This post was originally written in 2014 when I was working on a world-known Forex broker. Time passed, but it’s still a good list of Forex communities to start with for your niche marketing efforts. This well-researched article has lots of practical examples of niche marketing opportunities, so you at least learn the methodology of how to look for them whatever niche you work in. Enjoy reading!
Your business may belong in a particular niche market with its own specifics, competition level, and other metrics. However, in the web space, there will always be a few websites that successfully hold the attention of the audience that you are interested in. Of course, I’m not talking about your direct competitors. I’m talking about the sites where you have a cross audience, but where your goals differ and your areas of interest do not compete. Some of these sites definitely have a number of opportunities that you can use to promote your brand and advertise your products and services. It would be a good strategy to know them, cooperate with them, and monitor them constantly for new opportunities.
The most interesting thing is that there are always many options for you to promote yourself for free. All you have to do is research these opportunities, find them, and use them properly.
Below is an overview of popular Forex websites and marketing opportunities for a Forex broker.
FXStreet.com
It’s not by chance that I listed this website first. According to my own research, based on web traffic data, FXStreet is the leading website among those focused on Forex-related content.
FXStreet wins the hearts of hundreds of thousands of industry participants (traders, analysts, entrepreneurs) through its great content, tools, webinars, and more. The project has been around for 14 years and is constantly developing. The Forexstreet.net social network, the FXBeat premium service, and the expansion of offline meet-ups are activities that are aimed at company growth and development.
So what are the opportunities that FXStreet offers a Forex broker in terms of marketing and brand promotion?
- Forex brokers comparative table. On such a popular website, targeting a relatively small list of brokers in the table with call-to-action buttons for opening an account may bring you additional leads. The table is interactive, and it has all the important details about a company: trading terms, available platforms, live spreads, etc. Brokers on this list are being promoted across the website. (Note: This is a paid service, and only regulated brokers are accepted.)
- Contributor account for your company or a person representing your company. If you have some valuable content, such as articles or analytics, it is possible to contribute on FXStreet, either one time or on a regular basis. The list of benefits you get is quite impressive: your name and company mentioned, an active link to your website and social profiles, the possibility of gaining FXStreet followers, etc. Check out the profiles of the Roboforex, FXPro, and Capital Trust Markets representatives, who already promote their companies with the help of content.
- Webinars. Do you have a person in your company who can share his or her knowledge on a particular subject with the FXStreet audience? This may be a great marketing opportunity for you. Admiral Markets and Forex.com are already there.
- Signal providing. If you have a signal-providing service associated with your company, you might list it on FXStreet and get additional exposure.
- Meet-ups. These gatherings provide a great opportunity to meet your target audience face to face. Edward Moya from World Wide Markets, Alfonso Esparza from Oanda, and Josh Lampel from Arrowfield Trading have been among the recent guest speakers at FXStreet meet-ups. Is a representative of your company ready to take the baton?
FXStreet is an awesome Forex project that will help you connect with an audience if you have something valuable to offer. What I like most about them is their policy to keep the conversation open for brands and professionals. FXStreet looks totally independent with FXPro as a main sponsor. It will remain a mystery to me how they have been able to go without wide affiliation, intrusive ads, and a strict policy on brokers’ advertising.
ForexFactory.com
There are a bunch of Forex forums on the web that have an active audience and aggregate information on numerous Forex topics generated by traders. ForexFactory is one of them, and may be considered the leading forum in terms of traffic numbers.
Forex Factory is very popular among traders, but if you are planning to plunge into its waters, be prepared to find a lot of fake reviews and stories, trustworthy brokers marked as scams, and other garbage. As a Forex website with an open discussion on services, products, and brands, ForexFactory attracts a lot of spammers and “reputation management specialists.”
ForexFactory has the oldest domain. It dates back to 2004, while Babypips and Forex TSD started in 2005 and ForexPeaceArmy in 2007. Perhaps this is one of the ingredients of success that worked out for them. “First, Best, or Different,” says one of the quotes on niche marketing.
A Forex broker has a chance to present himself on ForexFactory in the following places:
- The Brokers section. This is an interactive table similar to those on FXStreet. (Note: This is a paid service, and only regulated brokers are accepted.)
- A thread on the Broker Discussion Forum. Obtain the status of a company representative and talk to traders, answering their questions, dispelling fears and doubts, and building a positive reputation like FXCM or FXOpen AU. You can also manage the discussion as a regular member like IC Markets and FXPro do.
ForexCrunch.com
This is a Forex content project with a relatively small team of writers, started by a programmer. Now, it’s pretty clear which website the founder had in mind as a prototype!
You cannot put ForexCrunch in line with such giants as FXStreet or ForexMagnates. It’s more like a home-bred project with less traffic and a smaller audience. The reason I’ve featured it in this list is that it has its own appeal, it has a strong personality behind the brand, and it’s extremely open for contributors. I would like to draw your attention to it, not only because of the marketing opportunities that content contribution gives, but as a great example of project development strategy.
