Step 3 - Build A Resource Page On Your Web Site and Become Part Of The Community
When you choose to market on the Internet, you need to
be very careful not to spam (sending unsolicited emails)
to individuals. The best way to avoid this is to become
part of the community in which you are selling, and also
provide people with compelling reasons to visit your site.
One simple way to achieve this is to create a page on
your web site that lists resources of interest to your
fellow enthusiasts. Thus, people who aren't yet in
the market for your collectibles still have a reason
to come by your site.
Resource pages can be as easy as a list of links.
Include a few direct links to associations or mailing
lists (which you can find by using Google as shown
above). Voila, you now are providing the Internet
community with a free resource (one that other
fanciers can tell their friends about).
When you're part of the online community for
enthusiasts, you can ask for referrals to potential
buyers from your peers about people interested in
buying. Saying "So and so suggested that I contact
you about my collection for sale" gives your email
a far higher probability of being read and considered.
Additionally, quite often forums and mailing lists
will allow for collectors to announce their collectibles
for sale.
Step 4 - Make Sure Your Site Sells
When individuals visit your site to check out
your collection, you want to do everything in
your power to "close the sale" (ie, compel the
visitor to inquire about buying your collection).
What's the best ways to accomplish this? Evoke
their emotion! Think about what makes you buy
in the real world...the surroundings, the touching,
the feeling, the whole experience of collecting
itself.
Online, alas, you have to turn to your web site
to do that! So make sure your pages are replete
with inviting copy, a description about yourself
and why someone should trust buying from you,
graphics that are appropriate for your collectible,
your contact information and the like. An easy
way to get a feel for this is to visit
eBay and
search for your collectible type there - the
resulting auctions (especially from professional
sellers) will give you some great ideas about
compelling layouts and text. While you should
never plagiarize, you can learn some great techniques
by examining them.
The above touches upon some ideas about selling
your collectibles on the Internet. Much more
can be added such as the ability to complete
transactions via services like
Paypal and writing your own
Collectibles Ebooks, to name a few.
The key to remember is that the more interested people
who know about you, the better your chances increase for
selling your collectibles online. It's a snowball process...
take the time to sow the seeds of your targeted
visibility, and your profit potential will increase
as your reputation gets to be known. Take
advantage of that.
Back to >>> Page One Making Your Dream a Reality
More about the Author:
Barbara T. Ling
The Internet Virtual Coach - Teaching Businesses the Netiquette Way
http://www.barbaraling.com/collectibles
btl@barbaraling.com