Marketing in Simple Terms

Using QR Codes / UpCodes

2012-04-28T14:42:00.000-07:00

QR Codes

What are QR Codes?

They are Quick Response Codes.

In simple terms its a Bar code of sorts. A smart phone user can scan them with an Upcode reader in their mobile device, once sacnned it will take the user to the URL specified in the QR Code

This is the QR Code for my Squidoo Lens

Using them to your Advantage

Gone are the days when someone would see your advert, remember your web address and then type your URL in when they get Home..if they Gone are the days when someone would see your advert, remember your web address and then type your URL in when they get Home..if they remembered.

Ok not everyone has Smartphones users yet, but the trend is growing rapidly.

Personally I have only just discovered these nifty codes and will be rolling them out on my Compliments slips in the next few weeks.

You could put your code on your compliments slips, any information you send your buyer. Maybe on your business cards.

There are lots of places to use these to your advantage so I would advise you to start looking at them.

How Can I get a QR Code?

There’s a free QR Code generator. Simply Visit the site, make sure the box is ticked for 'URL' then Copy & paste your link into the bar. Then click generate.

You can then paste the Html code into your site or if you right click on the image you can Save the image to your Computer and print it onto your documents.

QR CodeGenerator

http://qrcode.kaywa.com/

Tip: If you paste the code onto a Word document you can re-size as required

You can also change your QR Code and add colours etc, they tend to have a higher click through rate. There’s an Interesting article about this on mashable

http://mashable.com/2011/04/18/qr-code-design-tips/

More Useful Reads

Wiki - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QR_code

Mashable - http://mashable.com/2011/11/11/qr-code-marketing-tips/
Top 14 things to know about QR Codes - http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2066777/Top-14-Things-Marketers-Need-to-Know-About-QR-Codes

2012-04-23T14:50:00.001-07:00

Packaging your Item

Creating the Right Impression

So you sold an Item, thats the end of the hard work right??

Wrong - What you want to achieve now is to bring the buyer back to your store or in some case you may want them to visit another one of you selling platforms. Perhaps you have a blog or Website that you would like them to visit...

Sending the item in recycled packaging, newspaper or Carrier bags is not the kind of Impression a business owner wants to give their customers.
There are some exceptions when I would say this does no apply;
Craft Sellers for instance may wrap theirs in newspaper, or use recycled wrapping because its part of what they do or it ties in with their look

The packages below are wrapped in newspaper, but some thought has been put into them

My Experiences of packaging;

1. Purchased a Top (Used) From an online Ebay seller it came in a Pink Bag Then inside it was Very Neatly Folded in a Plastic Clear bag with a Pretty compliments slip. My first thought was how lovely it looked and I had to go and leave her a glowing feedback as it was sooo nicely presented....I had not even looked at my Item Yet

2. Same again I bought some girls tops for my daughters and they came in a re-used grey mailing bag. Scrunched up and then wrapped tightly with loads of sellotape.

Now I didnt think "oh my god the packaging is awful" but what I did do was get the tops out and closely inspected the item.

You see in case 1 I had already in my mind decided that I loved the item before I opened it because it was nicely presented, but in Case 2 my immediate thought was Oh no I hope these are ok.

Two of my favorite online Retailers have to be Mini Boden & Joules.

When the packages come I tend to not want to open them as they look so nice...to me it says QUALITY, CARE, BRILLIANT ITEMS before I have opened them.

Joules Mailing bags

Now im not saying go spend a fortune on Fabulous

Packaging, but do make an effort, it really does make a difference.
I have even purchased Items from my competitors just to see how they package their Items.

So What Should I Use?

Of course the answer to this depends on what you sell. Personally I use;
Clear bags and enclose a compliments slip inside, then put into a pink mailing bag if its for a female and a blue one if its for a male.
If I sell a designer item over £20 I usually send in an unused box where possible with tissue paper. (if you can only find a used box, just tape the tissue paper to the inside, so it looks nice and clean when your buyer opens it)
I also print a sticker with my logo and attach to the front of my Package.

The one thing I will do when my business can afford to is buy some professionally printed stickers as mine look a bit cheap, but they do the job.

When you are starting out you may just want to buy 1 size of bags and use them for everything`... that's fine but here's what I usually have in my
packaging box;

12 x 16" Pink & Blue Mailing Bags - I can get most things in these
9 x 12" Pink & Blue Mailing Bags - I use these for small items such as vest tops
TIP: If you offer free postage on smaller items, the smaller package you can get them in (without ruining your presentation of course) The Less packing will cost. Most Times I can post a vest top as a Large Letter

17 x 22" Pink & Blue Mailing Bags - For Larger Items These are big enough to put a large Padded coat in

Brown Paper - Always useful for packaging anything in a box

Sticky Tape

Tissue Paper in both Blue & Pink

Return address stickers

Clear Food Bags 12 x 18"

If you are selling Clothing/Apparel DO NOT Use Grey Mailing Bags if you are a business. Not only have I read that they can leave items with a smoky Smell (Not sure how true this is), they also look Awful. I know that they are cheaper but just add the few pence extra onto your postage costs to cover it.

