My forum is about 9 months old now, and its going decent I think, but I really want it to have much more activity. It gets lots of hits and traffic, but still, I would like to increase the member base. I hear the same suggestions all the time...submit to directories, advertise in forum sigs, etc, etc. Now if anybody can offer any unique advice on how I could get a steady flow of new members. My URL is http://www.geek4ums.com
Identify other geek forums. See what they do. Look at the kind of topics where people reply the most. Keep spreading the word about your forum to friends and neighbours. Spending some money via adwords won't hurt
You pick your budget for adwords =] You bid on keywords and the more you pay, the more visitors you get
You have a very nice forum there. Running a contest is always a sure way to get traffic. If you have the money, why not consider giving away an Iphone? You could also give away gift certificates to places like Newegg or Amazon.
If you do not consider it cheating I suggest you use an automated script to generate usernames and start posting with them. When people see that your blog is very animated they will join in large numbers. Use the generated usernames to answer questions. Increase thread post count number upto 30 with posts. People love answers to their threads. Then watch the traffic swell. But do this only if you consider it ethical.
you must have to work hard to start members flowing , i think best method is adwords and forum posting service.
Try adwords and submisson services. Answer to the posts in order to stimulate conversations. You might want to consider special offers or rewards for memebrs that will bring traffic to your site.
I have learned that you need to use multiple avenues to generate consistance quality traffic to your site, it takes time, dedication and hard work, but it is not impossible. See my Sig.....
An exceptional way to do marketing online while maximizing your budget is engaging in cross promotional advertising. When looking for those products to cross promote with you will want to look for those that will compliment your product, for example if you sell printers you will want to cross promote with a company that sells printer ink, paper, etc. And this is because you will not be competing against another company you will be enhancing both of your products at no cost for advertising. This will provide convenience for your customer because they will have all they need on your website. As with your website maybe find a game site that will let you post your forum ad on there and they can post theirs onto your site. You should find things that your customer will probably want to do after veiwing your site. Like find sites that cordinate with the subjects of your forum topics. ______________ Bre D. www.csgserver.com