Creative Ways To Stay In Touch With Forum Members

[Looking]

Newsletter and notifications of replies / new topics may be the only way to reach your forum's membership save for when they actually visit. What are some creative ways you use to stay in touch with your site's members beyond the newsletter and their being on your forum?

[Shambles]

Facepunch, though it's hardly creative...

[Looking]

Care to elaborate?

[AlanDewey]

Howdy, Looking.

Bit of a coincidence here...  over the new year holiday I sent out 'mass email' to my users.  I sent with a subject of  "___forum 2019 in review".   Got a big spike of activity.

The other thing I have been doing for a few months is using Google Analytics to see what are the landing pages for people that visit by organic search.   From that I have learned that there are some very interesting, and sometimes very long, topics on my forum that still are very interesting to people.  So when I waste time on facebook in 'groups' that have the same interest, I look for 'discussions' that were answered on my forum and make a facebook post for that forum topic.   It is not possible to have a real discussion on facebook, and any series of comments that might come close to a discussion can not ever be found again once they are a couple weeks old.   So people looking for thoughtful comments or real information then visit my forum.   

I found a source on the internet that made vinyl stickers for me that were only $66 for 1,000 including shipping.  I take them to the races and many riders are happy to put them on their bikes, toolboxes, etc.  The youngsters love them and put them on their bikes.  So now my stickers are showing up in many many photos on facebook and its only a matter of time before one or more is seen in a photo in a major magazine.  No logo or graphics, just the website url.

There was recently a post here on this support forum from a guy running a contest on his forum. (Can not remember the name, but it was for loggers, lumberyards, woodworkers.)    He found some companies to donate prizes and then hid little images of 'elves' throughout his forum.  The contest was to find the elves and figure out what they spell.    I am going to do the same thing when I can find donations of relevant items.

If I can find a place to make magnetic signs that I can afford, I will get them for my van to put on at the races.  You can imagine how many people will see that at Daytona International Speedway :-)

[Shambles]

Care to elaborate?

Facebook

[Looking]

AlanDewey, those are some great ideas, however my main point is not how to get new members but how to stay in touch with those are already members but do not really check Email.

[AlanDewey]

.....  those are already members but do not really check Email.

I have no idea what you might do for that problem.     I do not understand those people at all.  I can send a 'important' email to some people that will not end up reading it for 3 or 4 months.  If they are not going to check their email, they should close the account     

Depending on your forum audience / membership, could you do a press release for a newspaper?  (I guess if they don't read email, they won't read a newspaper either.)

What are the demographics of your forum audience?  Is it geographical, hobby, professional?

[Looking]

Newspapers seem to be fading away, in fact reading seems to be fading away to in place of what I call "scribbles", net talk and video / pictures.

While I am inquiring in general mine is international.

[Neol]

.   It is not possible to have a real discussion on facebook, and any series of comments that might come close to a discussion can not ever be found again once they are a couple weeks old.   So people looking for thoughtful comments or real information then visit my forum.   

This is so true, that's why I love forums.

[mcpheex3]

We are a very visual crowd in my forum. So many are on Instagram on the regular. I post new tutorials, posts, etc. on Instagram which will often bring members back in.

I found a source on the internet that made vinyl stickers for me that were only $66 for 1,000 including shipping. 

@AlanDewey Can you share which source? 

[AfiLai]

Agree with @mcpheex3, through SNS like instagram, twitter, and facebook.

[AlanDewey]

I got the stickers from   https://www.printrunner.com/ 

[DreadPirateRoberts]

I like to use discord and interete new topic replies and threads with that

[landyvlad]

There's always a challenge with using social media to engage with forum members as you are as likely to be pushing people there as you are to bring them back. If you regularly publish forum content to facebook (as an example) the people can see less need to actually engage on the forum as they assume the 'best bits' will be facebooked.

Every crowd differs of course.

AlanDewey - races.. motorcycle or car?