Part I: Online Community Forums, the Basics

Long before I decided to form Full Throttle Media, I was working with a group of brilliant guys developing online communities. This was back in the early 90's and at that time there were not that many forum based communities on the internet. I have to give credit to the guys I was working with for being damn forward thinking and giving me the opportunity to learn how the game worked. We were all big car enthusiasts, so buying in to what they were doing was pretty easy. The idea was to create a setting where car owners, engine builders and manufacturers could come together and share information.

Basically, car enthusiasts had been holding gatherings for like minded car owners and tuners dating back to the 30's when guys started to modify their cars engines. Fast forward to the 90's. How do you bring the various car clubs from around the country and the world together in one place to swap stories and share knowledge on specific cars. The internet facilitated just such a assemblage. In a nut shell, online communities are simply gathering places for like minded individuals looking to exchange information in a social forum. These were the original social media sites. As such, the more highly organized forums offer a vast wealth of knowledge for anyone interested in joining or looking for information on how to increase their own base of knowledge. These focused niche groups have grown over time into some very large and influential communities.

A few of the sites I was privileged enough to be apart of developing hold real sway in todays car enthusiast world. What I am getting at is, community forums offer fertile ground for company's looking for brand exposure or product feedback. What are you selling, who is your target audience and where are they. Well, they are probably scattered all over this green earth. So, if you can find an event or a gathering of folks that meet your target audiences metrics then it is a lot easier to pitch you brand directly to them. Online community forums offer the perfect venue. Think of a few enthusiast groups like car owners, sport fishermen, cooks, etc. There is group of enthusiasts following almost every interest in the world. So, find the one that your product will appeal to most and join.

In Part II we will take a closer look at the pros and cons of online forums vs. social media sites.


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Seth Horne

Reach

What is it about smart business owners/executives just not grasping how to communicate to their target audience in the digital media world we now live in? They want to rely too heavily on word of mouth or print to reach their audience. Obviously, word or mouth and recommendations from friends and family rank right at the top when it comes to influencing our buying decisions. But, even if someone we trust turns us on to something extraordinary, what is the first thing you are going to do? If you are like me, you are going online to do a little research on the brand in question. Where am I going to do this research? Online, of course. Now, if the brand is on the ball, they will be creative and utilize a marketing plan that incorporates multiple components reaching across several platforms in order to hook me. Hey, not every company or brand is going to have household name recognition. A comprehensive branding strategy is going to be key to their success. Because at the end of the day, how many people are they really going to reach via word of mouth. A few, I am sure, but to really hit their target audience and peak some interest they should think social and visual media. This is where everybody is, no matter the age. I would hope they have some talented individuals on board that are crafty enough to develop a sound strategy that entices both right and left brain people. I am going to go out on a limb here and say, “print media is dying”! With that said, in some cases I do agree that print can help in very small doses. But, too many people rely on it as their largest means of brand messaging. Print ends up in the garbage basket and the cost benefit ratio for print advertising is usually small, so don't go heavy. Anybody that pushes a print intensive campaign should be shown the door immediately. Think about where your audience spends most of their time and what they are doing. It is a good bet that they are on the internet and more than likely on some social media site or watching video or both at the same time. Find a savvy person or agency that really understands the online world, online community development, social media, and can produce high quality video and hire them. Work with them to design an engaging marketing campaign for you. You can reach niche market segments more effectively this way. And, because of the tremendous shelf life digital media offers, you brand message will be seen over and over.


Go Full Throttle Media! Share the experience and sell the dream.
FTM
Seth Horne

Agendas

You know, it is funny how some of the people I work with are quick to seize on an idea and then begin to sell me on it, without even realizing they are a little late to that idea party. I usually have a pretty broad strategy before I tap any of my resources. That strategy typically involves multiple steps to achieve something far larger than what may at first not be so apparent. In many of the projects I work on, there are several deliverables being worked on simultaneously and not all the contractors being employed are privy to the long term strategic plan. Varying amounts of time pass before each begins to fully visualize the big picture and understand how all the components when combined offer up a far more lucrative project or series of future projects. So, my point is, it is always amusing to me when they have that "ding" moment where they see the much bigger picture with all the potentialities and quickly begin creating scenarios where they can form partnerships to pursue this serendipitous "gold mine" and how I might fit into "their plan". I get a good chuckle out of this. Hey, it has happened to all of us at some time I'm sure.


Go Full Throttle Media!
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Seth Horne