IMO I Would not use Documentation slips that just stick on the front of bags. I never open them I just sling them in the Recycling...How many other of your buyers will do this. **In some cases these may be the best option if you are selling thousands of items a week as they can make things quicker to pack

The more bags you buy in one purchase the less they cost- I always purchase mine from Amazon or Ebay

If you have an Epson Printer you can pick up a set of Inks for a couple of pounds

Buy address labels to print out your labels - I use Avery online templates to print them out

Always print return address labels out and place one on the back of your packages - I have received several undelivered items back because I did this

More Packaging Ideas

www.flickr.com

For Loads More Packaging Ideas See our Packaging Board on Pinterest

Useful Squidoo Lenses about Packaging

http://www.squidoo.com/stand_out

http://www.squidoo.com/how-to-tie-different-types-of-decorative-bows-gift-wrap-packaging

2012-04-21T16:30:00.004-07:00

Listing Your Ebay Items to get the most Sales

A Picture paints a thousand words

This has got to be the most important part of a listing. Your items must look good, this applies where ever you sell. If your items dont look the part your buyer will look elsewhere

People do not want to see your clutter or computer they just want to see what they are bidding on.

If you are just starting out you may not have the perfect camera or lighting or backdrop...it does not matter you can still take a nice picture anyone can.

Tips for Great Photo's

Make sure if you are selling a used item that it is clean and presentable. If you are selling clothing,Steam or Iron them it gives a better impression.
Use a CLEAN Backdrop - Some people use blue or grey so they stand out, I use White or black. Its your choice just so long as you can clearly see the item. A Sheet will do to start if thats all you have
Take pictures outside where possible, but try to avoid lightspots on your pics
Unable to take pics outside? If you do use indoor lighting, your pics will have a very warm tint and you may want to tone your colour down using a photo editor such as Picasa.
Your buyers do not need to see anything other than the item for sale, so use a photo editing software such as Picasa to Crop them
If your item is pretty plain on the front but the back is amazing use that pic for your Gallery one use Spell Checker to correct any spelling Mistakes
If you afford to purchase a simple Backdrop, they are quite cheap to buy and a worthy investment. You can Simply drape them over a tall clothes rail to take pictures, should you prefer not to purchase a photography backdrop stand.

Show your items from as many angles as possible, the more pictures the better (if you are uploading more pictures you may want to use an Auction listing software lister like Auctiva...charges may apply so do take this into consideration

Tip: If you are selling Clothing Invest in a Mannequin,it gives your buyer more of an idea of what the item would look like on.
If money is tight you can get a simple hanging Mannequin that would be suffice. If cash is not a problem get the best one you can afford

Writing a Good Descripton

Never use capital letters to write your description, its difficult to read and looks terrible.I have clicked straight off an item because of this.
Avoid using loads of colours
When writing your title, use KEY Words.....if im selling a Jumper. I usually list it as a Jumper top Sweater. Think about what you would put in if you were searching to buy it. If you still have room you may want to add words such as Cool, gorgeous etc.
Always Use, as many of the specific drop downs as you can.
Add as many details in your description as you can. One of my listings would include; Measurements, Fabric, Fastenings & How it feels
If you are selling internationally find out if there are other words to describe your item...ie. Someone from the US may search for a sweater rather than a jumper or pants rather than trousers

Improving Your Title Example;

A friend of Mine listed a Reclaimed Chimney Pot
She Listed it in the Title as just 'Chimney Pot'
I would Suggest 'Large Reclaimed Stone Chimney Pot - Garden, Planter'

I have seen some listings with 'dress'
Is its for a lady or a girl?
What Size is it?
Colour ?
Is it spotty, Striped or Plain?
Long, Short?
Floaty, Heavy

So I may have put 'Ladies Blue Striped Long Floaty Dress Size 10'

I know ebay let you choose these in specifics but if you add them in the title a buyer is more likely to click, and you are more likely to show in the search results in the gallery

More Listing Tips

Offer Worldwide Shipping - ok you may not want to but you will get more sales
If you do not offer it as default, offer a recorded delivery option
Hundreds of Items in your store??, try to list and end them at different times and days to get a wider audience
Always have several auctions running where possible - I have sold items that I would have sold for £6 for 0.99p on Auction. Every time I have 10 or more auctions on I get more views to my other items
Lots of opinions on when to start and end your auctions, but I recommend Starting on Sunday evening on 7 day so that they end on Sunday
Use your auction items to promote your other items - Ie. give every auction International visibility, its cheaper than adding it to a buy it now. I Also use Subtitles sometimes for Auction listings
Offer GET IT FAST shipping if you are able. I Don’t tend to get that many customers use it, but it gives them another option & makes you stand out in the Gallery Page
If you do not offer Free shipping as standard, do offer it on some of your smaller/lighter items so that it keeps your P & P Stars high. I get soo frustrated sometimes as most buyers tend to rate this on the stamp cost on the envelope, no on packing as well
When Listing an item with International Shipping ALWAYS add the postage cost where possible, your buyer might not want to ask

REMEMBER: The more options and specifics you Include in your listings the more you will stand out from the Crowd

Useful Links

UK Sellers Calculate postage costs Easily with Seejays

http://www.seajays.org.uk/postage/

Royal Mail

http://www.royalmail.com/

United States Postal Service

https://www.usps.com/

You may also want to invest in a set of scales to weigh your Items

2012-04-21T14:51:00.002-07:00

Setting up your Ebay Store

Choosing your Ebay Store Name

Firstly one of the biggest choices you can make right now is your business seller name.

