‘Tis The Season For Cause Marketing

If you haven't attended a workshop lately (they're free), take a peek at the workshop calendar to see what's in store for the current month. If you're too busy listing and bidding to attend a live session, check out the archives for some great late-night reading. Okay, don't list that novel just yet, but do give some thought to reading past workshops. They're great reference material and can be accessed 24/7.  Plus, there is no note taking or tests!

Here's a great example of a not-to-be-missed workshop from the archives.

Recently, Jennifer Ibarra of eBay Giving Works  and Ashley Gatewood from MissionFish, the non-profit organization that administers the eBay Giving Works program taught members how listing items with eBay Giving Works  to support a charitable cause can help their businesses stand out from the crowd this season!

Cause marketing is one of the most important and powerful marketing tools in existence today. It is the partnership between for-profits and not-for-profits that help both organizations elevate awareness and revenues. So why are companies doing this? A number of recent studies have documented that consumers carefully consider a company's reputation when making purchasing decisions and that a company's community involvement boosts employee morale and loyalty.

"Can you see the similar benefits to your business from incorporating cause marketing into your own business?" asked Jennifer Ibarra while co-hosting the ‘Tis The Season For Cause Marketing workshop. "Many sellers have already started dabbling in cause marketing by using eBay Giving Works and we've heard about some of the positive results they've seen - including more bids, higher ASPs (Average Sale Price), and higher sell-through rates."

Special guest and Community Hall of Fame award winner africadirect, a PowerSeller with over 13,000 Feedback, shared her cause-marketing success with workshop attendees. "I list at least 20 auctions a day for eBay Giving Works, and cause marketing is a big part of the way I position my business on eBay." Jennifer suggested that members think about using cause marketing while listing items that are more likely to be "giftable" during the holiday season, and "...with the eBay Giving Works feature to boot, will be even more irresistible to buyers."

Member fragranceforacause wanted to know how buyers are driven to cause marketing auctions. Ashley, from MissionFish, outlined the various areas of the eBay Giving Works hub page like the large graphics on the right side that let shoppers know about the various Spotlight on a Cause events happening. Additionally, non-profits often drive their constituents to shop for listings that benefit them. "For instance, the American Red Cross sent out an email this year letting constituents know they could shop for Father's Day gifts on their MissionFish nonprofit homepage."

At the end of the Q&A part of the workshop, africadirect shared the following, "Thanks for this program. It's my favorite part of eBay."

How to Increase Your Sales with Email Relationship Marketing

Okay, so I borrowed the title from the eBay Workhop on How to Increase Your Sales with Email Relationship Marketing that I attended last week. As I read through the workshop material presented by Lisa Suttora of whatdoisell.com, I came across a post from a member that reminded me of an auction that I recently won.

Member lingerieexposure4u posted, "My customers rarely take me up on my newsletter offers (both on eBay and off eBay). Sure, I get people to sign up, but they don't take me up on my offers (15% off next purchase, free shipping, etc.)." 

Getting people to sign up for your newsletters is a good start, but maybe some buyers just need an extra personal touch to wow them and turn them into repeat customers. Which brings me to my own experience with relationship marketing -- as a buyer.

Wowed by the extra step and the thoughtfulness
As I mentioned earlier, I recently won an auction on eBay, for a black and white blazer. When the package arrived, I could hardly wait to open it and try on my new blazer. WOW (and that's an understatement) was I pleasantly surprised when I finally removed the last piece of tape. First, I was delighted to find that the blazer I had bid on was just like it was described (and fit perfectly!). Then, adding to my delight was the fact that the seller had included a "Thank You" card. Inside the card was a free return shipping label to be used if the blazer didn't fit, a coupon for $10 off my next eBay purchase and a note from the seller, "Enjoy the $10 savings the next time you shop with us!" Can it get any better than this?

