Background:
- Readership = 400k-500k per month
- Two demographics: (1) SOCIAL LEADERS Ages 16-30, equal balance of male / female, people who want to find out the next big thing; (2) MARKETERS / ADVERTISERS / entrepreneurs who want to find the next big thing
- Weekly Newsletter (Trend Candy) = 3000 people (mostly advertising and media)
- Lots of interest from media, but no real efforts have been made by me to reach out.
- Featured on MTV, National Post, BBC, The Times, etc. but I’ve never actively sought anything.
Current Marketing:
1) Search engine optimized (individual articles are a major source of traffic)
2) Good relationship with other bloggers who link to TH (source of 20% of new traffic)
3) Some testing with Google Text and Image ads
QUESTION: Can I be more creative with my marketing? Is there something I could do that would beat the cost efficiency of Google Ads? Any viral ideas?
- Something viral…
- Publicity stunt ideas? anyone?
- Promoting to students who can better use the money…
- Leverage the Trend Hunters… How can we better market TH?
Try the a! store concept like amazon. http://astore.amazon.com/
I couldnt see any affiliate program of trendhunter.com, which is an extremely usefull feature.
If you can get a bit more technical, you can incorporate webservices just like Google, and other weather forecast services. These webservices deliver content based on keywords/demographics data etc.
So, imagine a site using script of trendhunter.com just like you use google’s, and based on the context of the page, targetted trend will be delivered, with link to the site.
Target big occasions like valentine’s day, sports events etc.
Show of the trend hunters as the “cool” people in the know around key consumer spending times when people hit the web looking for something other than socks for Fathers Day etc.
Dedicate space on the homepage to a “Trend Hunters Want list- what the trend hunters are giving their loved ones this .....”
Then optimise the search engines using that key event as a key word “fathers day, Christmas, Chanukah, Easter”
This concept can be applied to other areas of a trend hunters lifestyle like “Trend Hunters Listen List - What the trend hunters are listening too right now”
If you show of the trend hunters lifestyle as something the avg. consumer wants to have you open up the site to more than just the people described in Jeremy’s how to market TH post.
I suggest you submit to social networking sites such as Digg, Stumbleupon, Fark, Reddit, Uber Site, etc. The traffic is usually immediate and can give some trickle-down effect. Myspace messaging and commenting (not spamming) would seem to be an effective method of reaching a younger web-savvy demographic.
Low budget 2 min home made documenty style video ads on trendhunting / coolhunting lifestlye(Life of a Trenhunter).Mini series if you will. Have a couple set characters(signed up trendhunters) and make up their backround and character traits and have semi-unwritten scripts, interveiw scene’s mixed with the character walking around on the streets “hunting” for trends. fun, entertaining and gets more traffic to trendhunter by displaying the url. start a trendhunter channel on youtube, submit to break.com and other self brodcast websites. develope the characters and set up a myspace. make trendhunting more personal! http://www.purepwnage.com/ is a good site to look at for ideas. they had crazy success with their short vid documentry style mini series and will be entering their second season this coming april. they got crazy hype from the gaming world and made gaming 4 lyfe cool!
Myspace.com
Facebook.com
RobbReport.com
Inc.com
College websites
Hiring sites
Bus dev sites.
Yahoo Bus dev groups
Yahoo Groups.
Fashion sites
Art sites
for expanding base.
Include:
Job Fair
Art show
Fashion show
Guys Nite at Hooters.
Auto show
Air show
Boat show
Mixer via OneKeyAway.com
For PR & more growth.
& send TH to college for How to Market among college students in US & Canada.
Nice touch.
QUESTION: Can I be more creative with my marketing? Is there something I could do that would beat the cost efficiency of Google Ads? Any viral ideas?
Maybe and just maybe it will be good to join other websites forums and talk about TH or just use it the link as a signature! I’ve tried and it shoved successfully!
Exclusivity! Now that Trendhunter is growing fast, as well as the number of submissions, you are eventually going to be drowned in submissions. Therefore, it might be a good idea to make it harder to become a trendhunter - and at the same time being a trendhunter will have a higher status and more respect. Just like in many forums, more submissions and better quality will result in a higher status for the trendhunter and that will be shown in the trendhunters title (like junior trendhunter - super trendhunter or what ever you choose to call it.
You should create badges that people can put on their personal sites, blogs and myspace saying - a leading trendhunter - with a link to that individuals portfolio. For many people that is an extra status that they are more willing to promote on their site.
The scoreboard is an excellent idea to encourage people to send in more, and think about the quality.
You should also make more of this forum and encourage trendhunters to get in here and discuss their ideas on trends, fashion and marketing. By that, you can make a lot more value of the site for professionals and enthusiasts.
e-PR - send out news releases on the right channels, contact the leaders in the business, like internet marketing gurus that blog and offer them to write about TH.
