Add a forum if your users really have something to discuss (i.e., it's not just you posting). And I guess the best example I can give you is the topic of Anguilla.
My daughter Nori's site, anguilla-beaches.com, is aimed at tourists. Now, they aren't really going to talk about their vacations with strangers, compare notes, etc., after the vacation. There just aren't enough ardent anguilla-philes who would also want to talk a lot about Anguilla after the trip.
But there is a very successful forum about Anguilla, for Anguillians (not tourists)....
They use it to talk about a wide range of issues that affect them where they live. Much more powerful, but that's not Nori's audience.
The above example was for a forum that is more "gossip/talk"-oriented. What about a forum that is more task-oriented?
Obviously, the SBI! Forums are probably the best forums about building a profitable e-business online. I can't imagine SBI! without them. But I waited quite a while before setting up our own forums.
Why?
Because I wanted to be sure we had critical mass. I can't tell you how important it is to wait. You only get one good chance to start with a bang. There is nothing quite so sad online as a quiet forum. So make sure you have...
1) Sufficient traffic volume, enough of whom want a forum, and that brings me to...
2) Reason to be (relevance)
3) Grrrrrrrrrrreat moderators.
If you have those 3 criteria, and the inclination to participate yourself obviously, I don't see how you can regret hosting one. It will...
- build repeat visits and PREsell,
- attract new visitors through word-of-mouth (and specific keyword searches for "forums" and "discussion" about your topic) who are interested in your topic and want to participate (if you have relevance),
- create content that gets found for long tail searches (attracting more new visitors) and...
- ultimately grow your brand and business to greater heights.
Setting up a forum is not a must. But if the fit is right (and like I said earlier, I don't think it is for Nori's site) and the other stars all align, go for it. (And don't miss the TNT HQ article about how to add a phpBB forum to your site using SBI!'s Infin It!.)
All the best,
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