Inexpensive items for Promotion

[Cedric]

Promoting your forum is key to growing your community and attracting new members. But, it doesn't always have to be a big budget affair! There are plenty of simple and inexpensive items that you can use to spread the word and get people talking about your forum.
So, what sorts of items have you all used to promote your forum? What has been effective and what hasn't?
Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Branded stickers and buttons that members can display on their laptops, water bottles, etc.
• Custom t-shirts or hoodies for members to wear and show off your community.
• Keychains or other small items that can be easily handed out at events or mailed to members.
• Promotional materials like posters or flyers to display at local events or hang up in your community space.
• Online ads or social media posts targeting potential members in your community's niche.

Here are some tips for making the most out of your promotional efforts:

• Make sure your branding is consistent across all items and materials.
• Focus on items that your target audience is likely to use and appreciate.
• Encourage members to share your promotional materials and items with their own networks.
• Get creative and have fun! People are more likely to be excited about and spread the word about your community if they feel like they're part of something cool and unique.

I can't wait to hear your ideas and experiences! Have you used any particularly effective or unique items to promote your forum?

 

[Jason]

I post my drum lessons on a Facebook group for drum lessons and I get a lot of traffic. In fact, most of my drumming traffic comes from there (probably). However, they're going to the connected page with the lessons, not my forum. However, I'm sure a few people also visit the forum as it is connected to the page.

 

[Ravenfreak]

I've been thinking about getting some custom stickers made to help promote my community. I've seen a bumper sticker on a light post in my local Pizza Hut's parking lot. It was for a website called "Beautifully Ugly", which got me curious and I looked up the site. I wonder if I can get some traffic just by having someone see a sticker with my site's name on it.

 

[Jason]

I had this unsuccessful online store thing back around 2000. It was my first attempt at selling online or even being online, really. Anyway, I would go to grocery stores and post on their free bulletin boards. It was not successful but did work for an in-person music lesson business I had.