| Internet is all about communication between people. | | | | base you can ask your members to invite their |
| Those people belong to some groups. People with | | | | friends to join the forum. Also, you can offer a |
| similar interests form groups where they are able to | | | | contest based on quality and number of messages. |
| discuss about their area of interest, to help each | | | | For example, you can start with choosing the |
| other and to learn more about other members. One | | | | Member of the Month. Winner will be chosen by |
| of the most used ways for communication between | | | | other members based on quality of his/her posts. It |
| like-minded people are web forums. How this can help | | | | is great for increasing loyalty. Another good thing for |
| to your business? | | | | increasing your forum activity is to say, for example, |
| In order to have success on the Internet you have | | | | that people with more that 30 posts will get an |
| to have repeat visits. In order to people visit your | | | | e-book and members with more than 100 posts |
| site on a regular basis you have to constantly make | | | | discount on your products. Usually web forum |
| your content fresh, to make regular updates. You | | | | software categorize members in groups so new |
| can post articles relevant to your business, you can | | | | members with less than 10 posts can be in Newbies |
| post the latest industry news and you can have a | | | | group, with less than 100 posts in Juniors category |
| web forum. | | | | and with more than 100 posts Addicts. Forum |
| One of the main advantages of web forums over | | | | software usually offers a so called Avatars feature |
| before mentioned techniques for having a "sticky" | | | | so your members will be able to place an image |
| web site is that after some time, web forums are | | | | below their username. There they can place their |
| "self going", at least in some way. In other words, | | | | photos, too. Also, quality web forums software |
| you won't have to spend your time in creating fresh | | | | offers that members rate posts. |
| content - your forum members will do that instead | | | | Web forums are great supplement for articles and |
| of you! This doesn't mean that you won't have to do | | | | email newsletters, for getting a better feedback. For |
| anything. Depending on the size of the forum, there | | | | example, when you post an article on your web site |
| are people called moderators who take care that the | | | | or in your email newsletter, at the end of your article |
| discussion is going on the right way. Companies have | | | | you can make a link to a discussion about that article |
| management, web forums have moderators. Some | | | | and topic on your web forum. Also, you can include |
| popular web forums have more than 50,000 | | | | subjects of your most popular threads on your main |
| members, and anytime you can find at least 200-300 | | | | page. |
| people online. Corporate forums don't have that | | | | Having a corporate web forum is a value-added |
| many members but you will also need at least one | | | | service to your visitors. If you build a quality web |
| person who will be responsible for your forum. | | | | forum they will appreciate it very much because you |
| Web forums are great because this is one of those | | | | are the one who provides them with source for |
| ways that help you to stay in touch with your | | | | gaining new knowledge. Also, with web forums you |
| visitors and customers. Visitors need to complete the | | | | are building ongoing relationship with your members. |
| registration form so this way you will have their | | | | Some of them are your clients and many of them |
| names and email addresses. This way you can offer | | | | can be your clients. It is up to you. With providing |
| them to subscribe to your email newsletter. Like in | | | | great answers in your forums you will increase your |
| subscription forms for email newsletters, don't require | | | | credibility that can persuade your members to buy |
| too much information from your visitors. Every | | | | your services. People buy from companies they trust. |
| member of your forum will have an unique username | | | | Web forums are very useful for companies in one |
| and a password. | | | | more way. For example, if you are a software |
| Web forums are consisted of categories. So if you | | | | company, you can (and you should) make several |
| are in Internet marketing business your forum can | | | | categories in your forum for your products and |
| have categories like Email Marketing, Search Engines, | | | | services. There, your members will be able to ask |
| Domain Names, Web Hosting, Web Services and etc. | | | | about your software, to give tips for maximizing its |
| For the start, it is better to have fewer categories | | | | possibilities, to give suggestions for future upgrades... |
| that will be more general. Later you can make more | | | | So this way, many of your forum members will |
| categories that will be more specific. Every category | | | | serve as your technical stuff. Did I say free of |
| should have a moderator who is usually very | | | | charge? |
| knowledgeable person about that category who will | | | | Quality web forum makes the web site very "sticky". |
| start interesting discussions and, therefore, engage | | | | People are coming back to read new messages, to |
| other members to post their answers. | | | | check if they have private messages, to post new |
| The most important thing in having a successful web | | | | messages... They will be notified each time someone |
| forum is quality of posts and then number of posts. | | | | replies in thread they watch, if they chose that |
| Quality and only after that quantity. When you start | | | | option. |
| your forum, you will probably have a low posting | | | | Actually, the only disadvantage of web forums is the |
| activity. That's why you will have to "persuade" your | | | | amount of time to get it up and running, to have an |
| forum members to be posters and not only lurkers. | | | | ongoing conversation and good members activity. |
| This won't be so easy. | | | | Later you will have to spend your time for |
| At first, in lack of discussion, maybe you will need to | | | | moderation, in order to make sure that members |
| post interesting news about your industry and to | | | | post appropriate messages, that they are not |
| post smart tips that you know that are of interest | | | | spamming and that the discussion is on the right |
| of you members. Later, with increasing your forum | | | | track. However, good news that your reward will be |
| membership base you will have more and more | | | | higher profit, as well. |
| posting activity. In order to build your membership | | | | |