How to gain traffic?

[Chrism1330]

For $30 yearly membership your reward is knowledge and assistance.
The reef aquarium hobby is of the most expensive hobbies to be involved in.
If you can’t afford the $30, maybe you need a different hobby.
If you’re not here for the “ethical husbandry”, knowledge and support in this difficult and expensive hobby, maybe this ain’t the place or hobby for you
The BONUS of being a club member is the DBTC, not the focus
NO FREELOADERS

Knowledge is key of course as newbie the reef game can take all my money lol

 

[Kensington Reefer]

I’ve hinted and danced around it....
If you’re here for free corals...please leave
If you’re here to earn, there are other sites for that
My perspective is from over 15 of supporting membership
I have seen many many members fade out and disappear

 

[SupraSaltyReefer]

I think you are doing a great job so far. You just need more ammo for content, then consistency and frequency is how you will attract more traffic. Leave a digital footprint.

The biggest misconception about BAR is that you must pay the $30 to be a Supporting Member to interact and post which is not the case.

The free frags and equipment are cool, but it's the people and conversations is what makes me stay.

 

[BAYMAC]

I think you are doing a great job so far. You just need more ammo for content, then consistency and frequency is how you will attract more traffic. Leave a digital footprint.

The biggest misconception about BAR is that you must pay the $30 to be a Supporting Member to interact and post which is not the case.

The free frags and equipment are cool, but it's the people and conversations is what makes me stay.

Posts like this should be a part of BAR's marketing!!! Well maybe not the free frag part, but you get what I am laying down :lol:

 

[BAYMAC]

I’ve hinted and danced around it....
If you’re here for free corals...please leave
If you’re here to earn, there are other sites for that
My perspective is from over 15 of supporting membership
I have seen many many members fade out and disappear

Consistency. Your message has been the same, and dude, that is truly commendable. I love you aquatic passion!!!

 

[richiev]

Also fwiw, if you're looking for the inverse, a way to get people not to join and not increase membership, putting a bunch of gatekeeping, neg'ing them, and money shaming is 100% the most successful way to do so.

To any not yet subscribed or future person coming across this, you're 100% welcome to contact me about any DBTC or freebie I've previously offered. Throw a message on the post and we'll figure it out. The hobby is already expensive enough, I'm happy to help make it a little less expensive, especially given money doesn't go very far these days.

 

[Matthew Meyer]

I think we should get a banner up in supporting stores. I was at Neptune Aquatics for some emerald crabs and I nearly forgot the BAR discount.

 

[Alexander1312]

I think we should get a banner up in supporting stores. I was at Neptune Aquatics for some emerald crabs and I nearly forgot the BAR discount.

The last two times I was there I did not mention it actually. Great point.

 

[popper]

I post on CL free corals and have introduced several members to BAR.

 

[Matthew Meyer]

We should get Prime Reefing on board too. Get him a banner to expand to southbay.

 

[Coral reefer]

We should get Prime Reefing on board too. Get him a banner to expand to southbay.

Who?

 

[Kensington Reefer]

I post on CL free corals and have introduced several members to BAR.

Free corals should NOT be incentivized

 

[JVU]

Free corals should NOT be incentivized

He’s giving away corals on Craigslist. Who are you to say he shouldn’t do that with his own corals?

And he tells reefers he meets about BAR when he meets them. What’s wrong with that?

He’s not talking about an official BAR program.

I think you need to rein in the reflexive negativity. We want to be a welcoming place. There are a lot of different ways to be a successful member here, and for the club to be successful.

 

[JVU]

I think we should get a banner up in supporting stores. I was at Neptune Aquatics for some emerald crabs and I nearly forgot the BAR discount.

Definitely on our short list of things to get done

 

[popper]

Free corals should NOT be incentivized

I should clarify. Give away my corals. I think that's the misunderstanding.

 

[Coral reefer]

I understand and somewhat agree with Erin’s @Kensington Reefer point that telling people “go to BAR for free corals” is not exactly the best message to be sending.
Giving corals is great. Telling people about bar is great. Telling people to go to bar for free corals isn’t the best way to tell them about BAR in my opinion.
They obviously will get free corals if they come here, but we want them to come here to fit in and care about the mission. Free corals should be a byproduct of that. Ideally it’s a nice perk, not the goal
I also agree he could be less visibly negative a lot of times.

 

[H2OPlayar]

Maybe instead of calling them "free corals", we start saying something like "BAR has a very well stocked living library which members are allowed to take from with care"

Or something like that

 

[BAYMAC]

We should get Prime Reefing on board too. Get him a banner to expand to southbay.

Watsonville is South Bay? Which bay?

In the past there was strict criteria for onboarding new sponsors. Prime Reefing just opened.

Who?

Prime Reefing

 

[Kensington Reefer]

Sorry to be so blunt, but...
This hobby ain’t cheap
Livestock dies
Livestock does not “ask” to be in our care
Free livestock tends to get dead much faster than purchased

If we are about ethical husbandry then why would freely place livestock in the care of the careless
This place in space is about information and nurturing the ethical upkeep of reef aquaria
That’s why I’m here
And have been so longer than most

NO FREELOADERS

 

[Some Rando]

My idea is to see if the club could sponsor a tank at the Academy of Science. Have one of the smaller displays with corals from DBTC or frags donated from members with a little plaque saying “sponsored by BAR” and with a url or QR that directs people to the site. It seems like the club or someone in the club has a relationship with Cal Academy as evidenced with the behind the scenes tour that’s coming up in July.