Best Snowmobile Sites & Magazines? - Snowmobile Forum: Your #1 Snowmobile Forum

rdlviper · 05-17-2006, 11:40 AM

Hey guys,

I'm going to be helping out around here trying to do some marketing for the site. I really want to see this site grow

What are your opinions on some of the best snowmobile sites and magazines on the market? Maybe we could get an ad going in some of the magazines, or just some link exchanges going with other top snowmobile sites.

SnowRida · 05-17-2006, 11:43 AM

Do you know Cobra, Dano or SEG?

IndianRvrShiver · 05-17-2006, 11:46 AM

Welcome viper!! So you must be included in the new format we're seeing, huh?

Anyway, one of the best snowmobile forums around, warts & all, is HardCoreSledder. Lot's of extraneous crap there, but if you get past that, tons of good info available.

As for rags, I think "Snow Tech" is one of the better ones out there. JMO

PolarisINDY500 · 05-17-2006, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rdlviper

Hey guys,

I'm going to be helping out around here trying to do some marketing for the site. I really want to see this site grow

What are your opinions on some of the best snowmobile sites and magazines on the market? Maybe we could get an ad going in some of the magazines, or just some link exchanges going with other top snowmobile sites.

do you know corba?

i dont want to see another case of 302 hyjacking...

what exactly do you plan on doing for this site besides links and adds? how does your work benifit us as members? im not ragging on ya, just trying to figure out whats going to happen.

i think that getting us more recognition is important, but i like how this site is family oriented, and i dont want to see that diminish.

rdlviper · 05-17-2006, 03:06 PM

Yes, I am working together with Cobra to try and build-up the site. We already have some good things going for us like a #1 google ranking, but we want to raise the profile of the site to really make it the premier site. I'm not paid or anything, just here to help like everyone else. I am also an Internet marketing expert, and certainly won't be doing anything to hurt the 'family' feeling of this place

Hopefully just gathering feedback on how to make it better!

PolarisINDY500 · 05-17-2006, 03:32 PM

since ive been a member the site hasnt had an upgrade. after cobra did it the other day, it took some getting used to, but i think for new members it will really be benificial, and attractive.

even tho your looking for feeback, what are some of your suggetions, or ideas you may have. im no marketing expert, so id like to pick your brain.

**smallengineguy** · 05-18-2006, 06:50 AM

I'd like to know also!

rdlviper · 05-18-2006, 10:54 AM

Well a few of the first things we are trying to accomplish is making the place more search-engine friendly. To do that, we have upgraded to the latest version of vBulletin, and will be installing a program called vbSEO which is a search-engine optimization program. Although we are already rated very high for the term "snowmobile forum" we do not rate high for things like "polaris snowmobile" or stuff like that. The vbSEO will help us with thread-level optimization.

We also want to develop new members- guys with experience (especially techinical) and thats why i was asking about the top magazines and web sites. Hopefully we can create some strategic and mutually-benefiting relationships between our site and their magazines.

A few things I also want to get going are things like stickers, t-shirts, etc. I think we could do this based on a 'points-system' such as after you get 10,000 points, you get a free t-shirt. The points are earned by referring friends, contributing posts, etc.

Let me know your thoughts, and hopefully we can all become a part of this growth phase.

ITriumph · 05-18-2006, 11:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rdlviper

Well a few of the first things we are trying to accomplish is making the place more search-engine friendly. To do that, we have upgraded to the latest version of vBulletin, and will be installing a program called vbSEO which is a search-engine optimization program. Although we are already rated very high for the term "snowmobile forum" we do not rate high for things like "polaris snowmobile" or stuff like that. The vbSEO will help us with thread-level optimization.

We also want to develop new members- guys with experience (especially techinical) and thats why i was asking about the top magazines and web sites. Hopefully we can create some strategic and mutually-benefiting relationships between our site and their magazines.

A few things I also want to get going are things like stickers, t-shirts, etc. I think we could do this based on a 'points-system' such as after you get 10,000 points, you get a free t-shirt. The points are earned by referring friends, contributing posts, etc.

Let me know your thoughts, and hopefully we can all become a part of this growth phase.

