Help...Need Suggestions on How to Market a New Site

Well WordPress is definitely the recommended platform for this type of site. It's basically the best to use and customize to your feel.

As for the marketing, I recommend you guys should start developing a strong social media presence. You can do this by creating a Facebook Fan page, be on twitter, google+ and Linkedin. For linkedin, I suggest you join groups that are relevant to what you guys will be doing.

It would also be good to do some seo. Provide content with value and make sure you guys are ranking a certain keyword. This is by far the most powerful strategy you can use. Best thing yet is its free. Just takes some learning to get good at it.

Another is you can participate in different forums. Top 2 that I highly recommend is here, WF and Yahoo Answers. Make sure you have your site on your signature file. Just be careful with yahoo answers though. Make sure you read the rules first and don't over promote your site.

That's pretty much the basics. I say start with social media now so that you guys have a head start.

Do you have a method for obtaining leads for an email campaign leadin up to the election? At the very least you could sell political books with it.

Yes!
Go in for wordpress. You've a well of free stuffs to help you get a pro site

One of the first things to do is create/add a good video. This will hold people's attention longer.

As far as driving traffic goes-paid traffic like on Facebook will get you the fastest results and it can be VERY targeted.

Appreciate all the feedback from everyone. Thanks!

Since he seems to post ongoing polls, he needs to use a platform that allows updates continuously, like Wordpress. Wordpress would make adding those daily polls very simple and would be a lot more attractive too. I know a lot of people don't care about how a site looks. I do, but that's my business.

In my opinion, yeah, it's ugly, but I don't think that would be a major turnoff for a lot of people. The ease of updating is how I would sell him on the Wordpress idea.

Lots and lots of short political videos on YouTube. Upload them frequently and add lots of friends in the political space on YouTube

Keyword optimise the hell out of your videos (no one's doing that well in the politics category) and partner with other YouTubers.

End every video telling people to visit your site and most importantly, what they get when they visit.

It works for me!

Lots and lots of short political videos on YouTube. Upload them frequently and add lots of friends in the political space on YouTube

Keyword optimise the hell out of your videos (no one's doing that well in the politics category) and partner with other YouTubers.

End every video telling people to visit your site and most importantly, what they get when they visit.

It works for me!

Tell your cousin that he is NOT Matt Drudge. It's okay to be clean and focus on the content, but you can do that while still having a good looking website. Focus on good typesetting and pleasing colors.

WHy not you create fan page that relates to your website's name.. Run fb ads and point it to your fan page... In your fan page put autoresponder to catch leads.. Once leads catched follow up them to your website or other promotions..

And make sure you keep update you fan page status with benefit about your niche...

Once the fund is there, go on with paid traffic because its more reliable.
For the website, wordpress is good, but if your uncle refuses, go ahead with the website.
Content is king, as long as the site is not for fun and only last for some time, people will just come and get what they want and leave. Also make sure you have an email subscriber form on it.

Oh man that's an ugly site!

More than ugly it has no structure and that is your major problem, I like the idea of it though, lots of potential.

Here is the first question you need to ask yourself or your cuz,

1. What is the purpose of the site?
-This will determine your monetization game. Is the site to attract just to attract visitors? you can monetize with adsense and advertisement

Is the website to create a list?
-Then the structure needs to change and you need to create an incentive for people to sign up, "sign up and have fun" is not enough, Will Obama win or kick the political bucket in 2012? -Find out what the most reent poll says! is a lot different, there has to be a why, in the example above you are creating curiosity, it can be other things too.

Will the list a political E-Zine (full blown newsletter) or just a way to communicate and bring traffic to the site later?

Is the website just a hub for social media?
-then you don't have to worry so much about SEO or lists, it's just a landing and archiving page, your main target would be FB and twitter

So in essence you need to figure out your model first so that you can work on the "how"

In the offline world do you walk into a bank and say I'm gonna open a business so give me a loan.

And the banker says -OK well why don't you take a sit and I will call...security! =)

When you walk into a bank you had prepared a whole business plan, what the business is, what the business model is, how you are going to market it, how you are going to monetize it, how much money you expect to come in month per months, etc.

It is no different online, the only difference is that it's much cheaper and much easier to succeed.

PS: Regardless of what you will do, this sort of niche does really well on Social Networks like FB and twitter, and also on Social Bookmarking sites.

Hope this helps

I think it would have been better if you put in there what the site is really for... like 2 to 3 sentences on what the site is about. plus the right side is empty.. the left is almost empty as well. the main panel looks a bit barren. Seems like a generic site template actually

Instead of writing a lot junk on the website, try to put a video that can grab attention.

I check the site.... need a better site that has attractive theme/template. As everyone suggested, better go to Wordpress.

Every one of you have given some great ideas to work with.

Now the important part is packaging them in such a way to win over my cuz. Your input is definitely going to help me.