Marketing/advertising question

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

I'm prefacing this by saying this isn't coming from monkey turned wolf the moderator, or a member of the staff. It's coming from someone who's realized all the other martial arts forums besides this one are pretty much dead at this point, replaced with reddit, facebook and discord groups. Specifically the official closing of martial arts planet.

Does anyone have any good ideas to try and market this site better, without necessarily trying to compete with those groups? The most obvious answer would be to post it on them, but then we'd get a flood of people who are not necessarily the right demographic and likely would leave...and with that thought, do we even want to market it at all? Or leave it for people specifically looking for webforums like this to find on their own?

 

[hoshin1600]

I would take a different view. Marketing implies selling something. Rather than trying to "sell" the forum i would be looking to build a tribe. This concept was first made popular by Seth Godin in business. He has a book on it if anyone wants to read more.
Build a tribe, strengthen relationships, do out reach. More meet ups like we did a few months ago and gather more people into the tribe. This forum could be the connection point for something bigger that brings value to people. The key is relationships between each other, how that manifests itself is up to leadership here.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

I actually went back and forth a couple times on using the word marketing. Since I don't really mean marketing or advertising, for exactly the reason that you mentioned. But bringing in more people that fit the forum, and having the people stay around once they join.

 

[HighKick]

I'm prefacing this by saying this isn't coming from monkey turned wolf the moderator, or a member of the staff. It's coming from someone who's realized all the other martial arts forums besides this one are pretty much dead at this point, replaced with reddit, facebook and discord groups. Specifically the official closing of martial arts planet.

Does anyone have any good ideas to try and market this site better, without necessarily trying to compete with those groups? The most obvious answer would be to post it on them, but then we'd get a flood of people who are not necessarily the right demographic and likely would leave...and with that thought, do we even want to market it at all? Or leave it for people specifically looking for webforums like this to find on their own?

The marketing money-shot. It is different for every market and an ever-moving target.
For the kind of work I do, which does include a marketing component, the good old pro-con list consistently works best. Yes, this requires historical data to work best and weighting is very important, so be careful not to put too much weight on things that worked in the 'glory days' of this forum.

Since I am not familiar with how a forum is typically promoted, what are the current marketing initiatives being used? I would assume being associated, mentioned, and promoted by martial arts suppliers would promote the brand.
Mentioning the brand. IMHO, the logo leaves a lot to be desired. This is my perspective alone and may not be reflected by others, but should be considered, especially if it is older or just wrong.

I have always thought the site layout is more comprehensive than any site out there. The only issue I can see here is the overall attrition all martial arts are seeing. Some of the styles listed realistically may not even exist anymore. That said, keeping them listed shows great respect, and since they are already part of the layout, why change it? History is our greatest teacher, albeit often forgotten.

If anything, the site is too comprehensive. Great for the newcomer to get a grasp on the generalities, but not specific for many more seasoned practitioners. In this respect, it is or should be competing with the other major sites.

From my limited understanding, MAP died largely of it's own demise, using the site information for more nefarious purposes, killing it viewership. Is this incorrect?

 

[JowGaWolf]

I actually went back and forth a couple times on using the word marketing. Since I don't really mean marketing or advertising, for exactly the reason that you mentioned. But bringing in more people that fit the forum, and having the people stay around once they join.

Marketing is the correct term. It doesn't require you to sell something. You only need to offer a good or a service. Right now, your service is a Forum.

Marketing has changed over the years since the arrival of the Internet, so the old definition of Marketing doesn't apply anymore. Mass marketing is still a thing but done differently. The old ideas of Marketing Don't apply anymore, that's the quickest way to move away from your goal.