Do you think that word of mouth marketing is the best option for promoting new forums, particularly when it's a niche forum which doesn't cater to a general audience and you cannot easily promote through normal channels?

That is tell friends and relatives about the forum and try to spread the word around?

What are your suggestions?

I think that word of mouth marketing is definitely extremely important. However, it does not have to be limited to friends and family you know in real life. It can easily extend to viral marketing online. For example, mention your site in your blog, or encourage online contacts and associates to blog about your site. Submit and syndicate press releases about your site (there are a number of free [search]press release services[/search] out there).

I've asked a few bloggers I know to spread the word about my new project. I also posted a message in my blog about this. Hopefully they will respond

So far I havent' got a single member in 3 days of launch, but since it's kind of a niche forum, I cannot expect a general audience. I need my specific audience to find me first.

I would read some of the posts I have about how to start a new forum. I give away all the secrets I used to get DaniWeb off the ground.

I aggree that Word of Mouth advertising is best for any business either online or offline. But remeber that people are more likely to talk about negative experiences than positive.

I think word of mouth advertising is a bit slow, I believe posting in forums and blogging about it is better

Plug – plug I found a forum to plug my new site as its word of mouth marketing related.

Okay my site makes email signature images that look just like business cards.
They link to your website obviously.

If I could use cscgal as an example, and lets say I make her a card for free (which I would btw)
A really nice looking card, white with the purple and yellow matching this site.
Daniweb logo on the top left, her photo top right
Details
Name and tag line
“The Queen of DaniWeb”
email
website etc.

That card could be used every time she sends or replies to an email.
It’s my guess that it would get clicked on far more than a regular hyperlink in a signature.

The trick is this:
Cscgal might have another website that we don’t know about, a website she’s trying to market, so she would use a different email card “beemailcard” to promote that site.

Anyways that’s the plan.

Did I write that? sheeesh it has an air if desperation about it, I don't know what I was on that day.

It was meant to be enthusiastic, I'm a big fan of WOMM because its so very cheap - little or now cost advertising you've got to love that.

I would say that word of mouth marketing is good, but you will grow only when you are able to retain your existing visitors/customers. It is always cheaper to retain a customer/visitor then to find new customers. If you are able to retain existing ones, new ones will keep coming automatically

I would say the Internet is the best way to get across your site. Word of mouth sure helps, but you can't beat reaching a very large audience throughout the world!