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Are Forums Still Viable?

by Toastmaster
12 replies
Are forums dead as a tool to generate sales leads? (Ultimately. I care about the niche too as a fan, but I'm just asking)

I want to build a Social Media integrated forum around a certain niche. Are forums worth it anymore?
#forums #viable
  • Profile picture of the author E. Brian Rose
    Creating a forum from scratch is a very difficult task. For the forum to be a success, you must gain what we call "critical mass." That's when there are enough active users participating in the conversations that you could disappear for weeks and the forum still continues to grow with content. Achieving critical mass is the hardest part.

    You being here just shows that forums are still alive and well, but FaceBook and other social media did make it a lot more difficult to start one from scratch.

    If your goal is to have a forum just for lead generation, I can assure you there are easier ways to acquire leads than building a city from the ground up.

    Just some food for thought.
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  • Profile picture of the author writeaway
    Yes, they are.

    Forum promotions work REALLY WELL!

    In fact, if you know what you are doing, you only need to focus on NICHE selection and posting VALUE-FOCUSED posts and you will pull traffic.

    Seriously.

    No signatures.

    No links in posts.

    No BS Q+A '1-2 punch' spamtastic coordinated postings

    No Xrumer BS

    No SEO title manipulation

    No games.

    Just results.

    It's all about how STRATEGIC you are when posting.
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  • Profile picture of the author akd545
    I a for sure a newbie! I have a couple of sites that I am trying to promote and generate traffic to. I have found this forum as well as other forums to be very helpful in gaining the new information for me to be successful! I have located some very valuable insights to keep me from being discouraged. I do nat do internet marketing for a living but what little extra money i am making is very helpful!
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    akd545
    Traffic is the key!
    Cheap articles writing service!

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    • Profile picture of the author dana67
      Existing forums are still a good way to connect with others and to get the word out about your product or service. I agree with E. Brian Rose. Creating a forum from scratch and getting active members to it will take a lot of work.
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      Working online for over 10 years
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  • Profile picture of the author writeaway
    OP, the secret to a successful forum is to give people the PROPER INCENTIVES to particpate

    You are on the right track regarding TIGHT INTEGRATION with social media platforms.

    That's only 1 step though.

    There's a missing step: INCENTIVE

    And, no, I'm not talking about money or 'freebies'

    Think about something specific to your target niche
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  • Profile picture of the author st0nec0ld
    Getting leads on forums will take a lot of time and effort, because you'll also be needing to build trust and reputation. But it will all pay off.
    On the other hand, I suggest that you don't just focus yourself on forums only and diversify your resources.
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  • Profile picture of the author SeanSupplee
    Very worth it as you can see here but they are far and few between. The amount of time and effort it would take to build up a responsive forum such as Warrior forum is nearly impossible however they still serve a purpose and worth it for other cases depending on what you want to achieve with it.

    For me I added one of my site simply because the amount of questions I was getting day in and day out where either the same or I felt it could benefit people and they could share ideas with each other. While it is nothing massive its a small group but with great content all free and keeps bringing the traffic.

    So what are your goals with building your own? Having a clear understanding of that first will point you in the right direction on how you need to configure yours into your site.
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    Sean Supplee -Expert Insight of an Affiliate Marketer (Blog)
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  • Profile picture of the author Jason Streby
    You could try to build a Facebook group first, I mean a real one with active members and such then branch out from there. I will admit I've never done this personally but the reach is possible using that platform and if you were to throw in enough time and actually nurture what you created I think making a transition would be gradual but perhaps a bit quicker than just launching a brand new forum from scratch.

    If anyone sees this as totally wrong feel free to chime in but from my perspective I think it's worth a shot; even if just something to do on the side while the forum is being launched as a stand-alone thing.
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    • Profile picture of the author discrat
      I think Mr. Rose brings up some good points. And writeaway also does as well.

      Interesting , two different views to look at it.

      I would be more inclined to just start a Fan Page and really generate leads that way.

      It is relatively quicker way and can be just as effective if not more effective than a Forum.

      But as writeaway points out you should NOT write off ( no pun intended lol) the value of Forums

      There is some quality marketing that can be done there


      - Robert Andrew
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  • Profile picture of the author namehero
    Originally Posted by Toastmaster View Post

    Are forums dead as a tool to generate sales leads? (Ultimately. I care about the niche too as a fan, but I'm just asking)

    I want to build a Social Media integrated forum around a certain niche. Are forums worth it anymore?
    Yeah they are, they're just a lot of work. A lot of people that would traditionally participate on a forum have moved over to Facebook groups. But still, if your niche revolves around health, wealth, and relationships you'll find people that want to go to a forum to discuss. Just make sure you load it full of content.

    As a couple people have said above me, you're going to have to work your ass off in the beginning until enough members come in to keep the content fresh daily.

    Lots of work, but content is easy, just time consuming.
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    • Profile picture of the author Toastmaster
      Thank you all for your wonderful advice! I really appreciate all the pros and cons. I am a fan of this niche, and think I will give it a try, "for old times" sake. (I was a mod in one shape or another for almost 13 years at various forums/yahoo and Google groups and facebook groups/pages. Always wanted one of my own, just didn't have the niche until now.


      Thank you all!


      Does anyone know of any good *forum based* training products? Like "How to build a good forum with content and market it" Or do any exist anymore in todays climate? lol
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  • Profile picture of the author Randall Magwood
    Forums still work and are awesome. If you want to make this your sole business model, you're in a for a long ride. Focus on design, and make it easy for people to use, sign-up to, and even promote themselves/their website. It's a long term project, but if you want to dedicate yourself to the task.... have fun!
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