Launching a social networking site(Travel), what is the best way to get word out on the site.$10K/month budget

$10K a month to spend on advertsing, what would be a good start?

Send an electronic press release announcing your new business. Use PRnewswire.com. It will cost $1,000 or so to send a national release. You can reduce that cost somewhat by geographic or industry-specific targeting.

Hundreds of online and hard copy publications pick up PRnewswire releases as a matter of routine. They'll even send you a list of your hits.

Make absolutely sure you optimize your web site for search engine spiders, and take the time to submit (it's free) to Yahoo and Google.

Finally, keyword campaigns (when done correctly) can drive traffic to your site very effectively on a modest cost per click basis.

Try putting your site in these search engines. Also the last link is to a cool website that will advertise forever for one low price. Good Luck

Have you thought about pay per click programs? The two biggest, I think, are Yahoo! and Google

A few free resources – check out the sources box for links:

1) Create a blog pertaining to your field

2) Use Yahoo! Local & Yahoo! Groups – Be sure to read the TOS for each one!

3) Write articles pertaining to your field and/or expertise.

Also, consider signing up for an affiliate program. These programs enable you to advertise on other's sites (your affiliates) and once a sale is made to you, your affiliates & the program are paid a commission.

I listed a few handy sites & articles relating to marketing, promotion & advertising. Here's some book titles that are relevant:

* The Complete Idiot's Guide to Marketing Basics by Sarah White
* The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Ries, Jack Trout
* Creative Advertising: Ideas and Techniques from the World's Best Campaigns by Mario Pricken

Hope that helps! I wish you much success & happiness in all your ventures!

"If you build it, they will come" is not necessarily true on the Web. Putting a website up is one thing, but getting visitors to come to your site is another. The process becomes even more difficult if you have limited resources to market your business.

Here are some shoestring marketing ideas that can help you get the visitors you need at the least cost possible:

1. Create the best content you can with the best products you can possibly offer. Your content is your best advertisement - if visitors love your content, then they will go back and spread the word to others.

2. Make it easy for users to recommend your site. Viral marketing is very important -- and easy to tap on the Web. But give your users the tools. Get a Recommend this Site script from websites such as cgiscripts.com and similar directories of scripts. Some even go as far as giving incentives to those who recommend the site to their friends. If only 10 people go to your site, but these 10 people invite 10 more - that's additional traffic that you get for FREE!

3. Rank well in the search engines (organic search results, not the pay per click). SEs can be a big source of traffic. The key is to create the best content in your niche. If you have good content, other websites will gladly link to you and offer your site as a resource to their audience. Check the on-page factors and be sure to get linked from authority sites in your topic area.

If you are going to read only one piece on search engine optimization, I suggest you read Brett Tabke of WebmasterWorld.com's "Successful Site in 12 Months with Google Alone: 26 steps to 15k a day." http://www.webmasterworld.com/forum3/2010.htm

4. Send out press releases. While outfits charge as much as $650 per release (such as PR Newswire), there are free press release submission places on the Web. Press releases allow you to (a) attract media attention; (b) get more back links to your website without sending each website an email request; and (c) get more visibility especially if your press release gets in Google News or Yahoo News. PRWeb allows you to send press releases at a lower cost and get your release into Yahoo News and Google News, but is not good in terms of reaching traditional print media.

5. Submit articles. Write articles and submit them to websites accepting author submissions. You get exposure for your business; establishes you as an authority in your field, and allows you to get backlinks for your website. If 50 websites publish your article and it contains a link back to your website, then you easily get 50 links from a single article. The more links you have, the greater your chances for increasing your search engine rankings.

6. Improve your conversion. Getting visitors is one thing; getting them to buy your products is a whole different story. Read the article "10 Ways to Convert Visitors to Buyers" http://www.powerhomebiz.com/072005/conversion.htm for tips on how to improve your conversion rates.

7. Pay per click advertising. You can either use Yahoo search marketing or Google Adwords. The key is to track your ad spend carefully, monitor the keywords you use and see which ones are effective in bringing you traffic.

8. Buy advertising from travel related websites such as banner ads or text links. Some sites that come to mind include EuropeforVisitors.com and his whole network of travel sites.

Hire me. I just started a social networking site for women and in one year with a total yearly site expenditure of $25K generated twice that amount in revenue, and a top 11K ranking among all Net sites. And in #4 among women sites. Prior to that, as a VP Marketing I took an ebay competitor from zero to 100K members in 6 months, and three million in VC funding......if you've got the 10K, I can work magic with it.