I think you are misusing the word mainstream. Advertising does not make a site mainstream, mainstream sites attract advertising. Having a site dedicated to the VX, such as this one, makes it a niche market in the same way that a site dedicated to a Chevy Chevelle SS is more a niche site than one that caters to all muscles cars.
Isuzu is also no longer in the North American market for passenger vehicles of any kind, making this site even more of a niche. Yes, there is a site specifically for the Toyota Tacoma, but Toyota is major player in the North American Market. The company, the vehicles, the advertising are all mainstream because the company has pushed, and continues to push for it to be by producing vehicles in massive numbers.
I will say that this site has had more activity lately than sites that cater all Isuzu’s. Unless Isuzu re-enters the North American Market in a big way, then all Isuzu sites are niche sites, and dedicating a site to a specific Isuzu, one that only had a three year production run with extremely limited production numbers means that it will always be a niche site.
These vehicles are getting old. Very old. They are getting into accidents, breaking down, rusting, being sold off for parts. I have seen more VX’s for sale, mostly parts cars, this year than I have ever seen. I have even seen one converted into a trailer to match the VX that pulled it. Even the Unicorn is for sale. The already limited numbers continue to contract and there is no way to grow that number without making more of them. Some of us, like myself, love the VX and are trying to save as many as we can. Parts will continue to become harder to find, owners will continue to be reduced in numbers. That’s just the way it is.
So what you have now is a site that has to compete as a social media platform for a very limited number of users with other platforms such as FaceBook and sites like Planet Isuzu, a site that caters to all Isuzu’s. Advertising on the site will not change that. Advertising this site on other sites will draw new people to the site, at least initially. The question then becomes, why should they stay? What does this site offer that Planet Isuzu and FaceBook doesn’t? At the moment, not much.
Lets look at some of the pro’s and cons of this site.
Pro’s
- Lots of information available
- Generally friendly people
- Fast load times
- No advertising
Con’s
- Looks dated
- Response times to questions can take days
- Much of site is broken (How-To’s, uploading pics, etc...)
- It offers nothing that isn’t offered anywhere else on the internet
- While there is a lot of info, it is unorganized and disjointed making it difficult to sift through
The con’s need to be moved to the pro’s column. Update the look of the site and add features. Unlock the How-To section, even if it has be rebuilt from scratch. Add a member map so people can see where other members are, on a volunteer basis. Include a list of commonly replaced parts and sources (suspension comes to mind) to buy them. Sort the information in a logoical way to make it easy (or at least easier) to find. It could even be it’s own area within the site, or not, there are lots of way to do that. Find mechanics, interior restorers, shock rebuilders, auto body shops, and such and post those contacts in the forums in a coherent manner for free.
In short, make the site an indispensable hub of knowledge. This will attract users which in turn will attract advertisers. Brand the site. Once the user base starts to grow, sell Velcro patches to stick to headliners, stickers for windows, t-shirts. Organize events. Not just a user organizing a meet up, but a Vehicross.info sponsored event. Ask for a volunteer with a well equipped VX to go to an Overland Expo (east or west) and promote the site. Maybe partner with other sites, such as OverLand bound dot com who’s motto is “it doesn’t matter what you drive”. Use that.
Start small, make it a grass roots effort, because it wil have to be. Have a Vehicross.info sponsored breakfast at a restaurant that Jeep/Toyota people like to meet at. Everyone pays for their own breakfast, sure, but have a banner or flag to mark where the VX’s will be parked in the parking lot. Other people who are there and have nothing to do with a VX will talk about the “crazy looking” cars, take pictures, post on their own social media.
Basically, the only way to grow a niche market is through gorilla marketing. Just ask the fans of FireFly.