They act as centralized locations for topical discussion, similar to BBS and Usenet but on a much larger scale and in more specialized ways.
Forums are where marketers can demonstrate their knowledge.
You can find forums dedicated to B2B marketplaces using Google:
B2B marketplaces forums
Why forums:
- Find your target audience and build relationship with them
- Get traffic and your links to search engines
- Keep up-to-date on what is happening in your niche
- Add value to people in your niche and show yourself as an expert
- Generating qualified leads and driving sales
- Find answers to specific questions