Good eBay Marketing Starts with One Little Thing

This may seem like a strange thing to say - coming from a guy who wrote a book on eBay marketing, advertising and sales. Yet, I'm going to say it anyway.

1) Put down the eBay books and articles.

2) Open up TurboLister (or whatever other listing interface you use).

3) Start listing.

Do it.

All the preparation in the world can't make up for the things you learn and the skills you develop by doing.

If you can't think of anything specific to do right now, start with something small. Go through some of the previous posts here and pick *one* thing to do. Tweak a listing, write an AdWords ad, take a better photo... get that first thing off your list and then move on to the next. Do, do (dah, dah, dah).

I should add another entreaty: try it. Trying new things helps you grow, and you often stumble on better ways of "doing it." Discovery is serendipitous. Meander, test, think, re-jigger, and evaluate. This is the way to innovation and improvement.

Happy selling - and happy holidays to you, too!

Good things,

Phil

How to Write a Better Headline than This One - eBay Sales Rely on Title Hooks

When selling on eBay, your keyword description isn't the only chance you have at creating a title. You can also create benefit-oriented titles that emphasize keywords much less in the body of your description. Just use HTML to create larger fonts and dark colors if you insist on using color in the title.

Why do this? Because titles draw in readers and buyers. As David Ogilvy is famous for putting it, "Your headline is the ticket on the meat." (paraphrased) The headline draws in those who would be interested, compelled, in need, etc. It's the first test that filters out those who are hungry for meat and those who are not.

The headline needs to include benefits that pertain directly to the needs of the reader and the features of the product, of course. That's the practical side of the process. The creative side involves catching the attention of passers by.

I read a headline in the newspaper this morning that stopped me in my tracks. It was very creative and it got me to read an article that I wouldn't have read in a million years given another less interesting headline. Here it is: "Women Get Shot at Hunting." Clever, ay? The article was about how a national program gives females a chance to learn about the sport.

You might say that the title isn't selling anything... but I'd say otherwise. Newspapers sell entertainment and information to curious readers. If they don't make the reader curious, they fail. They succeeded in this instance.

So.. I urge you to get creative, test out headlines and track your eBay sales to figure out which headlines draw in your meat buyers. Do simple A-B testing to test headlines against non-headline descriptions. Or test distinctly different titles head-to-head. Even the smallest insights will offer tremendous value and move you toward more sales and profits.

eBay as Entertainment - De-Mystifying Angelina Jolie's Bra, a Mutant Steak Chunk and an Anti-Oprah Winfrey Helmut

Not only is eBay an auction medium.. it's rapidly becoming an entertainment medium. It's almost like a goofy cable access QVC show that knows no bounds.

There are people selling Angelina Jolie's bra and panties from the movie "Mr. and Mrs. Smith." Someone's selling animal crackers in compromising positions. There's a "gross valved steak chunk" that was found in a can of soup.

One guy's even selling a a PBR helmut that's designed to keep him from watching Oprah (that's who I'm guessing he's referring to).

So what's the point? Wildness and entertaining stuff is viral. If you can strike it big with a humor piece that also features gallery views of your other eBay auctions or eBay store offerings, you can make some dough via the humor email circuit and the sites that track this stuff.

Be careful that you don't offend your users, though. A misstep could cost you some customers.

DISCLAIMER: I don't endorse any of these sites or condone their taste. Just a little fun before the weekend starts.

ebay, selling, sales, seller, marketing, writing, writer, book, books,
advertising, copywriting, journalism, media, news

eBay Product Feature Positioning - Don't Try to Make Out at the Beginning of a Blind Date

Quite a few eBay listings start with bulleted lists of features.

In boxing this would be called leading with your chin.

In the dating world, I’d describe this as trying make out with a blind date when you first pick her up.

Feature lists are important to listings, but you don’t want to lead with them. In the dating scenario, you want to go to dinner first, discuss your strengths, values and career/interests. You see if your date is interested (and vice versa). Then you save the physical feature list (your make-out skills) for last.

You make a connection first. Then you close with the goods.

The same goes for eBay listings. Connect with the prospect’s dream first. Sell them on the idea of a new image, better health, a more productive work day, the promise of status or sexiness, or a money-making/profit proposition. Make the emotional connection and show them that you can offer these incredible, life-changing benefits.

Then you slam-dunk the sale with a feature list. Show them all the things your product has that make it equal to or better than a competitive product.

These kinds of descriptions can be as long or a short as necessary. It depends on what you’re selling. If you’re selling a boat, the list could be quite long. If you’re selling printer refill cartridges, chances are the benefits and feature list will be small.

In any event, don’t try to make out at the beginning of the date. Wait until you’ve established a connection.

Phil Dunn is a marketing consultant and co-author of The 7 Essential Steps to Successful eBay Marketing (McGraw-Hill, 2005). His eBay blog, http://ebay-marketing.blogspot.com offers tips, tricks and strategies that help people generate eBay sales now.

Google - eBay War Affecting Ads, Sales and Profits?

So eBay and Google are in a cat fight. The former just suspended AdWords purchasing because of a party Google launched in protest of eBay's decision not to allow eBay sellers to utilize Google's checkout service (during eBay Live).

Here are some additional links describing the brouhaha:

http://tinyurl.com/ysj52j
http://tinyurl.com/yo7hna

What does this mean to you, the eBay seller? Will limited Google AdWords advertisements impact the exposure your products get outside of eBay? Have you been able to track or measure this?

I'm very interested in any observations you have on the subject and any impact you've seen in the market place. Please comment below. Thanks.

Good-Unexpected Things and eBay Marketing

Sometimes “marketing” is just that
simple – it's getting things out into the market. On eBay, we often
get all caught up in how things are presented, what color the font
is, how many photos there are, etc. Yet, many of the best eBay
sellers merely push product out into the market and see what sticks.

I'm not saying that presentation isn't
important. Heck half of my book, The 7 Essential Steps to Successful
eBay Marketing is about presentation. It's just that the initial
action – putting “stuff” out there – is perhaps more
important. It's the initial movement that starts the inertia.

Robert Von Oech wrote about this this
morning in his post on “Good-Unexpected Things.” Read it and
you'll get a better sense of where I'm coming from.

Marketing is participating.

Have a great day & happy selling.