Any tips for getting more popularity to my site?

Or at least, getting more members to visit frequently and post? I've pretty much tried everything now, but I've got no real ways left to promote the site. I don't have money to advertise on other people's sites, I don't have any sites left to add to affiliates or links (and most of those are in the same situation), I have no competitors at all, which means finding how they get popularity is practically useless and... not a single member on the site seems to use sites like Digg, Youtube, etc, nor run a blog.

Are there any promotion methods left? Commenting on things like blogs doesn't seem too useful, especially as every gaming blog in existance uses nofollow, and half the things I'm interested in... seem to have no audience left, nor any websites dedicated to them.

 

Hm, just stick at whatever you're doing - don't give up. It could just be a bad time for you and your forum. I regularly promote through:

- Twitter (I try and do anywhere between 5 - 50 updates per day)
- Youtube - either commenting on videos, or private messaging other users about my site. I know it can be classed as spam, but its not like nobody else does it. I'd NEVER go and spam another person's forum and do this by the way
- Digg - good source. Always brings in the guests.
- Regular emails sent out, with nothing negative. All positiveness.
- Facebook group updates
- Link my site wherever I can

 

How long has your site been up and running now? I've found that my forum took awhile for members to come.

Here are some suggestions to consider:

1. Improve on your Search Engine Optimisation. Make sure that the search engines are 'eating' the content of your forum. I've found the majority of my new members/guest visitors come from Google.
2. "Content is King". Provide information that is helpful for members and give them a reason to come to your site. I've beaten a site who started a few years earlier than me in terms of members and forum posts in just over a year because I kept posting replies to it and just really working the site.
3. Provide helpful content for users from other sites and eventually backlink them to your site. Iv'e found a lot of people are posting on a lot of different sites and random ones where no one is actively replying to them. Take the time to reply to those posts by providing HELPFUL information (not just, "Come to my site - http://........ etc").

The post important one is SEARCH ENGINES. Work hard on getting your site indexed, provide site maps and Search Engine Friendly URLs as the majority of the traffic will come from search engines.

I'm no guru, just sharing some insight into what I've found over the years working on my site.