Have you ever wanted a community of peers or customers at your disposal for input, idea-sharing or inspiration? You’re not alone. Every day, new forums are launched in the hopes of creating a vibrant circle of collaborative communication – and if you’ve considered following in the footsteps of these online innovators, we can help you make an informed decision.

Depending on whether you’re starting a small business forum for like-minded entrepreneurs and industry experts or launching a platform to bring your brand and customers closer together, this picture will look very different. Regardless of your aims, though, we’re here to give you all the incentive you need to take the leap with confidence. Your engaged online community awaits.

Share experiences

One of the primary reasons anyone decides to launch their own forum is to connect with other people who share their lifestyle, interests or goals. As such, one of the greatest advantages that comes with starting a forum of your own is the opportunity to attract these kindred spirits and pick their brains on demand – allowing you to find common ground with your community as a result of your experiences as a consumer or an entrepreneur.

Ask and answer the big questions

On that note, due to the standard Q&A format of forum threads, a platform like this provides ample opportunity to gather opinion and knowledge on a range of industry queries. Whether you’re using your forum as a market research channel for customer feedback or an idea-sharing centre for small businesses in your sector, use this perfectly primed platform to gather intel from those best placed to offer their input, and give your two cents where it counts.

Level up networking

Networking is the ultimate tool for expanding your list of key contacts, creating mutually beneficial relationships with the potential to drive sales from prospective customers and referrals from complementary brands. Forums are your answer to digital networking – laying the foundations for everything from light chat that may lead to unexpected connections to targeted relationship-building designed to generate brand awareness.

Drive sales and referrals

In your mission to generate revenue for your business, your own forum can provide a springboard for advertising your changing offering. Brand forums offer options galore for promoting new product launches, service expansions or limited-time deals, while starting a small business forum could be the key that unlocks a range of beneficial brand partnerships with the ultimate aim of affecting your bottom line and theirs.

Promote and inspire content

While you’ll almost certainly have your own company blog where you share red hot industry insights, informative how-to pieces and exciting company news, having your own forum will help you take your content further. With your own brand forum, you can serve your community food for thought, spark debate on controversial topics and spread the word on big changes in your sector. Better yet, you can even scour user threads to find popular questions and talking points to inspire your next great customer resource.

Cultivate an engaged community

Last but by no means least, starting a forum plays a valuable part in helping you to build a thriving, collaborative, engaged community around your brand – be it a community of industry peers or loyal customers. By giving at least as much as you take, you can establish yourself as a source of knowledge, support and generosity within your sector – inspiring loyalty in your community and fuelling all-important word of mouth.

Are you ready to turn your new forum idea into a reality? This is where we come in. Our suite of community engagement services includes a custom forum feature – giving you the tools to kick-start discussion within your brand community.