Using promotional products to grow an online community

Among the hottest Web sites these days are community portals and social networking sites. Community sites are nothing new in the online world - AOL has always been based on the community, for example - but the word and the concept is taking on a whole new meaning and popularity today. Sites like Facebook and MySpace have taken off into outer space, combining new technology with the know-how of marketing old. Tell a friend bring a friend and the party just gets bigger.

Most online communities grow on a "tell-a-friend". Promoting gifts and tendencies that use social networking sites has become the fastest growing niche advertising year. If you run an online community or business of any kind - discussion forums, photo community, blog site or an online store - you can get the job done "tell-a-friend" principle for you. All you have to do is play in a couple of natural human desires and power with promises of free promotional items. Here is a way to grow your online community with promotional products.

1. Start with a logo or slogan - something that is recognizable and unique and yours. Yes, we are talking about branding here. If you do not have a recognizable logo or slogan, it's time to develop one. Something that will scale well and be adaptable to from 1 to 4 colors is better. Something that will be good whether it's t-shirt size or small enough to fit on a cup of coffee is the best.

2. Choose a variety of promotional products to scale from small to large. You might consider refrigerator magnets or stickers (those that can be used as portable tattoos are especially popular among younger people), coffee mugs, mouse mats and t-shirt, for example.

3. Calculate the plan promoting products. What members have to do to win each prize? Your plan will vary depending on the type of community. A community forum could offer a "Prolific Poster" sticker with the logo in relief to members who start most discussions every week and a t-shirt to all members that includes 50 new members. A network of blogging may offer a range of promotional products to those who place the highest number of articles, gather as many comments or collect more ad-clicks.

4. Create an easy way for members to share your offerings with others. Add buttons to your site to allow them to easily add your site to sites like Digg, Del.icio.us, MySpace, Furl, and other social bookmarking and sharing sites.

5. Advertise your promotional products! Let the members know that you are giving away shwag cool to bring in other States is vital to the success of your promotion. Take a picture of your website t-shirt - preferably on a hot model - and post up front with the label "Get one of your own!"

6. Keep track of referrals in order to pay the premiums when they are earned. Remember, every time someone gets a t-shirt or other promotional gift with your name and logo on it, will continue to advertise your site every time they use your gift! ......