It can be hard to promote because it might now have amazing content like other blogs and website that you can use social media promotion methods for, nor will it have a singular brand name that will always draw people in, unless the leader or a prominent community member is well known.

So then how do you promote your community in order to grow it and make it “better”?

There are some simple techniques that can be used, dependent on how the community is structured.

Write a Blog

If you don’t have any content on your community forum that you can easily promote, then start a blog for the community, and begin to place in depth articles on it about the product, service, or company and its usefulness.

Start a Podcast

Hearing someone’s voice helps create a connection, and so an audio podcast can be exactly what a community needs to draw in new members. The barrier for entry into podcasting has been reduced over the last two years, and there are many services available to do live podcasting, which would allow your community to participate in the show.

Contest

A great way to expand your community is to set up a contest. Make prizes for those that are newly registered, or those that get the most new members. This can sometimes exponentially expand your community, but be cautious, as contests can set certain expectations, or bring people that will detract from the community.

Attend Events

Get to where the people you want to connect with are, even if it is outside of your normal niche. If you have a piece of software that could appeal to bloggers, then you should be attending blog conferences in hopes of meeting people that interest you, and would make great additions to your community.

Conclusion

These are just a few of the many promotional techniques available to community managers as they look for avenues to grow the community that they are paid to maintain. Think outside your niche, and your normal techniques.