You´re welcome. It’s all about respect. If anyone can become a trendhunter just by signing up, it looses its value. People have to earn their status to get prestige.
You should check out your SEO. You need to get as many valueable sites as possible to link to you, not only to get click through traffic from them, but also to get higher ranking on the search engines. The badges might help with that.
I am looking forward to watch (and participate in) the development of the site.
All right! Hjortur said it all! Agree with him on all counts. My input:
1. Additionally, when being a member of TH is based on some kind of qualification, it also will be a good idea to have a reward system in place - the “status” as Hjortur suggests, and perhaps some basic goodies such a T-shirts, tickets, discounts negotiated with partner sponsors.
2. Partner advertisements with corporations may be in order. Google AdSense is limited. Check out the list of ad service providers here: http://www.problogger.net/archives/2006/06/27/a-z-of-professional-blogging/. Old-fashioned marketing of ad space could also generate revenue - shared with trendhunters, of course. :) I am thinking that trendhunters could be encouraged to keep portfolios in good shape if we were competing for partner ads that stay hosted on selected portfolios (top performance on scoreboard - senior trendhunters, etc.) for 15/30 days. Revenue-sharing is the key to motivation.
3. I just checked - we have 8186 trendhunters. They are the major potential ambassadors of TH. I think that to think of other channels of marketing without leveraging this one could actually divert energy away.
So. If we all stick a badge to out sites/ blogs, imagine the exposure! Only that, what if it’s tied up with an AFFILIATE PROGRAM? Trendhunters can become affiliates/associates, which will deepen the relationship between TH Magazine and the TrendHunters. To begin with, this program should be an option and tested for feedback. Some folks may not have websites of their own, and some may have blogs/websites with no synergy with TH - so they may remain opted out of affiliate program. Simple badges could do.
4. Encourage RSS feeds for side-bars. Trendhunters could embed selected feeds in their blogs. Promote this as “free content” for sidebars. A “how-to use RSS” can get many started.
4b. Encourage subscription to the magazine where trend xys gets published in. Can be done by adding another line in the footer of each post, where currently we have Via/Posted/Bookmark/Email option. A line that goes: “Like this [MagazineName] Trend? Subscribe to [MagazineName].”
5. IMO, it is better to concentrate TH’s marketing on trendhunter.com only - i.e other dot.coms should not be involved, except when they are trendhunters’ own websites linking back to trendhunter.com IN ONE CLICK. Any link, ad, video etc. should take the audience DIRECTLY to trendhunter.com in one click. All comments should be made here. TRAFFIC should come here, rather than to an ad page hosted at another dot.com. Most people don’t spend more than a few seconds getting to the core content. And if they are directed from Ad—> to a blog—> to another ad—> to a teaser to—> trendhunter.com, they’ll be gone on the second step.
First, this conserves energy. Second, that ensures higher brand value. Third, it achieves the ULTIMATE goal: People should visit TrendHunter.com, read trends in portfolios, and click on ads. Those interested in topical issues should get quickly to the 13 (to date) magazine.
The simpler the service or marketing is kept, the better this ultimate objective is served.
Another thing I have noticed, is that search engines are not picking up the articles fast enough. It might have something to do with your internal linking, but I’m not sure.
One thing you should do, is teach people one feature in every weekly candy you send out. One of those things you should have on your list is text linking when submitting. Encourage people to link words and phrases in the text to articles on Trendhunter or elsewhere when submitting their trends. It’s only a click, no html code. I have noticed that people do very little of this. This increases the quality of the text and the ranking, specially when linking to older TH articles - and that increases traffic within the side.
I know that most research for TH is conducted on line by surfing all of the news and links provided by TH, However, there might be an additional way to get noticed. Attend local trade shows, like CES, and request a “press badge” not only are vendors more than anxious to provide you with information, but the other “press” people will notice too! You can get free admission to those events if you can produce an “assignment” from Jeremy.
There is usally a Press Room at those functions where kits and photos are available, as well as a talkative Marketing/New Product manager. Interviews are always granted at the events, except for keynote speakers (you won’t get into the seminars free though) without advance appointments. Usually, you can log on to the Trade Show Promoter’s web site and view the line-up of exhibitors well in advance and figure out who you want to interview. After a time, most other news agencies (maybe even Gartner Group) will be familiar with TH as a viable publication and competitor. Vendors will clamour for the opportunity of having their new products or services represented under “Latest Trends.” Helpful?
This latest round of ideas is awesome. I am going to be able to integrate a lot of these into my next updates. Thanks (and keep the great ideas flowing)!
