The only way to "sell" a website is on its content. I think that one of the most effective ways to get people using a website is to use it to answer their questions. I don't know what sort of org you work at or how much networking you do (by email, in person, at conferences, at community tech trainings), but if you know the content of the website, you can bring up ideas from it in conversations and add, "I'll email you a link." if they're interested. If people pass bits and pieces of a website on to their coworkers or people they work with, it's not only "selling" the website, it's people actually making use of the content (which is [hopefully] the real point behind getting the word out).

If you're trying to spread the word about a website, "inreach" can be as important as outreach... do people in your organization use the website? If people within the organization are reading the website and casually passing links on to colleagues (the way links show up here on this blog and in our wiki, though most people would do that via email), or if they are using articles to introduce outsiders to their work, it shows a real ownership of the content. People will be much more willing to check out a website that is directly related to something specific that they're doing/thinking about/talking about. And if people within your organization aren't sold on the site... how are outsiders supposed to be sold on it? uh, what I mean by that is, find the good parts and pass them on.

Maybe that's too much person-to-person interaction/work... but content and people are the most important things, and have to be in it somewhere. HTH.

Those are some good thoughts!  I suppose why this has been so challenging is because I have no real experience in urban planning (the content of the website) and in marketing.

I guess what I should do is focus on getting the word out while at the same time collect useful information, put it on the website, and educate myself on the issues at hand. That way I could actually conduct a conversation about it when out in public, which would reinforce the marketing of the site overall.

 Its coming together slowly but surely.

Perhaps prominent local media - TV, Radio, Newspaper
interviews.

Almost everyone likes a good human interest story.

Your NP is certainly a good fit.

That would also be high profile.

Use low / no cost outlets.

- if you haven't already, consider adding your
web page link to your email signature and having
co-workers add it to theirs

- Register with www.goodsearch.com and add that to
your signature. (As an alternative to my previous
suggestion). Not only publicity but fundraising
as well.

- Indirect visibility - Flickr, Yahoo Answers, Yahoo,
or Google Groups (on relevant topics / subjects)
Find (or start) relevant groups, post relevant pictures
etc.

- Post info at local public locations - Post Offices,
Libraries, Churches, etc.

- Sponsorships, get others to advertise, advocate your
cause - force multipliers - local events

- Get a silly suit, stand on a busy corner with a sign
and broadcast your website to rush hour traffic

- Get kids to volunteer, they've got time and energy
and maybe some good ideas

- Give people a daily, weekly, monthly (periodic) reason
to come back to your website - it's all about content

- What are other local, regional, national orgs doing
to promote their websites - what ideas can you cost
effectively (legally) copy?

Just a few off the top of my head...

Good luck.

Hi Mike - I really like your ideas here.

You should add them to the VISTA wiki!

...

Under Priority Areas / Across Areas

Link:
Across Areas

Posted to the Wiki as well.

This for those who might look here first:

Here's a relevant reference:

"Nonprofit Internet Strategies - Best Practices for Marketing, Communications and Fundraising"

It's available in print as well as an e-book, and you might be able to get it
from your local library.

Here's a link that might help you find it:

OCLC WorldCat - Find in a Library Search

Youve made some pretty good suggestions! The conference I was at yesterday made some of the very same points that youve made. There will have to be another blog topic on social networking using web 2.0 methods.

hi kevin -

seems like you've got a lot of good advice. I was on techsoup.org the other day (great technology resource for nonprofits... you may already know). Here's an article about marketing your website, though it's just repeating what's already been said. But anyways, here it is: http://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/webbuilding/page5958.cfm

Also, people may not know the resources you offer. Maybe try a targeted marketing campaign (that's a marketing class term). Contact the affordable housing orgs and let them know what's available. And do the same with the other "targets" or "niches"

Last year I worked at an affordable housing org too. People just didn't know that there was usable info and stats and help and all that available. I'd also suggest to try and get write ups about the site in other organization's newsletters. It may be small fries, but it's a spreading the word campaign.

Thanks for blogging about myspace!

Some of the folks here at PCM have been bugging me to set up a myspace page for the OLLIE program (which I did, sort of), but I don't think that they quite understand what myspace is. They've just heard that it is something that young people use, and has something to do with social networking.

Their idea, I think, was to befriend Portland youth, who would then get interested in participating in the OLLIE program. Unfortunately, befriending youth via myspace is not easily done, as there are restrictions put in place to stop adults from adding under-aged kids to their friends list.

Befriending other organizations makes more sense to me. Although I'm still not totally clear on what the overall purpose is. People here at PCM seem very interested in "brand awareness", and "getting the OLLIE name out there", or whatever. But nobody has told me why that is important. So I guess that's my real question:

If we are already working with more schools than we can handle, and we are sufficiently funded, why do we care if Joe Citizen has heard of the OLLIE program or not?