I think that the point system is a good idea. They used to have something like that on www.snowmobileworld.com . They also had an arcade where on could go and play games , and earn points that way. I'm unsure why they discontinued the points system though. That is an excellent site also. I frequent it alot do to the family orientation of there site.

As for a magazine/website. I visit www.maximumsled.com . They give great reviews, and have good technical info on there site, and some other cool features.

I think another feature that has been talked about, and would be cool is a live chat room. I see several sites that have them, and it doesn't seem to keep ppl from posting in threads. I think IMO thatwe could try something like this on this site. It could be benificial.

Another idea is to have a link to a " member map" I know that there is a thread in the "lounge" with a link to a map, but I think it would be great to have a link at the top right of the forum page to click on. Just my $.02

SnowRida · 05-18-2006, 12:44 PM

Well said Mouse. I was thinking somewhere on the same lines.

PolarisINDY500 · 05-18-2006, 01:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rdlviper

Well a few of the first things we are trying to accomplish is making the place more search-engine friendly. To do that, we have upgraded to the latest version of vBulletin, and will be installing a program called vbSEO which is a search-engine optimization program. Although we are already rated very high for the term "snowmobile forum" we do not rate high for things like "polaris snowmobile" or stuff like that. The vbSEO will help us with thread-level optimization.

We also want to develop new members- guys with experience (especially techinical) and thats why i was asking about the top magazines and web sites. Hopefully we can create some strategic and mutually-benefiting relationships between our site and their magazines.

A few things I also want to get going are things like stickers, t-shirts, etc. I think we could do this based on a 'points-system' such as after you get 10,000 points, you get a free t-shirt. The points are earned by referring friends, contributing posts, etc.

Let me know your thoughts, and hopefully we can all become a part of this growth phase.

good response. i think w/ those types of ideas that would help the site very much.

w/ regards to the point system, how will you generate money to pay for the t-shirts/gifts that would be distributed to the members? one problem i see is if you get a gamer racking up points, and doesnt contribute to the site, how does that help us? i feel that if your going to distribute rewards it should be to members who contribute or who are active (not only in the off season, but in winter too), as in incentive to other members who may be lurkers, or are tenative about posting. cuz if they see that someone is getting t-shirts and stickers left and right, they might think about what they can contirbute to get the same things.

as far as other sites, i id like to reccomend www.johndee.com, or michigan interactive - http://www.fishweb.com/recreation/sn...s/trails1.html (all are located in trail conditions forum, under MI links). these guys offer space to have a link or a banner. every sledder i talk to uses these sites for snowmobile related information. wether it be trail reports, or live web cams. you might want to talk to them about setting something up.

letitsnow · 05-18-2006, 02:44 PM

i think these ideas would benifit the site too. i also think that snowmobileworld.com is a good site.

i see there is already a store button, but whenever i click on it it says something about your usergroup is not allowed.

ITriumph · 05-18-2006, 03:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PolarisINDY500

good response. i think w/ those types of ideas that would help the site very much.

w/ regards to the point system, how will you generate money to pay for the t-shirts/gifts that would be distributed to the members?

I think that is where all , or some of us members could help.
(example) members make a donation to the site. It doesn't have to a big donation. The member would then get amember statis of "supporting member" under/next to there avatar. Amins could give them a little more freedom to edit there own threads (ie:edit, open/close, lock, and unlock, and move). There username could be displayed in the online list in a different color to show that they re a supporting member. Kinda like a club membership. This would have to be on a vulintary basis though

You could do the same thing with members who want to advertise there bussiness on the site. Charge a small fee for advertisement. Kinda like advertising in the yellow pages of a phonebook.

I think something like this would really benifit the site greatly. It would also benifit the members.

We could also help when we do an annual ride every winter. When we orginize a ride, we could ride for a certain cause (ie: cancer, Alzhiemers desease, canned food drive). This would also get our site noticed.
The Wertz Warriors ( Michigan snowmobile club) do this every year. I know of one other snowmobile site that does something like this also.

Another thing that we may beable to do is hold site auctions. Members could auction off there parts, or any snowmobile memorabeila(sp), A small percentage could be donated to the site for upkeep, and such.