Good inexpensive/free promotion methods?

[Mark]

(I'm copying this from something I posted on another forum, since I'd like to know what you all at Forum University have to say about it).

I've recently opened a forum for novelists, poets, and other people who love to write. I've spent a lot of work on it - got vbulletin with a few custom modifications I had someone make for me, and I made a style I really like, installed an article and book review system, populated the forum a little by posting with alternate accounts, and so on.

I've got six members besides myself at the moment, and we've been posting a bit - 124 posts so far - but I really need to do more to promote it.

I have a few ideas so far:
Post in other similar forums with a link in my signature, which seems to be a popular method around here. It can also be fun. The downside is that it takes a bit of time which I could have spent posting on my own forum, or improving it in other ways.
Post threads about my site in said other forums, if it's allowed.
Try to get some link exchanges, though that isn't easy because there aren't many sites on my topic that are similar in size.
Submit my site to every forum directly I can find (I've already started this).
Print out postcard-size advertisements to pin on bulletin boards in cafes, since that seems to be a popular place for writers to hang out. If anyone has any experience with "offline" advertising, I'd love to hear about it.
I was considering buying classified advertising in print magazine that's targeted at my audience (writers). On the plus side, the readership is 100,000 and all of them would be potentially interested in my site assuming they have an internet connection. But on the other hand it would only be a very small block of text, would have many others to compete with, and would cost $120, which is definitely on the high end of my budget. Any thoughts on this?If anyone has any comments on those things, I'd definitely like to hear them. How effective do you think it would be? Anyone have any very rough estimates on how many members I could expect to get?

More importantly, what am I missing in that list? What else should I do? I was reading the "If I gave you $50..." thread, and most people there seemed to think a contest was the way to go, but I don't think that would work too well for me. It would encourage existing members to participate more, but I can't see it getting many new members (and if it did they wouldn't be "quality" posters). Is there anything else I could try for free, or under $100?

[B33R]

You've already mentioned a lot of good ways. Are you already getting traffic but few sign-ups or are you still lacking traffic?

Maybe a referral scheme with a competition to find the member who can bring the most (productive) new members.

If you have some traffic but few sign-ups you could try paying some forum posters. If you get the right person/people you can make your forum appear busier and encourage new people to register. There's a few buzzing around WHT(webhostingtalk.com) charging something like $0.10 a post. Their work is impressive (quality posts rather than spam) That's only really useful if you already have some traffic.

To get traffic you could try Google Adwords. It's pricey but if you chose the right keywords it can be very useful in bringing in visitors. It really depends on which keywords you use and definitely isn't for most forums.
Signature links in other forums are always a good way of getting visitors.

You have to be patient. Traffic from directories and links is often slow to appear.

I'll leave it there and see what everyone else can come up with. :)

[writespeak]

Hi Mark, and welcome to FU. :welcome:

One place to consider advertising is in online newsletters for writers. Be sure to find newsletters targeted at the same types of writers you target. It sounds like your forum is for fiction writers and poets, so newsletters for magazine writers, for example, wouldn't reach the types of writers you want to reach. There are already a lot of writers' forums out there (including egroups), but if you have a specific focus and find people with that focus, you'll have a better chance of success.

On the topic of link exchanges and directories, you can submit your forum to our Toplist directory (http://www.forumuniversity.com/campus/toplist.php). :angel: Also, feel free to ask for feedback on your forum in our FU Reviews (http://www.forumuniversity.com/campus/forumdisplay.php?f=26) forum.

Lois

[Banana]

I lkike the idea of postcard size advertisments... I think I am going to make something like that for insano gfx...

[Mark]

One place to consider advertising is in online newsletters for writers. Be sure to find newsletters targeted at the same types of writers you target. It sounds like your forum is for fiction writers and poets, so newsletters for magazine writers, for example, wouldn't reach the types of writers you want to reach. There are already a lot of writers' forums out there (including egroups), but if you have a specific focus and find people with that focus, you'll have a better chance of success.

That's an interesting idea, though I wasn't really aware there were all that many online newsletters for writers. The target would be mostly novel-writers - short stories and poetry were added on as an afterthought.

It's funny you should say there are a lot of writing forums, because I've been looking through them and I couldn't find even one that was everything I could want in terms of a great design, good forum software with all the features I would want, active users, a "progress bar" type thing for someone's current project, news and articles, etc. That's why I wanted to start one (apart from loving the topic).


On the topic of link exchanges and directories, you can submit your forum to our Toplist directory. Also, feel free to ask for feedback on your forum in our FU Reviews forum.

Meh, I think that the toplist directory is too general. Most people don't write novels, so what are the chances that someone who went to the toplist link was interested in my topic? As for the reviews, I'll definitely add my site as few as I make a few more tweaks that I've been meaning to do.

