My original plan to market Freebestdeals.com involved promoting the site to college students and Myspace ads. But, the nature of most of the free items I’ve encountered has me rethink my core audience. Instead of the teens and young adults in college and online, I think that my core audience now may be people in their mid twenties and thirties, and couples families. I am scouting out the money saving websites now to see if it may be a better fit.

I’ve been following FrugalDad for a while now.  He started a new blogging website called SideHustleBlogging.  I’m also reviewing some of his reader’s weblinks.

One useful example that I came across is from PickUpPennies blog.  Here, she is holding a contest to win a $25 Amazon gift card.

pickuppennies

Contest Summary:

To get you started, I’m doing a giveaway for a $25 Amazon gift card. Most of you should know the drill by now. You can receive an entry:

  1. If you are a subscriber. (Anyone who’s let me know they subscribed in the last is already entered.)
  2. If you mention this on your blog.
  3. If you refer anyone to this blog. (They need to let me know in a message.)
  4. If you post this on any social bookmarking site.
  5. Leave a comment on any post — but please something more than “Great post” or “I agree.”
  6. And, now, if you tweet it. (Let me know if you do.)

Contest ends 1/17 at 11:59 p.m. PST. I will draw a winner using Random.org.

Here is a good example of how to hold a contest. One good tip – use Random.org to select the winner.

Although I have always planned on holding contest to promote Freebestdeals.com and attract new members and member participation, I’m kinda in a bind at this early stage. Since I only have a handful of members, there’s really not enough people to hold a contest.

If I hold a contest to recruit new members, I may have people opening up multiple accounts, or have people recruit their friends who sign up but never come back.

I could have an entry submitted per deal submitted, but that will just encourage someone to troll all the other free sites out there and submit entries.

Perhaps, I can hold the contest for anyone who follows freebestdeals on twitter? That way, I get an audience for my twitter announcements.