i've just built a fansite. im not really sure where to start with marketing it. any useful tips/ideas? cheers
Well whats the fan site of? You need to let the fans of your niche know about it. Think of ways you can communicate the advantages of your site to them.
There are lots of forums out there dedicated to movie stars and pop artists. I'd sign up to those and start telling them about your dedicated site. If you're specifically targetting the forums of the same type as your fan site and your posts are interesting then it won't be considered spammy. Shameless plug: You could post a few picture links on my site (AddAnImage.com) - It's very popular with Justin Timberlake fans and I'm about to a big marketing drive which should generate lots of traffic (fingers crossed!) Good luck, p.
I think with something like a fansite concept, you need to offer something that nobody else can. Get a hold of your "star's" agent or press relations staff, and find out what you can do to be part of their distribution strategy. Figure, most big stars have PR agents working around the clock trying to promote their star. Once you've got something nobody can get anywhere else, push it out via email, post on blogs related to the topic, etc. . . What's your niche? Mega-star or smaller? I think you'd do well with someone that's not already super-saturated in the marketplace (the world does not need another Paris Hilton site). Cheers,
Learn how to promote in forums like this one, and then find the forums in your category, post there to accept traffic. Buy some links and try some Ads if you have some budget.