So, here are my ideas:
1) Let the major DnD and D20 Websites know that DS3 has been released, especially the ones having to do w/ psionics. ENWorld and RPGPlanet come to mind.
2) Let's conduct interviews of the major players in DS3, human interest stories always draw large audiences.
3) Let's develop a Press Kit so that people can read all about DS3 w/o having to go around asking questions and press people can start asking interesting questions.
4) Let's develop flyers that people can put up in thier local game stores to advertise. If you have a few tens of dollars to spare, printing out a couple of copies to leave at the cashier's desk is good too/
There have to be some more forms of free publicity... maybe we can get WotC to do a blurb on their website or something. Anyone else have some good ideas?
I think most of these can be accomplished easily.
I plan to put a large banner or something on my website, and we can go along and post to some of the major D&D/D20 websites.
I don't see us having too much trouble with letting people know about this.
EDIT: That said, I think generating some PR would be good.
Jon, you say we should wait the 3.5, of course, but for the rules stuff. Why can't we start already and try to find some peoples that can do us some nice pictures for a posters or tracts?
The information kit about darksun doesnt need to have all rule explained, you dont get crowd with number, but with flavour and visual stuffs! When their eyes are upon us, after all that fluff, now they put an eye on the numbers crunching
What do you all think?
1) Let the major DnD and D20 Websites know that DS3 has been released, especially the ones having to do w/ psionics. ENWorld and RPGPlanet come to mind.
Enworld, by way of support submissions, has always posted in the news section any updates that Athas.org decides to post up. Not sure about RPGPlanet (Or Mortality.net).
2) Let's conduct interviews of the major players in DS3, human interest stories always draw large audiences.
I've only just started trying to track a few noteworthy people down to conduct some online interviews with (mainly via q&a). I only just started checking up on this road last week so, nothing yet.
3) Let's develop a Press Kit so that people can read all about DS3 w/o having to go around asking questions and press people can start asking interesting questions.
Errr . . . not sure what you really intend with this one. The simple advertising and link backs from major news and resource websites would accomplish more than a press kit. (Press Kits are something that you send out to major news communities so that they come to you for more details, online though, instead of press kits, you just ask them to link to you ;). Gotta love the net's simplicity).
4) Let's develop flyers that people can put up in thier local game stores to advertise. If you have a few tens of dollars to spare, printing out a couple of copies to leave at the cashier's desk is good too/
They won't let me back in there . . . not since that incident . . . no really, that's a good idea. I'm not much for graphical or layout design. A way to reach a few more shops is online. Many RPG stores have an online storefront as well. Getting in contact with the store via their online shop and asking if they would print up a flyer and display it would be great. You could title the flyer "The Return of Dark Sun, or Dark Sun Lives, or Son of Dark Sun, or It Came From the Dark Sun . . . wanders off petting his hamster and nibbling cheese . . .
Originally posted by Mach2.5
Enworld, by way of support submissions, has always posted in the news section any updates that Athas.org decides to post up. Not sure about RPGPlanet (Or Mortality.net).
Not always. In the beginning, yes, people would send DS news to Morrus, and he'd post it. The last few times I've sent news items, though, it hasn't been posted.
But I will definately send him an email and post in the message boards that it's out
Also working on some flyers. Maybe could incorporate the logos that have been floating about the place over the last week or so. Maybe they could do a promotional release to boost sales of 3.5? Get a free copy of DS Core if you're in the first bunch to buy 3.5 or something...
Anyway, will report back after I go chat to the owners...
I reserve the right, however, to distribute my new d20 conversion of "Hamster: The Nibbling" to anyone I see fit. If that don't boost 3.5 sales, nuthin will!!
But I don't really have anything to run by you . . yet.
Yeah, the pupose of this thread is to generate ideas on how to go about promoting DS, not to actually start doing it. This is the organisational phase, if you will. If we can come up w/ some really good ones, then we can get gobs of people hitting the site. I'm taking lessons from the recording industry here: It doesn't matter how good the product is (though in our case the product is damn good), people will buy it if it's visible. The more visible something is, the more people will be interested, especially if it's free. What I would really like to accomplish is some sort of national campaign, though this may be too much to hope for.
I want people to get the impression that this is an active campaign system (it is, but it never hurts to tell them that), that not only is it fun but it's FREE, that not only is all of that true, but they can then turn around and get their name in lights by contributing back to DS.
