With Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat dominating the world of digital marketing, it can be easy to see why many people are saying that forums are a dying social platform. However this couldn’t be further from the truth. In reality Reddit, Craigslist, Quora, and many others are all just as relevant today as they ever were, and maybe even more so.
So don’t throw away those forum passwords just yet; instead keep hold of them and read our guide to ensure that you and your business are getting the most out of forums in 2018.
Why Do People think Forums are Dead?
There are a number of reasons why people make the mistake of thinking that forums are dead. First and foremost the ever increasing presence of social media platforms has resulted in another available ‘space’ where people are able to express themselves, share opinions and ask advice, resulting in many people labelling forums as irrelevant. Similarly many criticise the ‘nichness’ of forums, saying that they are too specific and select to be of use to many people. Some forum critics even say that there is no longer interest amongst the public in discussing topics or having ‘in depth’ conversations and debates online. But this couldn’t be further from the truth.
Do People Still Use Forums?
When looking for proof as to why forums aren’t dead, all you have to do is look at the numbers. With a staggering 250 million users, Reddit boasts an incredible active usership, ranking as the 8th most popular website on the internet in 2017. Craigslist also enjoys similar success with 50 billion page views per month, whilst Quora sees 100 million people using the site every month; and these statistics are just the tip of the iceberg. From parenting forums, to fashion hubs, to bodybuilding sites, to business platforms there are a countless number of forums to be found on the internet, and many with thousands of active daily users. And with more and more popping up everyday, it’s impossible to deny the relevancy of forums within 2018.
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Why Forums are Still Relevant
As the numbers go to show, though many may be shouting about the death of forums, in reality this is simply not true. Millions of people utilise forums each and every day as a way to get answers, exchange advice, meet new people and simply have fun. While it may be true that platforms such as Facebook are driving away certain traffic levels from forums, this does not mean that the forums are dead or useless. While social platforms may provide a platform for discussion, the topics on offer are often limited to say the least, with celebrity gossip, memes and videos of baby goats predominantly taking over our feeds. In contrast to this forums allow for more open discussion on an array of topics, allowing users to interact with like-minded people, without being judged by their social media following. Providing a sheltered ‘safe space’, to many forums are an online haven where they can learn, talk to similar people and create a voice for themselves, and that’s what makes forums so unique and timeless.
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How You Can Use Forums to Market Your Business
The ideal marketing tool that promotes interaction, engagement and brand awareness, forums are an underrated and underused platform that can drastically increase business and drive traffic to your website. Creating a company forum allows people to specifically talk about your business, engage in discussing its products or services, and directly promote your company from within the site. Forums are also a great way for you to converse with your clients directly, providing you with an excellent customer service platform and a means by which to conduct market research. By understanding directly what your clients like, dislike and want from your business, you will then be able to adapt your business accordingly in order to appeal to your target audiences.
The perfect way to raise the profile of your business, forums simultaneously increase site engagement, improve CRM and raise your company profile, making them the all singing, all dancing multi marketing purpose tool of 2018.
If you’re looking to discover more creative ways to drive traffic to your business, contact one of our friendly team today and we’ll work with you to find unique ways and methods to increase your company profile and Google rankings.
