If you have $2k... what would you do.

I know this question has been asked a billion and one times, but I'll ask it again, but with a bit more specificity than most.

Let's say that you are starting up a website that will (theoretically) have all the content created by students of a particular college. This will include pictures, events, news, sports talk, teacher reviews and whatnot. You have $2000 to spend on it. You intend to do most marketing offline in the real world.

How would you spend the money?

The first thing that comes to mind are stickers and t-shirts. I have a few decent ideas for free marketing as well, so that will be a good chunk of time spent. Also a good idea (seeing as how the college team is absolutely EVERYWHERE in my town) would be business cards for the website, and hand those out to everyone that I come in contact with.

 

paint your website name on the wall of each college in your town (pay $10-$20 to principal of college to get permission).

 

run a contest of some sort.. Like the most active user will get $100 or something after X amount of days. If the community is good enough it will keep people hooked even after the contest is over.

Have a press release about the contest, and then a second one about the winner. (Online and offline possibilities)

 

You could build a site like thechosenlink.com and rake it in or like the other one that has already raked it in.

Col

 

You can also buy some advertising on google adwords for an affiliate using your user if you don't have a product to sell. I know this is old but still working if you do it right. Good luck

 

I don't get it still.... How are you profiting from the site? Is it just a social network for the sake of a social network?

Need more info.

 

right now you need to clarify your idea and make a solid business plan. keep in mind htat a college even a large one has a very limited number of users.

 

The business model is still evolving, but I will monetize it in one way or another once I get some substantial traffic.

I actually already am doing this. I haven't done a press release as I'm not quite sure how, but I'll read up on that tonight.

I am currently working on setting up some basic useability for now, and I will add more niche related things after I get it all set up to basic usage.

 

How about buying some ads in the college newspapers? They are usualy very inexpensive and a lot of students read them.

I would also go the business card idea...I've done it before and it works quite well.

 

I will purchase alot of myspace bulletins and alot of links so my site will get true SE traffic
Saad

 

hahahaa
Cooool Idea

catch leaders of colleage(who have big network) also teachers. Offers him some gifts to promote your site by mouth. People believes more in mouth publicity.

 

Buy a gun & a tshirt with your website's name on it then go hold up a store. Free tv coverage.

 

i will buy quality links and get my pr up!

 

biz cards or postcards or flyers with something tantalizing on it ... and then the website domain.

plaster that in every bathroom stall and bathroom bulletinboard in the dorms and student buildings and bars around campus... but try to coordinate it so they all get hit the same time to hopefully create a bit of buzz

 

just one word...Reinvest..

 

$500 ad in local / collegenewspaper
$50 flyers posted all over (not spammed)
$500 free tshirts (or small price) (gets you about 75 shirts
FREE Facebook.com group
$450 free prize(s)
$500 to spend on which technique worked the best

 

Well I am going to go with one of the cheapest methods tomorrow. I designed some really nice flyers, and they will be two to a page, so I'll go make 200 copies, which will give me 400 flyers. Then I will head down to the campus and plaster and hand them out.

Also, I work in a restaurant part time where on saturdays we have to wear a college team's shirt. I will be buying some t-shirts and wearing one of those then as well.

 

A featured ad on related websites.Featured link exchange with all PR7 websites.SEO and Press Release will be best option there.

 

I disagree. Since the target is so small (just one town), the money is best spent advertising to that town with newspaper ads, flyers, tshirts, etc. Offline advertising is better than online advertising in this case.

 

Oh sorry i never noticed that its for that town.