Forum Moderators: open
Is there any chance of a dedicated web marketing forum?
I know there is the affiliate programme and advertising forum and the e-commerce forums that deal with issues relating to marketing, but they also deal with technical issues as well.
Im thinking something along the lines where people could post to discuss marketing strategies, offline marketing issues, PR (public relations!), etc.
At the end of the day, most people here are running businesses and marketing is an important part of that (and an area that tends to be neglected by all you techies ;)).
I used to post on a forum that had a dedicated thread for people to post small marketing tricks - nothing thats gonna change the face of marketing, but good for exchanging ideas.
Just a suggestion! :)
JOAT
Yeh, thatīs what I thought originally.
Marketing is one of those areas (like web design I suppose) that there are no right or wrong ways of doing things - what works in one case may not work in another.
One of the main set backs to marketing websites (and even designing websites) is lack of ideas.
I think a dedicated forum would be a good point of reference for those who are new to web business and need some pointers.
JOAT :)
Exactly! It takes getting the ideas and then
Moving Toward a Plan for an Integrated Website Marketing Approach [webmasterworld.com].
We speacialise in SEO in the UK and I employ 10 people all of whom are part time. My streangh is not that I'm the worlds greatest SEO, but that I know how to drive new business through the door and how to upseel, resell and keep my customers coming back for more.
Not being the worlds greatest SEO there are times when I research this forum to handle tricky situations and would be delighted to give something back in return.
Tony Perry
One of the benefits of being able to discuss and generate ideas for marketing, is that it encourages creativity - which is one of the main key skills in writing quality content for your site.
Understanding your visitors better (through an understanding of marketing) enables the webmaster to cater content to the needs and wants of a visitor.
JOAT
[edited by: Dino_M at 12:29 pm (utc) on Nov. 11, 2002]
[webmasterworld.com...]
I think there is call for more marketing topics. How would it be if we expanded the scope of Affiliate and Advertising forum to include Marketing?
The problem is finding where topic lines can be drawn at. With any marketing discussion, it seems you are off on tagents after a few posts. Most of the marketing discussions we've had on the site end up that way. They start out appropriate for one forum and by the 5th post they belong in another. I think that is the way a dedicated marketing forum would go too.
The main concern id have about integrating marketing issues into the advertising forum (and this is a very small point!)is that marketing and advertising are two different things.
Advertising is to marketing what SEO is to IT.
My opinion of marketing is that it is business - advertising, customer service, economics, strategy, communication, etc, etc.
Perhaps having a seperate forum for say, "website marketing strategies" with specific limitations as what it covers?
For example, it would exclude affiliate sales and advertising in the same way the "alternative search engines" forum excludes Google and co.
rgds
JOAT
I think there is call for more marketing topics. How would it be if we expanded the scope of Affiliate and Advertising forum to include Marketing?
Affiliate programs and Advertising are a subset of Marketing, not the other way around.
Already you have 3 dedicated forums that could work perfectly as an integrated part of a new "Marketing World" heading in the Index.
With the addition of a General Marketing forum it might look something like this...
The Marketing World
Topics related to marketing, sales, promotion, and overall strategy.
Additional sub categories could be added as activity and demand dictates. (I think an Email Marketing forum would be an excellent candidate to encourage the discussion of newsletters, opt-in list management, and promotion.)
I believe that a dedicated forum will not only encourage greater activity in the form of questions being asked, but will also serve as a home for the myriad of posts that have been up until now looking for a rightful place in the (WM)World.
Here's a small sampling of active threads on related topics from the last couple of days alone...
best way to launch your own forum [webmasterworld.com]
Site Growth for Hits - getting more unique visitors [webmasterworld.com]
challenge - can this be done [webmasterworld.com]
Adding value to you site - Ways to do it... [webmasterworld.com]
Selling Sites - How does one go about it? [webmasterworld.com]
How to increase site conversion [webmasterworld.com]
Off line advertising [webmasterworld.com]
Better Design = Better Sales [webmasterworld.com]
Contributionware - Can you survive on the generosity of visitors to your site? [webmasterworld.com]
Online music sales plummeted 39 percent in the 3rd quarter of this yr [webmasterworld.com]
How to set up an html newsletter [webmasterworld.com]
Peak online xmas buying time? [webmasterworld.com]
Still NO revenue with 120000 visits [webmasterworld.com]
The problem is finding where topic lines can be drawn at. With any marketing discussion, it seems you are off on tagents after a few posts.
This is of course where a gentle nudge in the right direction from a moderator comes in. :) I've always been amazed at how a simple well placed question can steer a disintegrating dialogue back on track.
My personal experience has been that a focused environment tends to breed focused discussion.
You forgot one major bonus to having a dedicated marketing forum (we all have).
Brett, adding additional content to your site holds benefits not just for your users, but for the search engines as well. ;)
That ones for free!
JOAT :)
Agreed on that one, it's much broader and affects every type of site. I've been thinking about this a lot, having just looked at a few sites in the past few weeks where SEO is needed, but definitely isn't enough. One in particular isn't even *ready* for optimization (too lacking in content), needs much more marketing along other lines first. People are generally asking just about SEO but to give a true, honest picture you often have to suggest a wider, more balanced approach.
Is that new, or should i just be paying more attention?
JOAT :)
Congratulations Brett! <hands out cigars>
