Make the most of the break guys...

[Barcelonic]

I was thinking given that its inevitably going to be quieter than usual over the break on here, why don't the admins take this as an opportunity to plan a promotional push for next season.

I was thinking perhaps next year you could run a Fantasy Football league with a cash prize for the winner which is above the usual amount for FF leagues. That way you could use it as an anchor in SEO and try and entice people to the forum by using this competition as their incentive. This could work quite well if you made this competition the pinnacle of this site, ie. Football Area would be known for its FF league and the generous prize, and the forum would be considered a bonus.

That way you might get lots of people signing up over the break in preparation for next season, and trust me once you have members who will without any doubt be on here every other day checking their teams and making adjustments, forum contributions will certainly follow!

What do you guys think?? :mellow:

[Jamie]

I was thinking given that its inevitably going to be quieter than usual over the break on here, why don't the admins take this as an opportunity to plan a promotional push for next season.

I was thinking perhaps next year you could run a Fantasy Football league with a cash prize for the winner which is above the usual amount for FF leagues. That way you could use it as an anchor in SEO and try and entice people to the forum by using this competition as their incentive. This could work quite well if you made this competition the pinnacle of this site, ie. Football Area would be known for its FF league and the generous prize, and the forum would be considered a bonus.

That way you might get lots of people signing up over the break in preparation for next season, and trust me once you have members who will without any doubt be on here every other day checking their teams and making adjustments, forum contributions will certainly follow!

What do you guys think?? :mellow:
I was actually thinking of this a few months ago, forgot about it though, thanks for that :).

I think it's all great, except that I don't have enough funds at the moment to make a cash prize. I am already stretching myself to get this football shirt for the competition. Server fees etc are making money fly out the window.

We'd need to get a loan (that has a low intrest rate and gives loans to u18's) to do any big publicizing. I am hoping that losing money will eventually change to making money within the next months/year(s).

Paul and I (well, mostly me right now as Paul is exam banned), are devoted to getting the forum to a very popular standard. We can't do this without proper cash which is why I opened 'premium membership'... (which I am still adding features to). I don't want to ask Chris or Jake for an investment due to the bad times we're in (credit crunch) and the fact that it is a bit embarressing.

So, for the moment, it's a possibility, but can't confirm anything right now.

[Jake]

I was actually thinking of this a few months ago, forgot about it though, thanks for that :).

I think it's all great, except that I don't have enough funds at the moment to make a cash prize. I am already stretching myself to get this football shirt for the competition. Server fees etc are making money fly out the window.

We'd need to get a loan (that has a low intrest rate and gives loans to u18's) to do any big publicizing. I am hoping that losing money will eventually change to making money within the next months/year(s).

Paul and I (well, mostly me right now as Paul is exam banned), are devoted to getting the forum to a very popular standard. We can't do this without proper cash which is why I opened 'premium membership'... (which I am still adding features to). I don't want to ask Chris or Jake for an investment due to the bad times we're in (credit crunch) and the fact that it is a bit embarressing.

So, for the moment, it's a possibility, but can't confirm anything right now.
I think this is a great idea and would probably get a lot more members and i'd defiantely join :) also I am devoted lol and don't be embarassed about asking me anything mate, I could happily fund a competition prize or part of it if I thought it would be worth it in the end when the forum becomes successfull and if I could maybe get the investment back over time :) how much are we talking about for a cash prize though?

[Chris]

I am a dirty student at the moment with out a job, but will try to scrape some money together should it be required for a prize as I am all for the expansion of this place!

Oh and I like the fantasy football idea :D

[Jamie]

how much are we talking about for a cash prize though?
I have no idea. Any idea Barcelonic?

[Jake]

well the official barclays FF offers two tickets to a game to nights 5 star hotel limo travel and £250 spending money but that may be slightly out of our ranger just yet :)

[Jamie]

well the official barclays FF offers two tickets to a game to nights 5 star hotel limo travel and £250 spending money but that may be slightly out of our ranger just yet :)
just a bit ;)

[Barcelonic]

Well i think the best idea would be instead of offering a cash prize, offer an all-inclusive holiday to Spain. People love hols and it would not only cost less than a cash prize, but people would want it more because they'd picture themselves winning it. It grabs your attention far better than cash of any amount would.

