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About to Start a Trucking Website w/Forum Plus Other Stuff - How to Build Loyal Forum Community?

by Matt Dog
5 replies
I'd like to have a forum community as big as thetruckersreport.com (90,000+ members) with thousands on the site every day.

How can the small fish get that kind of community when those people already are loyal to the forums they already are involved in?

My website will be way more than a forum but the forum is going to be there to keep people coming back to the site itself.

I'd like to eventually rent ad space on my website (50k+ per month is the goal).

I not only know I can do it: I WILL DO IT.

But what's it take to get and keep a forum community going strong?

Thanks ahead of time for all suggestions.
#build #community #forum #loyal #start #stuff #trucking #w or forum #website
  • Profile picture of the author E. Brian Rose
    This might be a little helpful to you:
    Successfully Creating an Authority Forum | Internet Marketing Strategies by E Brian Rose
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    Founder of JVZoo. All around good guy :)

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    • Profile picture of the author Matt Dog
      Hey thanks for the great article. I really agree with what you wrote about reaching critical mass.

      I've got a unique idea to make my website different from other forums and I'm working on getting a lot of content for the site (valuable content) before the forum goes officially live (testing it and tweaking it and perfecting the design of the site and the forum and writing and editing content before going to other forums and contributing to get people back to my site).

      I think if I don't reach critical mass first by providing a lot of value to my site viewers that I won't be able to keep them and than it will be a lot harder to get them back.

      Really good article thanks.
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  • Profile picture of the author dave_hermansen
    The best way to get started with building a following is being an active member in the "hangouts" for that topic. Find the top forums, blog & social hangouts to target and participate as much as possible. Also, try to prove you are knowledgeable and someone worth listening to, because authorities get far more attention when they speak!
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    BizSellers.com - The #1 place to buy & sell websites!
    We help sellers get the MAXIMUM amount for their websites and all buyers know that these sites are 100% vetted.
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    • Profile picture of the author Matt Dog
      I plan on contributing to the active trucking forums that already exist, plus spreading the word face to face at truck stops, passing out brochures, posting on real world bulletin boards at truck stops, radio ads, article directories, trucking blogs, trucking YouTube channels...and more.

      I'll definitely be writing informative posts on trucking authority forums (the biggest promo effort). New drivers need advice and I can give them really good advice. Of course I want new and seasoned drivers on my forum but the more useful my site is to someone the more compelled they will be to check it out in theory.

      Thanks for the tips.
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  • Profile picture of the author Frank Schwarz
    have you connected with groups on LinkedIn yet? I helped a client get a decent following by using that approach.
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    Frank "at" SchwarzMediaGroup.com

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