Anybody know how to market a website for social anxiety?

SeniorBen

SeniorBen

Senior Member
I used to suffer from pretty severe social anxiety. In the early 2000s, I belonged to a forum for people who suffer from social anxiety. It was and is mainly for young adults, say 21 to 45. Once I reached middle age, I stopped going because it was for young people. I was old enough to be the father of many of the people who frequented the forum. Now I'm old enough to be their grandfather.

The forum of which I speak has changed hands many times since I left, and now it's just a money-making venture for a Canadian corporation. So I decided to start a new one that's not for profit or revenue other than donations in hopes that it will be like the one I belonged to 20 years ago. I set up the forum, but I don't know how to get people to join, other than spending a lot of money on advertising. From what I've read, a moderate advertising campaign costs about $300 a month. I already paid the hosting costs, but I can't really afford $300 a month for advertising. That's probably just for the first three or four months. After that, the ads can probably taper off a bit. There are also some other add-ons that's I'd like to incorporate into the site that cost a few dollars, plus the ads cost a few bucks to make.

So how can I get the word out without spending so much money? I'm going to set up a GoFundMe account so people can donate. I know a few people who will contribute maybe $20 or $30 each... maybe more, but that's not going to be enough. Any ideas?
 

Iā€™d go with Daveys idea rather than a GoFundMe one. I was under the impression that GoFundMe accounts were for people in desperate need but I could be mistaken.
 

tdhen there are printed notices at the post office notice board/ library notice b ; WW notice board - any notice board you can find?
 
It's been 15 years since I set up a forum, but I recall being able to add "tags" (#hashtags?) to the forum description that would help lead people to the forum, though search engines.
 
davey said:
I think facebook at a local area level allows people to advertise their not for profit groups - worth a try I see groups starting up all over!!
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davey said:
tdhen there are printed notices at the post office notice board/ library notice b ; WW notice board - any notice board you can find?
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Those are good suggestions, although it takes several hundred dollars to register as a non-profit, so that would eat into any money I raised.

I'm trying posting on social media to see if I can get any traffic that way.

Thanks for your suggestions! :)
 
PeppermintPatty said:
Iā€™d go with Daveys idea rather than a GoFundMe one. I was under the impression that GoFundMe accounts were for people in desperate need but I could be mistaken.
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GoFundMe is crowdsourcing for anything, really. Ya want a free trip to the Bahamas and stick it on GFM to see if anyone is foolish enough to fund it. You'd be surprised. @SeniorBen , I seriously hope this works out for you... it's sorely needed... a place where there aren't tactless insensitive comments that make people realize they can never post their stories because of fear of not being understood, or worse yet, mocked whether or not it was intended. Does your vision include depression/other disorders, or only social anxiety?
 
CallMeKate said:
GoFundMe is crowdsourcing for anything, really. Ya want a free trip to the Bahamas and stick it on GFM to see if anyone is foolish enough to fund it. You'd be surprised. @SeniorBen , I seriously hope this works out for you... it's sorely needed... a place where there aren't tactless insensitive comments that make people realize they can never post their stories because of fear of not being understood, or worse yet, mocked whether or not it was intended. Does your vision include depression/other disorders, or only social anxiety?
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Depression is often comorbid with social anxiety since it's hard to form close relationships when you're anxious with people. Loneliness and depression are common. So, yeah, people can talk about that. They actually can talk about whatever they want, but the forum is intended to be a place where people with social anxiety can hang out with other socially anxious people.
 
This is a bit off topic but I do understand what you say about the age thing. While the abuse forum I go to is supportive, it is more younger people. There are people in my age group including the founder of the group. But there was an "entitled boomer" thread and it really ticked me off.
 
Jules said:
Have you searched online or on Facebook. FB may have private groups.

This is one the popped up in a quick search.

https://www.verywellmind.com/social-anxiety-support-groups-3024876
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I don't care much for Facebook. People don't make connections on Facebook. It's more just for getting sucked into looking at videos and memes and wasting a bunch of time. It's addictive like fast food.

My forum isn't for me. It's for younger people with social anxiety who don't have a place to go where they might make some connections with actual people. That's my intention, anyway.
 
Quora is an intelligent forum-type website that has a number of sections dealing with mental health issues including social anxiety. People post questions there, and others elect to answer them. I donā€™t know if they allow advertising, but it might be worth checking outā€¦
 

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