The Marketing Underground: 5 Secret Online Marketing Communities

What are the best online resources for marketers to discuss their trade? Like-minded marketing pros get together in the following sites to refine their content strategy.

There are few safe places left for marketers to talk shop without being confronted by a siege of self-promotion. Thankfully, there are still marketing communities run by -- and filled with -- passionate marketers looking for real solutions to real problems.

We've collected five of the largest and most active marketing communities on the web. These are welcoming forums for posting questions and getting answers, lending a helping hand and networking with other professionals.

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1. Warrior Forum

Discussions : 566,252

Posts : 7,441,549

Members logged in (as of writing): 11,910

Warrior Forum is one of the oldest and most heavily trafficked marketing forums. It's been active since the '90s and has grown so popular that Freelancer.com recently purchased the site for $3.2 million last April. Beyond participating in marketing discussions, users can post blogs, keep track of fellow marketer contacts and form social groups.

Discussions to check out :

• Main Internet Marketing Discussion Forum
• Email Marketing
• Conversion Rate Optimization
• Copywriting

2. Digital Point

Discussions : 2,277,783 Posts : 17,133,080 Members : 737,895 Digital Point offers a comprehensive platform for discussing marketing and business-related news and trends. It boats the greatest number of discussions and members on this list, and, additionally, offers a great platform to promote content.

See also: 5 Things You Can Do in 5 Minutes to Promote Your Content

Discussions to check out :

• Social Networks
• Pay Per Click Advertising
• General Marketing
• Link Development
• Content Management

3. Money Maker

Discussions : 57,899

Posts : 334,454

Members :113,688

Money Maker has a comparatively modestly sized community, but it's populated by friendlier and more supportive users. Beyond offering a bevy of marketing-related discussion forums it offers searchable member profiles and exclusive "VIP" forums -- available for $40 per month.

Discussions to check out :

• Content Locking Programs
• Social Networking Sites
• Search Engine Optimization and Marketing (SEO/SEM)
• Traffic Depot (PPC/PPV/Media Buys)
• E-Commerce

4. V7N

Discussions : 50,449

Posts : 537,859

Members logged in (as of writing): 6726

V7N is tailored towards web marketers, designers and coders, giving it an edge to marketers increasingly concerned with content design. It offers frequently updated forums and an expert user base.

Discussions to check out :

• SEO Forum
• Writing for the Web
• Social Network Marketing

5. MarketingProfs

Discussions : 42,20

Posts : 260,700

MarketingProfs is exclusively focused on digital marketing. The site claims a membership of more than 600,000 professional marketers and has particularly active marketing discussion forums.

Discussions to check out :

• Advertising/PR
• E-Marketing
• SEO/SEM
• Social Media
• Strategy
• Website Critique

There's no doubt the advertising and marketing industries have evolved to reach a tech savvy, internet friendly audience. Take advantage of these lesser-known marketing sites and forums to keep up with the rapid changes.

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