You may not know it, but eBay is one of the most popular online shopping destinations out there. In fact, it’s the second largest search engine in the world after Google! Therefore, eBay Marketing has been getting popular recently, but many sellers still don’t take it seriously or don’t know how to go about it.
It may seem like an unnecessary expense when you’re trying to make money, but in reality it can be very beneficial to your eBay store and help you sell more items and make more profit. If you’re looking for some tips on better eBay marketing, here are top tips that will help you get started. You’ll be glad you did!
1. Why is eBay marketing so important?
Before deciding whether to do eBay marketing or not, first you need to know its short and long-term benefits.
1.1 Increase brand awareness
eBay isn’t just a place to buy and sell products. It’s also a place to build your brand and increase awareness of what you do. We all know that people buy from people they like, so if you want to be part of an eBay marketing strategy, focus on building relationships with potential customers by creating a good reputation online.
This doesn’t mean spamming everyone with your name and information. It means providing excellent customer service through your eBay listing page and engaging in conversations about interests related to what you do or sell. You can also get involved in larger conversations by writing comments on blogs, Twitter, etc.
1.2 Boost sales
With a little research and a lot of effort, you can get more eyes on your listing. That’s going to lead to more buyers and ultimately help you boost sales. The more popular your item, the higher price you can charge. Besides helping boost sales, marketing is one of several ways to add value to your listings.
It may even be enough to bring shoppers in when they might not have noticed otherwise. The bottom line is that if marketing helps your bottom line, then it’s worth spending time and money on it!
1.3 Build trust
People are more likely to buy from someone they already know. According to a study by Nielsen, consumers are willing to spend 45% more from a retailer they trust compared to one that is new. Building trust with your customers is therefore key – both on eBay and outside of it – as long as it is genuine.
You can achieve that by providing a high level of customer service and advertising your social proof, such as positive feedback ratings and testimonials. Just make sure you don’t mislead your customers with overly positive feedback ratings or written praise, otherwise you could get in trouble with eBay or Google depending on where you advertise.
2. Top eBay marketing strategies to implement
There are countless eBay marketing tips that you can use, below are some best ones.
2.1 Use SEO optimization
One of the most important ways to get free traffic from a site is to make sure it’s optimized for search engines. SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is an important part of any eBay marketing strategy. Your eBay listings will be visible in search results.
Search engines like Google give high value to websites that are well optimized, which means your website will rank higher in Google and you’ll get more traffic to your site. You can optimize your eBay listings using keywords related to what you sell. For example, if you sell toy trains, make sure your titles include words like toy trains, model trains and toy collectibles; they should also include generic terms like collectibles, toys or hobbies.
However, avoid stuffing keywords into your listing, though – just include them once or twice. Also avoid over-optimizing your listing with keywords – only include them if they make sense in context!
2.2 Maximize positive feedback on eBay
Positive feedback is very important on eBay. It may seem like common sense, but ensuring you earn plenty of positive feedback is one of the best eBay marketing tips around. The more feedback you have, and particularly lots of positive feedback, means your eBay profile will be displayed at the top of search results which is great for selling items to new customers.
Buyers like to see positive feedback before purchasing from a seller, and they also like to leave feedback. Since most buyers who leave feedback only do so when they’re satisfied with a purchase, there’s an opportunity here: Provide great service and products. Give your buyers what they need and you’ll win their trust over time. In turn, you’ll gain loyal customers who will be glad to shop from you again.
2.3 Try eBay advertising
eBay is a great resource for businesses looking to reach new customers. And if you’re already selling on eBay, it’s worth exploring other ways to leverage its massive user base. Using eBay advertising is a great way to get started with eBay marketing.
Whether you want to launch a new product or boost sales on an existing one, promoted listings are an easy way to reach your audience and start growing your brand. You can choose from several different ad formats – like sponsored listing, highlight and featured – that run across search, content and shopping sites throughout eBay.
Learn more about how you can use promoted listings here.
2.4 Get eBay top rated seller status
Getting top-rated seller status means buyers on eBay will recognize you as a legitimate and trustworthy seller. Being a top-rated seller also makes your items more visible to other shoppers, and therefore more likely to be sold.
Getting there is a bit of an undertaking, but it’s worth every effort if you want to grow your sales. Here are some important tips to help you make sure you get top-rated seller status from day one on eBay:
- Follow all eBay guidelines
- List your products accurately
- Communicate with your buyers
- Pay any relevant fees on time
- Ensure all of your products meet relevant shipping and handling requirements.
