I've been advertising iBandstand on Facebook for a few days. The ad has been displayed around 10,000 times leading to 125 clicks to the site. But... no new sign-ups.
I've been concerned that the home page doesn't really convey what the site is about. If someone pokes around, they can discover things. However, I don't know if people have the patience to do that. So I think some changes are needed.
I'm meeting with a UX/UI (user experience / user interface) person in a few days to go over the site and discuss ways to make it better. This could lead to things being re-arranged -- different layouts, different colors, etc. Although the site was built as a sort of clone of iComps, which is an older style site design. Maybe iBandstand needs to be modernized in terms of looks and features.
It would also be great to get the input of an advertising/marketing person. If you know someone who is knowledgeable in this field, let me know.
There are people on the "Loopy Pro Forum" (formerly the Audiobus Forum) who are starting to collaborate on music projects. They weren't doing a lot of that before. And I joined over there when iComp disappeared. There's a whole new audience of potential people there. You could join and let people know about this site. They don't run banner ads there, and as long as you pass the inital round of people questioning your motives for suddenly joining there, they are generally very receptive to new things.
Also, it's pure happenstance that I happened to find this site. I was looking to see if I coud find any of the people I used to know on iComp doing anything new and that led me here.
And if I were you, I'd start placing ads here as soon as it makes sense. Get some sponsors from the music equipment or mastering business. Or let podcasters know about this site. I'd hate to see the site languish, so let's get the word out.