Oh and Jamie, the beauty of this is that you don't have to pay up until the end of next season!! But its important to plan it out now because you'll need to take advantage of it in the break before next season starts. Thats when you'll get the people in. You don't have to have the money just yet, as long as you are committed to stumping up the cost next May.

Edit: Also when you are promoting it, wherever you get a few lines of text make sure to add "small but growing forum" so that people realise their chances are better here than with one of the major leagues.

[Jamie]

Well i think the best idea would be instead of offering a cash prize, offer an all-inclusive holiday to Spain.
:ohmy:

Yeah I understand that I wont need the money now, but what if we do this trip to spain (?), and lose more money!? How much does an all-inclusive trip to spain cost anyway?

[Barcelonic]

:ohmy:

Yeah I understand that I wont need the money now, but what if we do this trip to spain (?), and lose more money!? How much does an all-inclusive trip to spain cost anyway?

Under £200.

Basically not only will you have all the time in the world to look for the best deal, but you won't be tied down to a specific date because you're not going. (you choose the date, the winner takes it or leaves it). Also, if you did manage to get the money early you could book it even earlier and save even more money.

You wouldn't have to do all inclusive, but tbh there's not much of a price difference between the two, and all-inclusive sounds sooo much better it could make a difference in the numbers joining.

Edit: Btw im talking here but its not my money at the end of the day. You should tailor this comp to not just what you can afford, but to how effective you believe this campaign can be if you all work non-stop over the break. The prize could be a lot less and still be effective but i don't know. You should think long and hard about the right prize to offer, taking into account the failure of your last comp to be cost-effective (although it was a totally different comp as it was for existing members to refer, as opposed to the bigger numbers you can get through strong and dedicated SEO).

---------- Post added at 10:44 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:36 PM ----------

Edit2: Check it out... http://www.teletextholidays.co.uk/Holidays/All_Inclusive/?int=MER213 Look at the first box on second row.. it says All Inc to Spain from £164. You could get one even cheaper given the amount of time you have to shop around. Also you can often negotiate with travel agents, in fact many of them expect it.

[Jamie]

where would you get a flight + hotel (for 2) for under 200 quid?

edit: didnt see your edit, thanks

[Barcelonic]

where would you get a flight + hotel (for 2) for under 200 quid?

edit: didnt see your edit, thanks

oh ye sorry i didnt take into account the second person. those prices are per person. In that case i'd forget the holiday idea unless you can find a deal for around £100 - £115 (probably will but won't be all-inclusive - you may even find one cheaper than £100).

Edit: Btw Allinclusive isn't just flight and hotel, its free food and drinks and alcohol for your stay. So basically drink as much booze as you want for free (cheap local stuff only tho lol)

[Jamie]

looked deeper, its 168 per person and as we'd have to offer the prize for 2 people. therefore we'd need around 340 quid + profit... how would we do that

[Barcelonic]

looked deeper, its 168 per person and as we'd have to offer the prize for 2 people. therefore we'd need around 340 quid + profit... how would we do that

as per my last post, you wouldn't. you could perhaps look into non-AllInc hols, and if that doesnt work out look into other prizes. but im sure you can get hols under £100 per person

---------- Post added at 11:28 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:15 PM ----------

alternative prizes should be something that sounds better than cash. for instance a poker table wouldn't cut it, but something along these lines would.....

http://www.redletterdays.co.uk/Experience/Sports/Football

[Jamie]

as per my last post, you wouldn't. you could perhaps look into non-AllInc hols, and if that doesnt work out look into other prizes. but im sure you can get hols under £100 per person

---------- Post added at 11:28 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:15 PM ----------

alternative prizes should be something that sounds better than cash. for instance a poker table wouldn't cut it, but something along these lines would.....

http://www.redletterdays.co.uk/Experience/Sports/Football
sorry got sidetracked and again, missed your post. I guess, will look.

Thanks for the link as well :)
Jamie

[Jake]

Those tour things look good :)