If you want to stand out from all the other sellers you need an image, a logo, a brand.

How many times have you purchased something from someone like "jack67-098" ??

How on earth is that kind of name going to get you anywhere??

For instance someone purchases something from you,they love it that much they cannot wait to tell their friend. But when they do see their friend they can't remember the sellers name

My point is make it simple to remember and Spell

Which Ebay Store ??

Ok so you have decided on your user name, next you need to decide what kind of shop you want

Basic

Featured

Anchor

Well that depends on how many items you are going to List/Sell

Check out the two links below before making your decision

Ebays Subscriptions & Fees

http://pages.ebay.co.uk/storefronts/Subscriptions.html

Ebay Store Fees
http://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/sell/storefees.html

Personalising your New Ebay Store & Logo

Once you have decided and opened your store you want to personalise it

Personally I co-ordinate my store to match my logo colours, I believe it gives you a more clear brand/identity.

The 1st logo I had I purchased from ebay and it cost me around £3,and I still use it on my packaging so if you are short of funds its the best option
You can Also get one done by a member of Fiverr .

If money is not tight try to get recommendations from people and shop around
Although I Suggest keeping costs down on Start up, if you can afford to have a logo designed I would do so.
Professionally designed logos look the best.

Before deciding what your logo will look like, have a look about and do some research. Read Books/Blogs/discussions. Find out what makes a good logo and what you should avoid.

TIP: If you are going to be using social networks as a business you will need a logo (profile picture) that will be readable on all sites no matter how small you make it.

I never thought of this and sometimes im forced to improvise

Check out Bannersnack if you want to try and design your own Logo, best of all its FREE

There’s a pretty good Guide written by a fellow eBay seller on how to customize your eBay store.(Link Below)It is pretty straight forward but if you need any help just leave a comment and either I or another blog reader will be sure to help

Store Tutorial

Dont worry to much about perfecting it as you can add and change as you go

Find some of your competitors that already sell on Ebay and see what they are doing
Dont pay for Store designs just yet, if ever. Find your feet first you can think about this later-on. Personally I like to keep my design simple.
Join the Ebay Community boards and get a feel for the place, there are some really helpful people on there who will advise you when you need it.

2012-04-21T12:18:00.000-07:00

About Me

Ok I have never written a blog before, and I haven't a clue what im doing so please bear with me whilst I find my blogging shoes.....ok thats if anyone finds me and reads this lol

My name is Kelly I Currently Sell on Etsy, Ebid, & Facebook
Ebay is my main outlet at the moment, Im also a Top Rated Powerseller

Find out All About Me

So whats the point of this blog, well I want to try and answer some of the most common questions like;

How can I get More Customers?

How do I get more people to see my Ebay Items?

How do I become successful on Ebay?

How to be a PowerSeller

This was me a couple of years ago and I have trailed forums, marketing web sites and social networks to find the answers. Believe me when I say its taken alot of my time to find out, the reason is the answers are available but they are spread all over the internet.

So im going to attempt to tell you everything that I know

With this blog I will Show you ;

How to increase Sales

How to be sucessful on ebay and other Ecommerce Platforms

Get Customers

Increase you Online Presence

Get Ideas for a Facebook Page

Get fans for your facebook Page

& Loads More

Most of my Marketing blog will concentrate on getting more Ebay sales, but it the principles are similar no matter what site you sell on, you may sell on Etsy, Ebis, Bonanza, Ebid or your own website

Please remember im just telling you what I have learnt, it doesnt make it Gospel and we all have our different Opinions.....if you do please feel free to leave your comments.

Anyways the list below is going to be like a chapter list and may change as I find my feet and remember stuff I should have included

Intro

Setting up your ebay store

Listing items to get the most Sales

Packaging your item

Dealing with customers & Complaints

Showing your presence on Facebook, including why you should be on Facebook & how to get fans.

Showing your items on other platforms like Flickr, About.Me & Twitter

Using other selling sites to get Sales including Etsy & Ebid

Other advertising options that are cheap to use

Using online forums

Pinterest & Its Benefits

Running a prize draw

Facebook Apps

Useful Links

If anyone has anything to add or suggestions please do let me know about them, Im always eager to learn new things & hear other peoples opinions

Get Loads of Useful Ebooks

Derek's Home and Business Blog