Online forums have been around since nearly the beginning of the web. Long before Facebook, forums were a great way for people to interact and talk about things that interested them. While many people predicted that forums would die out once social media became popular, that is not the case.
Forums are one of the most effective ways to get user generated content on a site, build loyalty, share information, and generally create a great community. While they aren’t right for every niche, forums can be an extremely powerful marketing tool, as long as they are done properly. Unfortunately, many people who start forums get it all wrong. This leads to forums either never getting off the ground, or dying out very quickly. The following five tips will help you to launch your forums successfully, and keep them active far into the future.
Tip 1 – Lay Out the Rules Clearly
Many forums have gotten off on the wrong foot by not being clear about what the rules of the forums are. Assuming people will use common sense is a big mistake when creating forums, so make sure you are very clear. A simple ‘sticky’ post with a list of very clear rules for the forums will help everyone stay on topic, and it will avoid a lot of extra work. What exactly the rules are will depend on the site, but in general, they should be made to help people stay on topic, be respectful, and also help to encourage people to post.
Tip 2 – Get a Great Design
Another big mistake many people make is assuming the generic design of the forum software they are using is good enough to get started. If you’re not willing to invest a little money in either a custom theme, or at least a premium theme, you’re likely not taking your forums seriously enough. Having a theme that matches your site or niche perfectly will help people take them more seriously, and be more willing to stick around and give you a chance.
Tip 3 – Get a Core Team
Find a team of 10-20 people to help you build up the content on the forums from the beginning. If you already have followers from a website, you can typically find some volunteers that way. If not, get creative and try to find people interested in your niche who are willing to help. You can often get people for free, but you may need to pay a small amount. These people should be posting content daily, and keeping the forum active during the first month or two to ensure it looks ‘alive.’ Of course, you should be posting a lot too, so people can see that the owner of the forums is available.
Tip 4 – Ask Questions on the Forums
People love sharing their knowledge or experience with others. By postings questions related to your niche in every section, you’re giving people the opportunity to do just that. You can either post the questions as yourself, or create ‘fake’ accounts to post them. People will answer the questions, which will then drive additional discussion.
Tip 5 – Don’t take it Too Seriously
Most people like forums because they are a place where they can talk about a specific topic openly. Some forums (which typically don’t last too long) don’t have any ‘off topic’ section, require every post to be properly formatted, and have many other rules in place to limit the fun of the forums. While they may think that they are doing this to make the forums have a ‘professional’ feel to them, it is usually going to discourage people from participating. Let people have fun, and they will keep coming back for more. Of course, there are exceptions to this tip, but in general, it is best to keep it fun and casual.
