So I don't need to use SEO. All of my visitors will be direct contacts such as alumni and parents. What techniques can I emplay to get good conversion ratios on donations and volunteer signups? Thanks
Make sure your site is easy to read and navigate. Let people who come to your page exactly what it is and how to sign up.
Create a fan page on facebook. Try to invite all of your visitors to your fb page and keep in touch with them with more conversations. Also concentrate on other social media sites like twitter, stunmbleupon etc.
use direct email marketing, if you don't need organic search results or visitors from engines, don't bother with it. refreshing to hear of someone going an alternate path. keep on blazing, trailblazer Edit: Just had a thought... .edu baccklinks too...duh
If you do not want to use SEO . I believe you only can buy visitors, exchange visitors, use social media , offline marketing and directories. You need a portal to reach them !!! participate more in school official website, social media, education forum will help you with it .
Since your not planning on using search engines, your going to need to makeup for this elsewhere. If you have a long list of offline contacts you have, try getting in touch with them. Maybe through email, or even the phone. DON'T act like a telemarketer(even though you basically would be) and just let them know the truth. No hype. No BS. You don't need to make it sound like your site or service is a godsend, just let them know what it can and will do for them and why they should get it. Also, if you can, have a presentation or gathering of some sort, like a seminar, and invite your offline contacts, and even your online contacts if they can come, and present your idea or service. Don't charge them for entrance if you can avoid it and that should get things moving. Then theres social networking like Facebook, Twitter, Digg, and others. All these provide good places to get a fanbase and pull people into your site naturally without any SEO.