I will be speaking at several events at this years eBay
Live! June 13-15 in Las Vegas - Come by and say hello!
Here are a few of the events that I'll be involved in:
Attract More Customers With Marketing
and Merchandising
Tuesday June 13, 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM - Ballroom
C
Starting a Business on eBay
Wednesday June 14, 9:00-10:30 AM, Ballroom
C
Thursday June 15, 3:30-5:00 PM Ballroom F
Book Signings
Tuesday June 13,
Noon -1:00 PM In the Wiley Booth
Wednesday June 14, 11:00 AM -1:00 PM -
In the
Wiley Booth
Thursday June 15, 11:00 AM – NOON - In the
Wiley Booth
Thursday June 15, 1:00 - 2:00 PM Main Concourse/eBay
Shop
By Marsha Collier
Easy ways to keep your site fresh and attractive to buyers
How long have you been on eBay? When was the last time you paid attention to
the look and feel of your site, store or listings? Perhaps you've been so busy
selling things, you haven't taken the time to update your online presence.
Updating your eBay site should be of top importance to
any seller. So in the spirit of spring, here are a few "spring
cleaning" tips to bring your site's content and appearance
up to date.
Graphics. When was the last time you put some new
graphics on your site? Your store banner is a simple thing,
but think about how often people see it. Your store graphic
(you do have a custom one, don't you?) appears on your store--but
it also appears on every listing you have on eBay! Certainly
that makes it worth giving it a facelift at least once a
year, doesn't it?
There's no need for you to spend your own time designing it. There are a large
number of graphic artists who list their wares and talent on eBay. Type into
eBay's search engine the keywords: "animated banner" or "web
graphics" and you'll be presented with a plethora of people who'll design
one for around $20 for a simple banner.
Be sure you know what you want to say on the banner before
you begin the design process. You'll have to communicate,
in a simple fashion, a few details including the required
size, your preferred text, any pictures/logos/images you
want to use, and color scheme (if you have a preference).
If you have pictures, logos or clipart that you would like
to appear as part of the banner or graphic, be sure to e-mail
them to the graphic artist, or if they reside on the internet
you can send them the URL.
Keyword Campaign. Please tell me you're not using
the stock "instant graphics" that are supplied
on the eBay Keywords site. They produce some of the most
blah and boring text boxes and banner ads I've ever seen!
If you're going to be spending good money on a keyword campaign,
why wouldn't you make the best of your investment? Have
a custom ad designed for you!
Photographs. I'm sure your store carries some stock
items. When was the last time you took new pictures to
illustrate your wares? Sure, you're
still selling and everything seems to be going OK, but why not freshen things
up a little? Take the time to shoot some new pictures. There's a lot of competition
out there, so be sure that your merchandise shines!
There's no need to hire a photographer. You take pictures
all the time; just take the time to do it. Update your
images; after all: they represent your
image online!
Description Copy. Here's another place where we
all tend to get complacent, using the same tired text for
our products that we've been using for the past several
years. Look at your products again. Is there something you've
neglected to say about your items? The manufacturer may
have changed something slightly--be sure you're aware of
that and be sure you make your customers aware of any new
features or benefits of your items.
Are there other sellers giving you competition for some
of your stock items on eBay? Perhaps today is the day
to look up their listings and see how they're
competing with your sales. Run a completed items search on a few of your more
profitable items and see who's chipping away at your market. Read their copy
and look at their photos; are they doing a better job then you are? If so,
they may soon be cutting into your profits.
At this point I want to make a confession. As many of
you know, I'm a PowerSeller on eBay, and have made a nice
living from my eBay sales over the years. As I was writing
this column I became keenly aware that I'm guilty of much
of the above. It's time for me to buff up my eBay store
and listings. As soon as I finish this article, I'll be
busy making all these changes to my own online presence!