I would like to see people thinking of DS as a professional organisation churning out high-quality products that just so happen to not cost anything.
I want to see us nominated and winning awards at places like Gen Con and at the ENnies.
That's not a lot is it?
This way, people w/o better halves who work in GD can get their gaming stores to pass stuff out too.
Would anyone w/ some web-design skillz be willing to make a boilerplate DS themed Table of Contents that we could use to guide people through the contents of the CD? What I'm imagining is that it would work like the html files that you see on magazine CDs.
With a few hours and $30US you could churn out 60 or 70 CDs to give to your local gaming stores... Hell, you could even get them to help you.
The nice thing about this idea is that it ISN'T a teaser, it's the complete product. No need for fancy labeling, just write Dark Sun on the CD in marker, stick it into a sleeve and hand it off to the store to give away!
We could create a 'Distribution ISO', put it up on athas.org and up date it every three months or so, to encourage people to dload it and pass it around.
Yes, yes I know people can just download each and every file, but some of us just like convienece, especially if we're going to go out of our way to spread around DS.
Dang, another loooong post, sorry.
6 Principles of Viral Marketing
It doesn't matter how good the product is (though in our case the product is damn good), people will buy it if it's visible.
I think this is a somewhat misleading spin-off off the classic rat-trap marketing example that lead to the phrase "a good product doesn't sell itself". People will not pick up anything that's free. If you place a bag of rotting food remains in the middle of the street, someone is bound to go look in it, but that doesn't mean they'll pick up its contents. And chances are, rumors will spread that the bag stinks and others won't go near it. So, the phrase in itself is misleading - the product has to meet certain requirements and standards for it to be picked up. It has to have a perceivable value to those who see it, simply being visible is not enough. This is not meant as picking on anyone, but since we happened to touch upon my chosen area of education, marketing and management, I could't help but correct/suplement that statement.
By all means, keep up the brainstorming, but keep in mind that we need to do a situational analysis including *actual* resources available before we can actually start working on a marketing plan for DS3 - currently the budget is 0$. But the power of a fan movement can be strong! As you brainstorm, keep in mind that you need to fund this, most likely from your own pockets. Map your networks and set tentative realistic goals. I will bring the topic of a marketing plan for DS3 up for discussion on the Overcouncil. I have to check legal issues etc with Gab. We are after all using a copyrighted trademark. Nike wouldn't be happy if we suddenly pushed out fan-based flyers they hadn't approved. I doubt Wizards would be much more happy. So there are certain legal aspects we must take into consideration. This is an example of the issues I mentioned about meaning well but doing more damage than an average Tyr storm.
- Jon, High Templar of Marketing
The more ideas available, the more effective we can be in implementing the best ones. Taking stock and coming up w/ ideas are not mutually exclusive endeavours. Taking stock and implementing ideas are. This is part of the taking stock phase. Once we know how much money/time/resources we can spend and where we can spend it, then we can go ahead and do it.
Here's another idea, well a variation on some others, I should say:
Put a 'Tell a Friend' link on Athas.org
also:
a link on athas.org to www.svgames.com to the order athasian products cheep page.
another one:
let's find a way to actually encourage people to do our 'marketing' for us.
one more:
when we get permission from the OC, put the docs up on Kazaa and other file sharing programs.
I disagree with a moatorium on brainstorming, IMO, it's a really bad idea. Take no action w/o direction from the overcouncil, good, stop thinking up ideas, bad.
Star Gazer, I wasn't proposing a moratorium on brainstorming - that would indeed be a silly thing. I meant that we should hold off on taking concrete action ahead of OverCouncil approval. In other words, I agree with you: continued brainstorming=good, stop thinking up ideas=bad
Your other suggestions sound good too - especially the "tell a friend" link.
Originally posted by Star Gazer
a link on athas.org to www.svgames.com to the order athasian products cheep page.
http://athas.org/products.php
would you consider putting it on the front page? Pretty please?
I had to go over to Jon's site to find it.
Karnelion: woops, I misinterpreted! sorry about that. *slaps self on head* *does it again because it didn't hurt enough last time*
*slaps self on head* *does it again because it didn't hurt enough last time*
Oooh, hey, Star Gazer - that looks like it hurts. Steady on there, old chap! Have a cheese-coated hamster and relax - no offense taken
I'm not always as clear as I should be when posting....