SECTION 1.0 - Starting To Advertise
FINALLY! Let's Get Cracking.
Introduction: First of all. If you have a problem with manipulation, you should leave.
This is NOT to be confused with the evil type of manipulation where you simply use someone to your own ends (even though you might be doing that to an extent). If anything, call it Influence. I'm going to be teaching you how to understand a person's psyche to advertise much better. And understanding one's psyche, and using it to influence, is basically what manipulation is. And despite what anyone thinks, it's the common duty of a Forum Owner to influence others, or to put it bluntly, manipulate. Though we aren't using it to betray anyone's trust, or use it for bad/evil methods. If you have no problem with influencing others, read on.
Now with that outta the way. There are many ways to advertise uniquely. Promotion Forums offer many methods of advertisement, however, these aren't the greatest methods of advertising (at least...not yet, but they do still help).
At this moment, we're going to assume your forum has less than 500 members. If this is the case, then I'll show you the best method of advertisement.
SECTION 1.1 - POWER OF THE DIRECT WORD
This is where you're going to have to learn how to be influential/manipulating.
Now. I want you to understand the feeling of a user's psyche/state of mind. In the ways of advertising methods at least. Listen closely, most users are on the internet for their own pleasure...obviously. And in order to bring them to your side, you have to understand a common user's psyche.
First off. This method requires DIRECT communication with a user. E-Mailing, Private Messaging. (where it's allowed, aka, NOT Forum Promotion or other Promotion Forums) Private Messages are much more effective than e-mails, as most just mark that stuff off as junk. And of course, the more the user is aware of you, the more effective it will be.
Now, don't even try creating a message like this and sending it to a user.
Message of Failure said:
Hello,
I think you should come to my site at www.[domain].com. (Insert a few paragraphs of crap related to your site, all the features you have, etc.)
Hope to see you there.
Sending a message like that is a good way to make an arse of yourself. You sounded pretty much like a total narcissist, and only focused on your forum, and didn't think one bit about the user or the user's psyche. 95% of the time, an advertisement like that completely fails.
So how do you make them like the sound of it? Well, the key to success is sounding like a human being and not some random person just trying to sell you something. Make the user feel greatly appreciated, and focus on him/her more than you do on your forum. Even better is to do a little research on what they're interested in before contacting. Example.
Message of Success!! said:
Yo man.
I've been seeing you around, and you seem pretty cool man. It's pretty awesome you like [insert a few sentences regarding their interests].
It'd be pretty awesome if I could see you around at my own place/forum. URL is www.[domain].com Stop by anytime.
Now, I didn't know anything about who I was writing to, so the example above is definitely not full potential. But it's a good example on how to be "human". Focus on the user's interests, and appeal to their own desires, and not your own. It's even better to communicate the user a little bit before you stealthily advertise.
I've always found this method to work astoundingly. 75% of the time, I had someone join my forums, and 60% of those users became active community members. It gets pretty tiresome after doing this a few hundred times, but it's a good method.
