On this wiki, please post the methods of marketing (FREE & PAID) that you have used to promote your group. This way we can make sure we're reaching the largest base possible. I am confident of the fact that there are people using Drupal in my area who do not know there is a group that meets twice a month.
There are some good tips on marketing from the notes from the Local User Group BOF in Barcelona.
Free Marketing
Please provide URLs and a blurb of how you use it and how successful it has been for you.
dougvann:
www.craigslist.com ~ I use the craiglist event section http://indianapolis.craigslist.org/eve/1070974144.html I don't always remember to post it. I did use it for the 1st ever meeting in January of 2008. Half the group was a direct response to the craigslist ad. OK. it was me and only one other guy. But still... I would have been alone! :-)
dougvann:
existing Meetup group leaders ~ I try to remember to ask the local phpmeetup guy to send a notice to our php group. I can definitely credit the phpmeetup for some of our group! I need to get off of my
Paid Marketing
Please provide URLs and a blurb of how you use it and how successful it has been for you.
dougvann:
www.meetup.com ~ I don't use this yet but I know that many of you do. As soon as I get more sponsorship money lined up I'm definitely jumping on board. Can someone add a note to express whether they find value in paying for this?
_greggles: we use Meetup inconsistently for Denver - Boulder uses it every month. It definitely draws folks in, but may not be worth the expense. My advice is to get permission and then just use the forum of a related group (LAMP, PHP, "Web Meetup", etc). Once people are at the Drupal Group encourage them to sign up for g.d.o so that g.d.o remains the main source of information.