How to kick off a forum?

Discussion in 'General Marketing' started by kozuch82, Aug 25, 2006.

  1. #1
    Hi,

    I get traffic only for very new post, but I have too few members yet and would need to boost the site somehow.

    Please advise!
     
    kozuch82, Aug 25, 2006 IP
  2. kozuch82

    kozuch82 Peon

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    #2
    No hint? Please help me!
     
    kozuch82, Aug 25, 2006 IP
  3. CJJR

    CJJR Peon

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    #3
    For traffic you can try promoting (not spamming) your forum on signatures of other forums that are related. You can post comments on related blogs, do link exchanges, etc

    To enhance post, one important thing is that you, yourself, are active on your forum. After that, make posts in the form of questions or start debates to create conversations, you can try also doing posting or referral contests. Also, as you get new members, try sending out regular newsletters (make the newsletter interesting and worth sending out), to remind your members of visiting your forum...
     
    CJJR, Aug 25, 2006 IP
  4. velocity834

    velocity834 Peon

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    #4
    Like said, you can do the signature in othr forums.

    what is the topic of your forum i may be able to help further
     
    velocity834, Aug 25, 2006 IP
  5. Dawn

    Dawn Peon

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    #5
    Does your company or sites send out newsletters? Include it there, and add a link as part of your signature.
     
    Dawn, Aug 25, 2006 IP
    mixke likes this.
  6. sbongo

    sbongo Peon

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    #6
    You can try post exchange or join forum-adminstration related forums to learn more about marketing techniques that are specified to forums.

    Hope that helps.:)
     
    sbongo, Aug 25, 2006 IP
  7. Buga

    Buga Guest

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    #7
    As sbongo said, Post Exchanges are great. Post in trade forum saying your willing to do a 5:5, 10:10: 25:25 or whatever post ratio. That means you'll post on their forums 5 times if they post on yours 5 times. Ive done this for forums and it works great.
     
    Buga, Aug 25, 2006 IP
  8. kozuch82

    kozuch82 Peon

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    #8
    Hmm,

    I might try this, because I am bored of signatures links and forum boost by my own posts... :mad:
     
    kozuch82, Aug 25, 2006 IP
  9. kmayen

    kmayen Peon

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    #9
    There are services you can get that acutally have people post for you. This gives you a good jump start.
     
    kmayen, Aug 25, 2006 IP
  10. Juls

    Juls Well-Known Member

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    #10
    yep these are all great techniques. you should try as kmayen suggestion in using a forum boosting service to get your started off. It is also good to ask all of your friends and family help you to get started.

    contests, offering something free like an ebook or maybe even offering a free module that you created (something that ppl want for one or all of your free scripts that you discuss). I definitely think going to other related forums and becoming active in their communities will get you a lot of new members. Also you can advertise on those related boards or possibly even do a cross promotion with related boards.

    there are a lot of things you can do but if you do them yourself it will take time. try advertising, forum boost and some seo.

    ;-)

    good luck. we are all doing the same thing with our forums & sites.
     
    Juls, Aug 25, 2006 IP
  11. kozuch82

    kozuch82 Peon

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    #11
    Well,

    what I am surprised by is the extreme manner of internet behaviour - although I get some constant traffice (not that much), it there are new posts in the forum, the traffic goes up 10 times...
     
    kozuch82, Aug 26, 2006 IP
  12. mpea

    mpea Guest

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    #12
    I’ve just created a forum and I’m having the same trouble. What I started doing is email people with similar interest and telling them about my site. These people can either be found on forums or blogs. Tnen tell them to advertise there blogs or opinions... it works, but requires allot of effort
     
    mpea, Aug 26, 2006 IP
  13. arkueckelhan

    arkueckelhan Active Member

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    #13
    just a note, I've found that the posting services you pay for are expensive for the little result they will give a forum. just my experience with them that is
     
    arkueckelhan, Aug 26, 2006 IP
  14. kozuch82

    kozuch82 Peon

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    #14
    Yup,

    both is what I also think. If your niche is dead, no boosts will help you. Designing an interesting forum is really tricky... :mad:
     
    kozuch82, Aug 27, 2006 IP
  15. Nikolas

    Nikolas Well-Known Member

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    #15
    In any way the first thing you have to do in a forum site, is to make it look active.

    That means that you need posts. It doesn't matter if you pay for post, trade, or make the posts by dummy accounts on your forum, but this is the first thing to do.

    After that you can try promote your forum to relevant forums. Is the best converting way to promote a forum (at least it works for me very well...)
     
    Nikolas, Aug 27, 2006 IP
  16. bookatechie

    bookatechie Peon

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    #16
    I just ran accrost a mod called email digest for the phpbb forum.
    It emails a summary of new posts in a weekly news letter to your members. Might be a good way to get older members interested again and get some more traffic.
     
    bookatechie, Aug 27, 2006 IP
  17. mpea

    mpea Guest

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    #17
    is there something similar to this for VBull fourms?
     
    mpea, Aug 27, 2006 IP
  18. kozuch82

    kozuch82 Peon

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    #18
    I have no idea...
     
    kozuch82, Aug 27, 2006 IP
  19. homework62

    homework62 Peon

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    #19
    try paying people to post
     
    homework62, Aug 27, 2006 IP
  20. jdk

    jdk Well-Known Member

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    #20
    You can offer incentives for members to post i.e.) The most posts after a given date will earn them a prize.
     
    jdk, Aug 27, 2006 IP