What is the most efficient way to market an online subscription-based site? -

My partner and I have a new subscription-based site we re going to be launching shortly and are researching the best ways to reach out to the online communities at the onset. We understand it s a bit of a process to market but also understand the impact a solid viral campaign can have. Any thoughts on the best way to attempt to launch such a campaign?

I would certainly start with the social networks, as I discuss over here: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?�� Beyond that, think hard about how you can teach what you know. Does it make sense to give away some of the information on your site? I m a big fan of building a following as an expert in a niche. If you re generous with your knowledge, consumers hunting for additional information usually will be willing to pay for perspective that is more specific to their situation. All of this should link back to your own company s site, where visitors can find the most information (regularly updated, please!) on the subject area.If you have a budget for online marketing, you can then use those funds to bring additional visitors to your site. I think search marketing, when smartly done, can be very effective, especially if you test smartly the key words that will get you noticed by search engines. Piecing together combinations of words -- oil-based paint risk, historical military data, etc -- can make your search ads efficient.Lastly, you might consider an email newsletter. If the industry changes enough (and most do), there could be significant value in you keeping others informed on what s going on, neatly delivered to their inboxes (opt-in, of course).