Advice needed: guerilla marketing for innovative website

One of my friend just lunched an innovative website: www.symbolya.com

It allows users to place on a map the trip they made using colourful symbols. It integrates with Flickr, Picassa and Facebook.

Since this project is not sustained by a venture capital and he doesn't have a lot of money, he appreciates any advice on how to promote this free website. The website is not commercial (no Adsense or affiliates).

I was thinking about some guerilla marketing, maybe something viral . We're not into SPAM or blackhat.

Please share with me any idea, either replying or by PM.

 

In my opinion ,this site has creative idea...advise u to use fb,myspace ads

 

Not a bad idea, but that alone would consume the tiny budget very quickly and I don't know about the real impact.

 

Affiliate marketing wouldn't hurt. In fact, that'll help monetise the site in a non-intrusive way. Contextual affiliate URLs would be easy to incorporate, where a user who placed a colourful symbol also has the option to write the review about his/her experience about the trip. Sign up as an affiliate with an international travel program. In fact, if you show them the site and how powerful it can get, they might as well collaborate and help generate geo-specific offers and discounts, right below the reviews.

Does this all make sense? It's going to take time and lots of efforts. On the flip side... Come to think of it, in today's Web 2.0 age, people trust other people and not advertisements as much. So, yes, the way I look at it.. You (and Your friend) have a massive opportunity.

All The Best

 

Such a neat idea!

Here's what I would do with $0 budget:

Go onto forums about travel or people taking trips.

Make different accounts at the forums, and post a picture of your trip in your signature link. Then link to the website. Everyone else will want to make their own to show their own trip to the other forum members.

 

may be ppc marketing help you

 

Jessica, I think you're right and this is one of the actions we planned to do.
the ultimate, affiliate would be another neat idea. Have any travel program in mind?
kingishere, ppc would be god if only one user will attract several more. Otherwise, again the tiny budget... And travel is very competitive, what keywords to use to pay less?

I appreciate your advice, guys!