forum is very well-indexed by all the search engines so by doing this one simple step you can give your SEO a little boost and drive traffic back to your site.

To do this, click on User CP (in the top left hand corner of the Forum) and then Edit Signature.

(Note: We don't like people to post random 'adverts' on the Forum and this type of Spam will quickly be removed from the site by our Moderators. Persistent offenders also risk being removed/banned from the Forum altogether).

3. Likewise, the Shell LiveWIRE Social Network has been created as a way to help people market and promote their business to an international audience of entrepreneurs and small businesses.

Even if you don't want to network or do business with other people in this way, a simple 1-page profile with a short description and links back to your site(s) can help drive more traffic your way.

(See http://www.shell-livewire.org/network/lordlancaster for an example of an individual profile, and http://www.shell-livewire.org/network/sageone for a business profile).

Get involved!

Like anything, the Shell LiveWIRE website is a good example of 'getting out what you put in'. There are lots of examples where people have made themselves known to the Shell LiveWIRE team by being an active, supportive and helpful member which means that when exciting opportunities come our way (e.g. events and PR opps), they are at the forefront of our mind when we are looking for young entrepreneurs to include. So, our advice is to get stuck in and get involved!

If you have any questions about the above, please contact the team at:
enquiries@shell-livewire.org