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Tips on Creating a Successful Forum from Scratch

by MommaBear
5 replies
Hey everyone,

About to start setting up a forum membership site and I was wondering if anyone has some good tips?

We're going with Invision Power Services and we have a well-defined niche and the potential for a large target audience. Initially, we want to start out as a free forum then transition to paid memberships once the site builds some momentum. There will also be articles within the site.

Have any do's or don't's? I welcome any advice on marketing, social networking, ways to build memberships, ways to run forums effectively.

I would also love to hear success stories.

Thanks in advance!
#creating #forum #scratch #successful #tips
  • Profile picture of the author Steve B
    I would ask . . .

    Have you done any market research yet? Have you defined your perfect customer? Do you know where your prospects hang out online? Do you have a marketing plan in place? Do you understand the competition and how they might play into your marketing strategies? Have you spoken with prospects to know what they want from a forum in the niche? If you are letting people in for free, what are you doing to monetize the site early on?

    These and other questions should be thoughtfully considered before you launch your forum. Most new business owners only "have a gut feeling" about their market and the wants/needs/desires of their audience, but they never really dig into the details. As a result, they "guess" what is wanted but they are often wrong.

    The best to you with this venture.

    Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author PassiveIncomes
    You need a lot of members to make a lot of money, a lot of promotions needed. If you are creating a forum like Warriorforum, don't do it. Create a unique forum that gives a lot of value. This way a lot of people will join.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jason Kanigan
    Unless you have someone who can be there full time to manage the forum, deal with bots, hackers, and spammers, then I'd recommend against it.

    A forum is a full time gig.
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  • Profile picture of the author JoMel
    Just do what you are passionate about! Good luck!
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  • Profile picture of the author jogunn
    Forums are definitely full time jobs. To test out your intended audience and their response to your niche, think about setting up a Facebook page and trying to engage users there first. This will allow you to test the level of interaction within that niche, see if people are seeking it out, etc. and if it works out, you could use that page to continue pulling traffic to your forum.
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