The team of ForexCrunch writers may be relatively small, but there’s no lack of content on the website. The home page has the titles of 50 articles, 37 of which are recent publications that I’ve examined. I’ve done a little research and calculated the proportion of native authors to external contributors. It turned out to be 60–40. Yohay Elam (the founder) and Kenny Fisher (a native analyst) wrote 22 of the articles, while 15 of them were written by external contributors and guest authors. So, the project already has its name and is developing further through content partnerships without a noticeable in-house team expansion.
I would recommend that a Forex broker make use of the following options on ForexCrunch:
- Guest posting. Check out the guest posts that other Forex companies like IkoFX, FXTM, and XTB UK already have on ForexCrunch.
- Partnership with implied regular content contribution. For example, Scott Smith from CambridgeFX, FXTechStrategy, and FXPro each have their own contributor’s profile on ForexCrunch.
- Featured brokers list on the home page. This is a small list with no cross-site promotion, but if you are looking for extra visibility for your brand, it may be an option.
ForexMagnates.com
*Rebranded to FinanceMagnates.com
This website is a strong Forex resource with a large team of professionals behind it. The website is relatively new. For five years, it has managed to take its niche on the Forex content market and build a reputation as a substantial authority.
ForexMagnates focuses on Forex breaking news, market research and overviews, events, and the movements of industry leaders. The content is tailored for industry leaders and serious market participants, leaving a simple trader or a Forex newcomer to explore FXStreet and ForexCrunch. There are no Forex analytics or trading tools on the site, but there’s an impressive “Experts” section for individual professionals and a fully functional directory for the companies.
Opportunities a Forex broker may be interested in:
- Directory. The ForexMagnates Directory claims to be the source of the most complete and easy-to-use information on Forex companies, both retail and B2B. Moreover, this is a “live” directory that is frequently updated with industry and company news, interviews, and other relevant content. It also has an interactive brokers map, an events column, and updates on bonuses/promotional campaigns and competitions. If you operate within the Forex industry, you should definitely get listed. This is not a paid placement list of featured brokers but a fully functional Forex directory, so it’s quite possible to get listed for free.
- Experts. You’ll find an amazing pool of experts of all kinds from many sectors of the Forex business: company development, marketing, retail market, and many others. The scheme of interaction involves not only reading articles from experts, but also the opportunity to ask them any question that concerns you. Mitch Eaglstein, CEO at Fortress Prime, and Asaf Yigal, the VP at Oanda, already contribute and continue to grow their personal and company brands.
Myfxbook.com
From a number of websites devoted to autotrading that represent social trading opportunities, I’ve featured this one. It may be not the best one as far as available features, and it may not be the one with the largest audience (that’s a topic for a separate study), but it’s quite comprehensive in terms of content related to trading in general and social trading in particular.
Unlike Zulutrade and FXStat, which are mainly focused on the social component, Myfxbook is more like a Forex resource of full value with a social trading part. It has all kinds of content demanded by a trader: tools (spreads, swap comparisons, etc.), reviews (brokers, EAs, rebate programs, etc.), a table of contests, and community conversations—and all available without joining. For those with their accounts connected, there are advanced stats, amazing widgets, options like Twitter integration, an open API, live market updates, and more. In general, the website is aimed at generating the best experience of interaction for both regular members and occasional visitors.
If you are a Forex broker and marketer, check out these options on Myfxbook:
- Brokers page. Get listed in the table of brokerage companies on Myfxbook.
- Quotes, spreads, swaps and volume comparisons. Partner with the service and get listed to show the Myfxbook audience the benefits in terms of trading conditions. Quotes, spreads, swaps, and volume are being compared for hundreds of brokers, so you have a real opportunity to stand out from the crowd with your extremely low spreads, swaps, or any other advantages you offer.
- Contests page. Allocate funds, launch a competition, and promote it on Myfxbook. It’s possible to attract three to four thousand active participants who will gladly register an account at your company to fight for prizes and bonuses.
- Community. Join the community to work with your current and potential audience, and manage your reputation there.
Conclusion
From the wide list of popular Forex websites, I’ve featured five that I consider most worth your attention in terms of Forex brand promotion. You now have an overview of the largest Forex content board, one of the leading Forex forums, a successful Forex blog, an industry observer, and a promising autotrading service. This approach makes possible to show you the real opportunities for Forex brand promotion and the diversity of its types and scales.
Feel free to use this information when you’re working on an online marketing strategy for a Forex broker, or adopt my approach and conduct a similar analysis in your niche.
If you would like me to conduct some research and make a list of unique marketing opportunities for your brand within a particular niche, feel free to contact me. I would be happy to discuss the details with you.