How to go about marketing a Forum - properly!

**Frenchiexno1** · Jul 1st, 2008, 12:49 pm

Hi guys strikes me as a tricky subject to post in a Forum as administrators probably think you are trying to steal members! However I am used to generating traffic to sites, but bit more stumped about how to get a Forum up and running...

Have just set up a new site Plooka - Get on the Piste and the forum is key to the success of the site so how to get it kick started??

Have sent out emails to friends, messages on Facebook etc but need to get some momentum. I guess other forums are a good place to find members (it targets people that like forums) but I doubt this is going to work.

So any advice / ideas - think I am going to see if I can find some forums for people that own forums....I am sure they must exist.

But does anyone on here run successful forums, how long do they take to get established?? Ok a competition may be a good idea but got to get the traffic first, any quick wins (he hopes)...

Frenchie

**Dr Teeth** · Jul 1st, 2008, 1:07 pm

constant hard work, dedication, patience along with good SEO, a bit of email marketing, other forums participation is what you need to make a successful forum.

**Frenchiexno1** · Jul 30th, 2008, 2:13 pm

I think your right! I have downloaded a SEO mod for my Forum, and slowly but surely the content is starting to build up from some great members - I think time is a big factor - Im just impatient!

**Dr Teeth** · Jul 30th, 2008, 3:14 pm

Originally Posted by Frenchiexno1

I think your right! I have downloaded a SEO mod for my Forum, and slowly but surely the content is starting to build up from some great members - I think time is a big factor - Im just impatient!

Could you share the SEO mod with us?
Is it for vBulletin?

**tsdesigns** · Jul 30th, 2008, 3:29 pm

Originally Posted by Dr Teeth

Could you share the SEO mod with us?
Is it for vBulletin?

Their forum is phpbb, so i'm guessing not

**Frenchiexno1** · Jul 31st, 2008, 10:58 am

Hi - yep its a PHPBB3 forum.

We are using a SEO mod that changes the titles of the posts in the browser bar, and thus for spidering by google. Should make the forum more search engine friendly, and more appealing on search results!

Have also added 'add me' buttons to the Forum for easy bookmarking on Social Networking sites.

**swastik** · Aug 6th, 2008, 2:49 am

Email marketing, promoting on other websites in your niche etc. Mouth to mouth advertising can help the forum build up slowly. It takes quite an amount of time for a forum to grow big, IMO.