This was my first time bidding on an item from that seller, but let me tell you, I will definitely look at their auctions again when shopping on eBay. This seller's thoughtfulness and customer care will definitely turn me, the first time customer, into a repeat customer. So sellers,  keep offering 15% off the next purchase (or whatever amount you the seller deem necessary), the free shipping, return postage and other customer care specialties you can think of. There's always a bidder just like me out there, expecting nothing more than the item they bid on, who will be wowed by the little extras and thoughtfulness that is packaged with their purchase.

OK, more later, I have some shopping to do so I can put my $10 coupon to good use!

 

Upcoming Workshop: Increase your eBay Sales by Discovering the Best Time to List

Because the online marketplace is in constant flux, it is extremely valuable to have a close eye on seasonal activity. Did you know there are a variety of free and paid tools that eBay Sellers can use to find out how long to list an item, what time of the day or week to end an auction, or what times of year see big spikes in demand?  Using trend charts, members can discover up-and-coming markets, item seasonality, and determine the best times to list items and when to sell at a discount before the market calms down. Buyers: Did you know that using research is one of the best way to find the items you're looking for and understand how much those items are really worth?

Not sure what all this means or how one goes about accessing this valuable data? No worries. The Terapeak marketing team will be hosting the Increase your eBay Sales by Discovering the Best Time to List workshop on Tuesday, September 4 at 11:00 a.m. Pacific time. to show you a few cool trends that illustrate the huge spikes in sales that occur over the upcoming holiday season. They will also introduce some tools that you can use to find the best times to end your auctions.

Sounds interesting doesn't it?!! I'll let Denise and Sara tell you a bit more about what's in store.

7 Essential Elements of Successful Product Sourcing Workshop

While at eBay Live! 2007 in Boston, I was fortunate enough to catch a Lisa Suttora sighting - and yes, even secure a live interview with her about the next whatdoisell.com workshop. Not only did we do a short workshop video, but Lisa conducted a mini-workshop in the hall of the convention center with member goldcoastdesigns. Almost every question Lisa responds to results in a mini-workshop, something you already know if you've attended any of Lisa's past workshops (click on one of the Archives links).

Back to the topic at hand. Lisa is hosting the 7 Essential Elements of Successful Product Sourcing workshop Tuesday (as in tomorrow) June 19 at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time on the Workshop Discussion board. Here's Lisa with an overview of what she will be discussing.

Listing Template Design & Layout Clinic

Many of our workshop attendees have asked during prior workshops, "How can I improve my listing(s)?" The good news is that we've heard you, and back by popular demand is the Listing Template Design & Layout Clinic coming to you live, June 4 at 12:00 p.m. Pacific Time on the Workshop Discussion board.

During the hour-long session, Debbie Levitt, President of eBay Certified Provider As Was, will review some of the key elements eBay listing designs and templates should include. She'll then take questions, and look at one listing each from workshop attendees who would like to get feedback on their designs. 

Interested? Great - here's Debbie and her wonder-dog Rita to tell you about Monday's workshop.

"Using Research to Maximize your Profits" Workshop

Are your eBay sales needing a boost? Not sure which listing features will work best for a specific item? No worries - you can use research to gain a better sense of direction and an indication of which features will improve your sales. Reviewing what works and what doesn't for similar items can provide you with the necessary information you need to market your listings effectively.

Join Sara and Denise from Terapeak Marketplace Research on Friday, June 1 at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time for the Using Research to Maximize your Profits workshop to learn how research can help you improve your eBay sales. Here's Sara and Denise with an overview of tomorrow's workshop.

"How to Compete in a Crowded Market" Workshop

Many eBay sellers ask how they can optimize their sales before and after they find a product to sell on eBay. Using multiple sourcing techniques is a key factor when maximizing your profit margins. Once you identify a product that sells well within your market, having renewable sources through a variety of methods puts you a step above the competition.

Please join Colette Marshall, Business Development Manager for Product Sourcing Experts WorldwideBrands.com, on Tuesday, May 22 at 11:00 a.m. Pacific time for the How to Compete in a Crowded Market Using Multiple Product Sourcing Techniques workshop. During the workshop, Colette will show you how to use different Product Sourcing techniques to gain a competitive edge in any marketplace, and earn the highest profit margins possible. Here's Colette to tell you a bit more about tomorrow's workshop.

