Best way to advertise

I have another question.

If nobody likes getting teleports, people (for the most part) auto delete group notices without reading them, shut down group IMs as being annoying, and the world search is so full of ads for stores that the events notices are buried under a mound of garbage and virtually unnoticeable, what would be a good way to advertise an event that would draw people to a place?

I do read group notices, but maybe I'm in the minority. I wouldn't belong to the group if I wasn't interested. Sometimes I hit OK before opening the attachment and so I lose a landmark or the time of the event, but if it sounds interesting enough I can find it again by opening the group info. I'm really not bothered by this type of spam, because it comes in while the rest of the world is rezzing and I can't do much else anyway.

What I hate is going to a business and getting clobbered with a notecard (declined), then a landmark (declined), then a group invite -- okay, by now I'm just annoyed and not in the mood to look at, let alone purchase, anything.

I do wish the SL search function actually functioned though. I tend to use the classifieds and try to ignore the hype. I do this by sorting the name and price fields in different ways. Sometimes I use All search for more extensive but tedious results.

Word of mouth.

That's the slower, but truly effective way.

IMHO, there is no quick and easy solution. Building traffic is something that is slow to start, and takes time, dogged commitment, and patience. However if people like the venue, it will build momentum as time passes.

You have to try all angles: some people will read notices, some people will respond to TPs, some people will read group IMs, some people will read event listings, some people will respond to a friendly personal IM, some people will find you through in-world search, but there is no ONE universal method to quickly draw people to an event.

My take I go to a store that I frequent quite often and each and every time I am bombarded with the same stuff.

Now I go there cause I like the clothes I have even IMd the owner but to no avail, do I stop going there nope.

But I go there cause I like the clothes go figure.

B

in my experience, folks who join groups that post event notices, do so because they want to be notified of the events. So I would say that would be the best way to advertise

as for how to get folks into that group... when you figure out that part, let us know

I'm one of those people who is notorious for dropping groups when they spam me. Often if I go to a club, they will offer me a tag and I will accept it to wear while I am there, but as soon as I get spammed a few times I drop it.

One group I am in sends out a weekly list of events, then will send one reminder an hour before, and that is fine by me and might be something you want to think about. I don't mind that at all but 5 or 10 'comeon people it's time for' in a nite just annoys me. Even if I'm not online when the reminder goes out, I get it when I log in, so several reminders only cause me to drop the group.

The freebie groups I'm in have a lot of notices, but I have them turned off and go and look when I'm bored

exactly!!!

I am only a member of groups that I am interested in so read all group notices. If you wanted to attract my attention to an event then a group notice is the best way. Getting me to join your group is another problem. I tend to stick with those groups that offer free samples or gifts regulally and dont allow their members to spam. (Spamming by the owner is acceptable IMO)

I've spent shed loads of money on ads over the years, gone in for some crazy schemes like AV's walking round with sandwhich boards (that was a disaster). I sell content rather than run events so probably quite different, but I found that aside from word of mouth, SLX has been my most successfull advertising tool.

Apart from paying for picks of course but I have a feeling that may of been covered in another thread

I do at least look at group notices and sometimes go to events after reading them.

Focus less energy on trying to convince people your event is awesome and refocus that energy on making your event awesome. Let word of mouth do the rest.

Word of mouth isn't much good for attracting people to an event, by the time word of mouth gets around the event is likely to have finished.

People do search the events tab in SL. You should also consider putting up posters within your premises with an event calendar.