New Forum Marketing Idea.

I know this hobby is struggling to grow so I though of an idea to try to promote it. there are lot of collectors out there of a variety of items. What if the leader of this forum wrote a piece that each of us could copy and paste to other collectors? Stamp, coin, memorabilia, trading cards, etc... Many collectors have no idea that this forum exists! Maybe it would high light the purpose of the site and how easy it is to join with a link? Or even detail how you can donate to your cause. We have how many active members? If each sent out a blast to 5 people. What could hurt? You can track from the day the email is created for say 30 days and see how many joined compared to a previous period. It would be free to try and it is targeting a very promising group!

It would promote the site to existing collectors. Unless members are keeping the site a secret, most regular visitors may, long, have told five other people about the site.

But how is mailing five other collectors attracting new people to the hobby?
Other than that, it remains to be seen that the hobby is struggling. The fact that your collecting habit is not copied by others does not imply people do not start collecting stamps in other ways.

And I really do not see how a collector of Labello / Nivea lip balms crosses over to stamp collecting.

Hi NSK, I am enjoying a resurgence in my collecting fields! Due to more knowledge available on the internet. Look at any trends from Linns stamp news and even this forum can maybe shed light on the hobbies trends. I know from my own experiences that collectors I meet whether at a show or club or just on the street, many are not aware of this site. All I'm saying is it couldn't hurt and wouldn't cost a dime? Who doesn't like that kind of marketing? Just an idea.

I have a different take on the subject ,telling people to visit a page means little . People want to see and read something interesting ,then it has to have something going on .

Any site has to have a reason to return too. Readers want to see what other people are doing , people want to read about better ways or different way people solved problems . People want to read life stories of collecting . Every once a while a site needs to have a "fight " or disagreement on it ,so people will return to see how the event turns out .

The problem with many stamp websites is they are down right boring ,you read them once and you don't have to go back for a year or three . Or would you rather read a on going event like ---- I bought 10 huge boxes at XXX auction house and here is a picture of my trash can with 2 boxes of trash that I paid shipping for that I got ,already going out the door , then show some of the better stuff you got in those 8 boxes, now that would be interesting to follow over the next couple of weeks as to what was received .

We got people on this site who have been here for the past 500 years and we still don't know what they collect , plus never tell you about what they are doing .

Maybe the concept of a "featured" post -- which I think I've seen exploited on the SCF facebook page. Each week have a different "featured" post ..... Of course more work for the moderators, and some weeks may be a little quiet.

edit: this could simply mean the moderators pick an existing discussion that is going on, and mark it as "featured", which would give it special visibility. Of course code would have to be written for that, etc etc.

or Floortrader and I could just fight. No, I'd lose that one big time.

Ah - just to meet other "collectors on the street" - sounds like a life in Collectingville, where every street is lined with specialty shops for all trends and types!

I've often thought of hosting a Zoom 'SCF social'; getting together every now to discuss an important topic or current event. But more importantly, to put faces and voices together with the online personas we all have.
Don

Don

I think the zoom social would be a good idea.
But I could not do anything but watch.

I have a 2013 desktop that has no camera and I'm not tech savy.

Many would be shocked to learn that Floortrader is actually a teenage girl.

Morning Don and all,

Yep, let's zoom. For folks like me that can't travel far given how spread out forum friends are geographically what a grand way to see everyone.

Let me know the when of our first visual chat. Anyone else want to test zoom with us?

Russ

PS: Setting the time to please all might be difficult. How about Sundays opening the zoom room say early afternoon eastern time. We could leave it open as long as others pop in and chat? I would be glad to co-host the event if that would help. Can we do it tomorrow 11/5 as a test?