Listing Items with the Sell Your Item Form - Not Just your Ordinary Workshop

As many of you may have noticed, we've held several Sell Your Item (SYI) workshops over the last couple of months. Basically, these workshops are designed to help sellers transition to the new Sell Your Item form.

The latest SYI workshop was not only part of the regular workshop curriculum, but also serves as a testament to the dedication of the entire SYI team. On the day of the workshop, the SYI team interrupted a scheduled team offsite (those are where the entire team gathers all-day to go over everything related to SYI) to allow the entire team to participate and learn from the real-time interaction with members during the Listing Items with the Sell Your Item Form workshop on March 8.

Mike Maffeo, Senior Product Manager, shared the following, "As part of our offsite, we scheduled a lot of time to talk about the SYI. We incorporated the workshop into the agenda to help us reinforce the human component behind any change we were thinking about and how the seller experience should always be top of mind."

During the workshop, members were provided with an overview of some of the newer features - more specifically, the time-saving and powerful SYI templates. The SYI team responded to questions, comments, suggestions, and complaints during the workshop, and provided follow-up emails and phone calls to members requiring individualized attention.

After the workshop, I asked Mike to share his thoughts about how the team had benefited from incorporating the workshop into their SYI offsite. He responded, "Incorporating the workshop into our SYI offsite gave people from all of the team's functional areas (User Experience designers, QA Testers, Product Management, our coders, etc.) another chance to experience the SYI from the viewpoint of our sellers. It was great to have everyone exposed to the different ways that our sellers use SYI, and this led to some really great discussions and brainstorms after the workshop."

Everyone learning from each other - that's why we run the workshops program.

"How to Generate More Money per Sale – Exploring Potential Add-ons Using Market Research" Workshop

Do you have a closet full of stuff that has to go? Can't park your car in the garage anymore because of that stuff?  Put plainly (and pun-ly), are you 'over-stuffed'?  So what do you do with it?

The solution is simple - you can list all that stuff on eBay and go buy more stuff with the money you earn until you become 'over-stuffed' again - then you just repeat the process. It's cyclical in nature and oh so much fun (warning: this could be habit forming).

To get rid of all that stuff so you can buy more stuff, you might be asking yourself, "How do I determine the best starting price for my items, what are my items are really worth, and who else is over-stuffed (in other words, who are my competitors)?"

Join Sara and Denise from Terapeak Marketplace Research Friday, March 02 at 11:00 a.m. Pacific time for the How to Generate More Money per Sale – Exploring Potential Add-ons Using Market Research workshop as they explain how to explore additional markets within the general product area you are selling, as well as how to expand your business, rejuvenate your sales and have fun while you're doing it.

Here are Sara and Denise (aka: Delia Diamond and Cindy, our workshop video stars) to demonstrate how easy it is to get rid of too much 'stuff' and at the same time, help the "under-stuffed" (aka eBay buyers). Just turn your volume a little, as there is some background noise.

Everything You Need to Know about Valentine's Day

Ah, Valentine's Day, one of the most romantic days of the year (or at least that's what my wife tells me it's supposed to be as I present the standard warmed-over flowers and chocolate box, replete with price tag attached). Like many people I know, I could stand to brush up on my knowledge of Valentine's Day and to gain a larger appreciation of what it's all about. Fortunately, our workshop program is coming to my rescue - we have an expert stopping by next week to explain the background of Valentine's Day, and to give some advice and tips on how to make this year's Feb. 14th the best one ever.

Nancy Rosin has hosted a Valentine's Day chat here on eBay for the past seven years, during which she's helped countless members earn a few extra points with the mister or missus back at home. This year she's hosting a full-fledged workshop on Monday, February 5th at 11am PT called Secrets of the Valentine: Tips for the Modern Cupid. If you're anything like me, it's probably in your best interest that you stop by.

In fact, Nancy's expertise is featured in a video reviewing the comprehensive history of Valentine's Day. With permission from her producer, www.siroccovideo.com, we're able to show an excerpt from it as a preview for the workshop. Enjoy!