2.5 Dominate search results and grouped listings
Since people have a limited amount of time to search, you want to be sure that your eBay listings are easy to find. If your product isn’t even in their search results, there’s a good chance they will go somewhere else. Make sure you have items listed in all relevant categories and subcategories so shoppers can easily find them.
When selling an item, use multiple variations of keywords from its brand name or model number so it shows up in different searches. You can also list your items on eBay Stores if you think there will be some overlap between searchers who may want to purchase them online and those who might go directly into stores.
2.6 Use consistent branding, images and video
Branding is one of the most important tools for eBay sellers. Search engines also take into account search history when determining which websites pop up in a user’s results. If you are running an eBay business, you probably have a logo. But how about your listings? Do they all use similar branding, images and video that convey that consistent message to customers?
If not, take a second to make sure that each one is clearly branded with your logo or brand image. Another way to do it is by adding text at the top of your listing that says who you are and/or provides other information about you or your business. You should also include high-quality product images in each listing so potential buyers can see what they are buying.
2.7 Leverage eBay keyword optimization tools
Although it’s a lesser-known tool, we recommend using eBay’s keyword optimizer to identify a healthy balance of high-volume and low-competition search terms. Keyword research is a must when it comes to eCommerce – if you have an idea about your market, do some research on Google Trends to find out what people are searching for before you invest in any specific product listing.
Using tools like Google Autocomplete can also be very helpful in finding popular search terms. Tools like SimilarWeb can also help with researching your competition by looking at which keywords they rank well for and what strategies they’re employing. The more you know about your competition, after all, the easier it will be to outrank them!
Check out some tools here.
2.8 Utilize the Promotions Manager
Many sellers have a difficult time getting buyers to take advantage of coupons and promo codes. The solution is simple: use eBay’s built-in promotions manager. It’s incredibly useful and is an excellent way to boost your overall traffic and sales on eBay with very little effort. You can access it from any item listing or My eBay page, and it allows you to automatically run a number of marketing tools.
As a seller, you can create a coupon or a promo code that shoppers can apply when checking out. On top of being convenient for buyers, using promotions cuts down on transaction fees by reducing buyer fees from 2% to 1%. It’s win-win!
z2.9 Off-site eBay Marketing
This type of eBay marketing is where you’re taking your message outside of eBay in an effort to drive buyers or sellers to your eBay site. This might be in print (newspaper, magazines), online (websites, blogs), social media, email marketing, banners and so on. Your idea is to create awareness of your brand so that when people are looking for something on eBay they come across your listing because it’s displayed at the top or near it.
You can also use sponsored listings to display your item directly in search results next to competing items. If you want more bang-for-your-buck advertising, you can pay a little more money and get featured placement within search results over time.
2.10 eBay campaigns with Adwords
Depending on your market and industry, you might want to use Adwords to drive traffic to your eBay store. This is a great way to market any business on eBay because it’s quick and easy to set up. What’s great about Adwords is that it helps you reach people who are looking for your products specifically, which greatly increases your chances of making a sale.
By targeting these people specifically, you’re keeping costs down and increasing profitability. You can also do remarketing through Adwords so that people who have previously visited your eBay site are targeted again when they visit Google. Just remember, Google charges a fee per click, so be careful about how much you spend.
2.11 Use Social media for eBay marketing
Social media is an effective and fast-growing platform that can be harnessed to help boost eBay sales. Whether you’re promoting your current listings or trying to connect with new customers, social media can quickly become a resource to increase visibility of your items on eBay.
The trick is to focus on getting people back onto eBay after they find you on social media. Instead of just doing a Facebook post that links back to your eBay listing, do something that encourages people to stay within your brand ecosystem instead of making them bounce off into someone else’s website. For example, offer exclusive coupon codes only available through Facebook.
2.12 Use Email marketing for eBay
Many sellers forget how crucial it is to connect with potential buyers through email, even after they have been successful at selling on eBay already.Email marketing is a fantastic tool that all eBay sellers should use. It is one of the most cost-effective ways to get your brand, products and eBay listings in front of potential customers. It provides an opportunity to reach your customers with up-to-date information about your products, services and promotions.
Simply by gathering your email subscribers’ preferences and buying history, you can easily tailor your campaign to appeal directly to their tastes and interests. Just make sure you’re following eBay’s anti-spam policy!
3. Final thoughts
eBay marketing can be an effective tool to help grow your business and make more money on the world’s largest online marketplace. But, if you don’t do it correctly, it could turn into a time-suck that does more harm than good. So you need to understand how eBay marketing works before trying it yourself. Hopefully, with our best tips, you can ensure you get it right on your first try and leverage eBay.
By using some of these tips for better eBay marketing, you can help ensure your success with this online marketplace and avoid making any common mistakes that beginners often make.
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