Forums effective internet business models?

Hope this isnt too much of basic question..

but are forums good business models?

can you make decent money running a forum... ? does anyone bother clicking on your ads or promotions in them?

some forums seem to have had great success.. but others have failed..

any secret recipes? hehe.

 

I see a forum as a 'customer service' and a method to re-enforce your product image (not the words I am after - product image, but u know what i mean)

 

but some forums seem to get very decent high traffic numbers.... there must be a way to monetize that... hmmmn..

 

Forums have lots of side benefits - your reputation, driving traffic, serps that kind of thing. I dont think on their own they are that profitable. I forget the ads are here competley having been here so many times. - Ad blindness or something.

 

People run ads on forums to try to make them pay, it's a waste of time, it will just put your posters off. Forums are communities, yes we use them to enhance our own SE standing, but you tell me what on earth is nicer than to get a pm saying 'Thank You, I tried your advice and it worked'. Give and you shall receive.

 

I started a forum in March to support my current niche site.
I have found it to be an excellent tool in which people will constantly return to your site, to either chat, or ask questions. It can build a stickiness that would be difficult to duplicate.

But as a stand alone business model, I dont see it working.

However, I do think it can work exceedingly well to build trust and loyalty in your company if you have a well run forum, which can result in higher sales.

 

THere are a few out there that sell enough advertising that bring in decent money. Forums do better if they sell banner advertising and the bigger forums that have lots of page impressions per day do really well.

 

Its not going to make you rich as a forum can and does take quiet a bit of work

Mine is not for money but costs are covered so im happy

I think forums are great add on to a business model but as stand alone not sure

 

Look at Webhostingtalk forums. And ask how much does inet interactive earn with banner places...You'll be amazed

 

My guests pay the bills, not the members. I don't see myself driving a hummer anywhere in the near future and wouldn't call it a business model though.

One forum is supposed to appeal to paying advertisers and the other get me work. I aint starving at least.

 

There are plenty of forums out there that can be considered a "business"

elitefitness.com is a perfect example.

 

Your assistance is much appreciated!

 

the forum has to be branded and markeed and advertised to the right people

 

It comes back to the central mantra of success online... don't just give people a reason to visit your website, give them a reason to return again, and again and again.

If you do that successfully and still can't make money, there is no hope for you, give up now.

The forum may not be the place you make the money, but as Shawn said, it gives you the user base or list of subscribers. In the case of a forum, a fluid content generating band of volunteers too.

In my experience, forums can significantly enhance a *site's* capacity to make you money.

 

Glad to see the way this thread grew.. Thanks for the good insights.

I am going to go ahead and start adding forums to my sites as a compliment. But for the heck of it will see if I can make them pay for themselves too by tweaking ad placement and design..

One of my strategies will be to place the ads all the way at the bottom of each thread.. and also to use the secret technique illustrated in this thread:

http://forums.digitalpoint.com/showthread.php?t=17104

If I get good results I will report back here eventually...

 

I put adsense at the bottom of the thread, only set on the page so most expensive. It is a good logical placement considering it's the place the next step is taken... e.g. navigate elsewhere or click an ad.

I also found I was getting a lot of traffic via the archives (vBulletin). So I put ads in there too and a banner highlighting it was only an archive and inviting them to click here to join the 'live discussion' in the forums. The forum is here if you want a look.

 

Forums are a pain in the rear end to get going, and take up alot of your time, which you could be spending on other money making areas of your business. Forums are great for communicating with your clients, presenting your knowledge to others, and aiding search engine optimisation, but forget making any money from them, people simply don't click on the ads.

I was getting more money from DP forums in adsense than my own forum, so I took adsense down on my forum lol