You've already mentioned a lot of good ways. Are you already getting traffic but few sign-ups or are you still lacking traffic?

I have very little traffic. Actually, I think the number of people who have signed up is very good considering how little traffic I have.


If you have some traffic but few sign-ups you could try paying some forum posters. If you get the right person/people you can make your forum appear busier and encourage new people to register. There's a few buzzing around WHT(webhostingtalk.com) charging something like $0.10 a post. Their work is impressive (quality posts rather than spam) That's only really useful if you already have some traffic.

This idea is someone interesting to me, if the posts are as impressive as you say. I looked around a few of the WHT forums briefly, and couldn't find anything about it; do you have a link?

To get traffic you could try Google Adwords. It's pricey but if you chose the right keywords it can be very useful in bringing in visitors. It really depends on which keywords you use and definitely isn't for most forums.

I've heard that it doesn't work that great unless you have a lot of money to spend. I think it'd be more worthwhile to get that classified advertisement I mentioned in my original post.

[writespeak]

That's an interesting idea, though I wasn't really aware there were all that many online newsletters for writers.

Most of the ones I know about are aimed at non-fiction writers, but there are newsletters for fiction writers too. Writers Digest (http://www.writersdigest.com/), for example, has content for both fiction and non-fiction writers, and it accepts ads. With their circulation, I doubt their rates are cheap, but that's just one example.

It's funny you should say there are a lot of writing forums, because I've been looking through them and I couldn't find even one that was everything I could want in terms of a great design, good forum software with all the features I would want, active users, a "progress bar" type thing for someone's current project, news and articles, etc. That's why I wanted to start one (apart from loving the topic).

I haven't found one with everything I want either, but I've seen a lot. Yahoo Groups ones are particularly popular. Look how many they have listed here (http://dir.groups.yahoo.com/dir/Entertainment___Arts/Humanities/Books_and_Writing/Writing). There are also newsgroups, and I've bookmarked a few writers' forums I've found, but none have drawn me in yet.

You're probably just looking at other forums, but my point is that a lot of people are alreaady discussing writing somewhere or other.

Meh, I think that the toplist directory is too general. Most people don't write novels, so what are the chances that someone who went to the toplist link was interested in my topic?

I'm interested. :)

Overall, the chances aren't high, but that isn't the point. By having your link on FU's Toplist (or anywhere for that matter except for link farms), you'll have another inbound link to your site, and that will help with search engine rankings. FU will also benefit, by having more content and another example of a forum, and you might get a few more people interested in your topic. They might not even come into the forum, but their search might take them to our Toplist page.

That directory is just starting out, BTW. The number of links will grow, and we'll have them in categories one of these days.

Lois

[Mark]

Most of the ones I know about are aimed at non-fiction writers, but there are newsletters for fiction writers too. Writers Digest, for example, has content for both fiction and non-fiction writers, and it accepts ads. With their circulation, I doubt their rates are cheap, but that's just one example.
I looked at the Writer's Digest media kit already, actually, to see the prices in the print magazine, and it included a section for newsletter ads. You're right about it not being cheap - $400 for the 120x120 size. I'm going to look around a bit though, see if I can find some newsletters specifically for fiction with less subscribers (and thus lower cost).


You're probably just looking at other forums, but my point is that a lot of people are alreaady discussing writing somewhere or other.
Oh, yeah - I didn't even think about Yahoo groups.


I'm interested. :)
Heh, call me an idiot, but I didn't even notice you were a writer. You would have thought your name along with the signature would clue me in, huh?


Overall, the chances aren't high, but that isn't the point. By having your link on FU's Toplist (or anywhere for that matter except for link farms), you'll have another inbound link to your site, and that will help with search engine rankings.
That's true. I'll have to find the time to make a button first, though.

[B33R]

This idea is someone interesting to me, if the posts are as impressive as you say. I looked around a few of the WHT forums briefly, and couldn't find anything about it; do you have a link?Kristine springs to mind. http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showthread.php?t=480687
You can see some of her work here: http://www.talkshoutcast.com/

She definitely gave things a kick start there. If you already have a good conversion rate (visitors to members) and are low on traffic, it may be worth trying to increase the traffic before you do something like this.
I've heard that it doesn't work that great unless you have a lot of money to spend. I think it'd be more worthwhile to get that classified advertisement I mentioned in my original post.It is quite expensive and you don't see many forums using it, but if your keywords are targeted and very specific it can be useful. It can be quite tough finding the right keywords so your way is probably better (although I don't have much experience in your chosen subject to say for sure ;))
Heh, call me an idiot, but I didn't even notice you were a writer. You would have thought your name along with the signature would clue me in, huh?Always listen to Lois :bow: