Forums: where you can influence the influencers

In much of what is currently being written about the use of social media for business purposes I am inclined to believe that the role of forums is being more or less ignored.  A recent survey published by PostRelease may well change that.

Firstly they report that currently one in five Americans contributes to online forums, and 28 percent U.S. consumers read online forums – making it the second most popular online activity, second only to watching video.

But it is not just the numbers involved that make forums important because the report also indicates that people who actively contribute to online forums are overwhelmingly more engaged in “influential” activities – both online and offline – than people who don’t use them. For example:

• 79.2% of forum contributors help a friend or family member make a decision about a product purchase – compared with 47.6% of non-contributors and 53.8% overall.
• 65% of forum contributors share advice (offline and in person) based on information that they’ve read online – compared with 35% of non-contributors and 40.8% overall.
• 57.7% of forum contributors proactively recommend someone make a particular purchase – compared with 16.9% of non-contributors and 24.9% overall.

Another significant finding is that

• those who contribute to online forums are 10 times more likely than non-contributors to also publish a blog, and are 9 times more likely to take an active role in organizing an offline event or meeting for a group that originally met online.

My conclusions from all of that are that

• Forum users are  key influencers in the market place
• Forum users are better informed than other groups
• Starting as a forum user is good strategy for later becoming active in other areas of social networking such as blogs

So, apart from being a smart place to start, in a forum you can also become better informed and at the same time influence the influencers!

And… for a really good place to start why not join the Irish Business Womens’ Forum, which, despite the name, also welcomes men!