18/6/10 - Why eBay is not just a buying and selling venue and how you can tap into its power and take your business to another level

Hello!

You already know the sheer power of eBay – at least I hope you do by now – due to its massive market share, it’s popularity and it’s ability to continue to draw new members, both buyers and sellers, every day even now over 10 years after it’s birth.  

Unfortunately there are many, many small businesses – online and offline - who are missing out on the vast opportunities eBay has to offer. Why? Because eBay is not only a buying and selling venue, it is also a brilliant promotional source. 

I’m going slightly off track this week because I want to talk about not just eBay businesses but any small business whether it’s online or bricks and mortar. As you know I do not limit my online sales activities to eBay. I also have numerous niche websites, I sell on Amazon, have dabbled with eBid and also publish my own home study courses all of which have one thing in common. They need customers to make them successful.

It’s absolutely vital to your business success that you recognise the potential and incorporate eBay in to your overall business strategy for marketing purposes. eBay is one of the top ten most visited web sites in the world and is the only one in the top ten that is not a search engine. If you advertise your products on eBay you will reach hundreds of thousands of people worldwide which is why you should consider using eBay even if your main selling venue is a bricks and mortar store or your own website. This is because eBay will generate leads for your main venue. 

Don’t under-utilise your About Me page 

It always surprises me at the number of people who are completely unaware of this, but you can use your ‘ About Me ’ page to promote your ‘ off eBay ’ business. It is the only place on the eBay site that you can place a direct link to your own site so if you already have your own website make sure you get your link on there without further delay!  

Your ‘About Me’ page is also the perfect spot to promote your own weekly or monthly newsletter or e-letter and direct people to free information. People love free things and the more you can offer on this page the more you will gain buyer trust plus it’s a simple way to promote your other websites / stores and products.

Promote your website using eBay Classifieds 

Here ’ s another overlooked marketing resource, nestled on eBay just waiting for you to tap into! In case you are not familiar with eBay Classifieds, there is no bidding on a Classified Ad, so you simply add the price of your item or service as the price that you would like to receive for it rather than a starting price as you would in an auction-style listing. What you can do here is promote your own website, bricks and mortar store and your other eBay listings to drive traffic to them. There is a fee to list which differs depending on the category, however at the current time there are no final value fees for the sales you get from eBay Classifieds. This is the perfect opportunity for you to get even more exposure for your products wherever you are selling them. 

Write reviews to boost your traffic 

You may have seen a little pencil and pad icon next to some eBay sellers ID’s stating ‘Top 25 Reviewer’ or ‘Top 100 Reviewer’. What this means is that the seller has written reviews or guides on specific subjects (usually relating to a product or products they sell) and readers have voted with a ‘helpfulness’ rating. As the number of votes rises, so does the reviewer ranking. Anyone can view these reviews and guides by clicking on the icon.  

Many buyers search the internet for reviews and guides because as we know, the internet is a major source of information, but, these reviews and guides are also an excellent tool if you are a seller because they build not only credibility but also generate traffic. 

I’ve talked before about becoming an expert in your chosen niche to gain trust and credibility and this works in much the same way and will help build your business. If you write a guide or a review about a subject relevant to the products you are selling then you are putting a message out to buyers that you have knowledge of the subject – this immediately gains you the buyers trust and they are more likely to purchase from you. 

Not only this, but a selection of your eBay listings will appear on the same page as your review or guide, so imagine if a potential buyer has read your review and then sees that you also have the product for sale. As they have already shown an interest in the product by reading your review or guide, the chances are high that they will view your listing and purchase from you. You are also allowed to add a link to your eBay listings directing potential buyers to your reviews. 

This method is completely free – all you need to do is put together a short piece and upload it – it’s definitely one to try for increased traffic. 

Use eBay to build a mailing list 

I know very few people who gather together their customer information from their eBay sales and use it wisely. Every sale you make should be added to your customer database for future repeat business by way of an email list. If you don’t do this you are literally leaving money on the table. What good is a one off customer? Yes it’s a sale, but wouldn’t you rather that same customer keeps coming back for more? Of course you would and the way to do this is to give your customers relevant, useful information on a regular basis. Don’t just contact them when you want to sell them something. Keep in touch regularly whether it’s weekly or monthly and you will be rewarded with customer loyalty. 

All of these resources are available on eBay right now and are there for you to utilise. Just by implementing a few of these methods you will increase your sales. Take full advantage and don’t underestimate the power of eBay! 

As always I wish you the very best of success, 

Amanda 

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© Amanda O’Brien 2010

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