Promoting a new community

[Barrucadu]

I'm looking for ways to promote a community I started three days ago. It's for a niche market - UK users of the Arch Linux distribution, and already has a few members.

Currently, it has the following features:

• Forum
• Blog
• IRC channel (suggested by a member)
• Jabber server
• Email (using Google Mail)

I'm also thinking about a Google custom search.

So far, I have mentioned it on two Linux forums, and to a few Linux-using friends, the community is very small, but growing. What else can I do? I'd rather stick with free methods of advertisement for now, as I feel it's too small a niche to justify wasting most of what I spend on advertising just yet.

 

[GoldFiles]

If you have a small advertising budget, you could look into a low-cost RON pay-per-click ad.

For free methods, you should start out by contacting blog owners. Get several dozen blog articles out there, and that might give you a boost.

 

[netzilla]

- If you participate in other related forms or blogs put the link into your signature.
- Post unique insightful blog posts as frequently as possible and ping technorati, blogcatalog, etc. when you post.
- Create some type of viral content and submit to social sites (digg, del.icio.us, etc)
- Try and get a "guest blogger" spot on other related blog(s)

Just a few ideas. Hope that helps. Good luck!

 

[kobe]

You could also try paying people (like .5 a post or something like that) to post in your forums. Many people use this strategy for great success. It gives the impressio nthat your forum is active.

 

[milvos]

Get in related forums and blogs, post comments or posts. Also get into your forum and try to post messages that are keyword friendly for your target market, this is a good way to get the pages coming up in the search engines, a forum post can be looked at a good way to generate keyword content also.

 

[MrCat]

Why not replicate the ones that you did to get the members that you have, I mean like participating in to some other linux related forums or blogs? You got some nice features in your site that would definitely attract more members give the proper exposure IMO.

 

[bluearrow]

Promte is in Social networks by making a group for it. Invite people whom you think might be interested. Promote your site in forums and blogs. Also try social bookmarking.

 

[Loky]

I'm directly interested in this topic because I'm somewhat in the same situation :P

I'd suggest you to try answering some questions related to your community on Yahoo answers and add your link as a source

Good luck.

 

[Jacklin]

Try to exchange some members from other forums and ask them to post in exchange or hire someone to do that.