                      -= BBS Promotional Ideas =-
                         (Advertising schemes)

Here are some ways of advertising your online service, as well ways
of getting totaly new people into the hobby of BBSing.

The cost free way of advertising:
1-Other BBSs!
   -This is the most obvious way of advertising your own board, right
    on other systems! :)
   -There are lots of echoes which allow you to put up an ad for your
    service, USE THEM! :)
   -Add your number to the lists if the system offers it.
   
2-Use ICQ
   -ICQ URL chain letter.
   -Make a new ICQ account, make it an ICQ Chat room, and make it only
    for your local calling area! Then use a later version of ICQ, and use
    the white pages to search for your local town names, add everyone
    that pops up in the search, then when you have a huge list, just
    send them all an ICQ URL, and ICQ msgs about your service.
    This idea will probably work the best out of ALL listed below, it
    takes some time and patience, as you may need to explain what your
    services are exactly. But, IT WORKS! :)
   -WARNING! ICQ is unsecure, so you are taking some risks using this
    software. Check with http://www.icq.com for more details

3-Newsgroups.
   -Find local urban newsgroups. There are usualy at least 3
     (Personals, General, Buy and Sell). It is good to advertise in
     ALL that you can find. The more readers, the better. Make sure
     you have the URL in the msg.
   -Be careful not to make it look like spam, then you may get yelled
     at by some individuals who do not comprehend the ad. 

4-EMail people.
   -Email everyone that you know! (not ppl you don't know)
   -Send them the URL as well.
   -Tell them to email everyone they know.
   -Even email people you don't know, every web site you go to, email them.
     You may want to use a seperate email address to do all this. :)
   -WARNING! Make it not look like SPAM mail, and becareful with
     unsolicited mailings to ppl, there are laws in some areas concerning this.

5-Submitting your URL to Search Engines.
   -By submitting your URL to as many search engines as possible.
   -Don't forget to include your city and service numbers.

6-Start a BBSA Chapter (BBS Awareness) in your area.
   -check out http://www.kerowyns-haven.com/bbsaware

7-Join BBS Xchange banner exchange.
   -check out http://www.ccdweb.com/banner/

8-Advertise in BBS World Magazine's Classifieds section
   -check out http://thor.prohosting.com/~greenie/index3.htm

9-Your sig.
   -In your signiture, put your service name and number and url for info.

10-Add to local listings
   -Someone should be hosting a local BBS list for your area, find
    that person, and if you can not, then start one yourself, your
    board will become famous! When you get your list made, pass it
    around and make sure you update it on regular intervals.

These may cost you some cash, but sometimes well worth the advertising:

1-Magnets with url ad;
   -Put these magnets on your car, computer stores, any public place.

2-Bumper stickers with url;

3-Sign or flyers;
   -On this flyer have a basic desccription of what your online service
     offers. A good URL would also be helpful. Find good catchy slogans
     to put on. 
   -Paste these flyers on the sides of a buses, park benches or local
     corner stores.
   -Get them put into your local newspapers.
   -Placing the flyers on windshild wipers in parking lots.
   -Putting your fliers that you have made into the free newspapers and
    computer magazines located all over the place. You go to the pile
    of papers (the stand) and put a flier into each paper. :)

5-Distribution of floppy disks with local list as well a freeware
 terminal. Use those disks you got from AOL over the years as well
 many old 1.44 floppies you don't plan to use anymore. Format them
 all and put the essentials for a new BBSer. A file currently being
 compiled for this use is currently available from the BBS Promotion
 Team. Check their web site.

6-T-Shirts  ("World-Wide-Wait")

7-Business Cards.
   -Make your own business cards and pass them around.
   -Advertise your systems data lines numbers, maybe your voice as well
     for assitence.

-Putting most of these ideas at local computer stores and computer conventions.

Every time that URL, was mentioneed, have the following on that URL:
   -have your info about your online service.
   -info on how to connect to it.
   -a "What is a BBS?" you may want to use darktech.org's "what is" info.
     http://www.darktech.org/whatis.htm


---
BBS World Magazine
  http://thor.prohosting.com/~greenie/index3.htm
July 1st, 1999


(please credit BWM if you are going to repost this)
