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by
Bob Maschi
There's
an old hypothetical story that goes like this: Coca-Cola could
lose everything--every factory, every truck, every bottle, every
piece of office furniture. Everything from its bank accounts to
its paper clips could simply vanish. (Now wouldn't that please
Pepsi?) Then, company officials could walk into any bank and,
using only the Coke brand name as collateral, borrow enough
money to replace all that Coke had lost. The moral? A brand name
that's recognizable to buyers is worth investing in. It brings
you more sales, higher prices, and repeat business.
This fictional scenario
seems even more relevant these days in our virtual world. Does
anybody doubt that the most valuable commodities eBay,
Amazon.com, or Yahoo owns are their domain names? To follow is
information and advice on how to brand your name to get people
to remember you and encourage repeat business.
What's
in a Name?
First of all, consider whether you have a name that's worth
branding. If you aren't getting repeat business on at least 10
percent of your customers, you have a problem. It means buyers
are accidentally tripping over you, or not seeking you out. The
problem could be as simple as your choice of a username.
If you aren't getting
much repeat business, a name change won't hurt anything but your
ego. Too many names blend in--JustAnotherSeller or
frank@drab.dul. Or they inadequately convey your online
personality. You might love Garfield the cat, but if you're
trying to sell old books, BigGarfieldLover is a lousy name.
Moreover, you don't want to sound like an elderly widow if
you're selling computer equipment or a teenage rap artist if
you're selling vintage dolls.
Short is usually good,
perhaps as many as eight characters. These letters don't have to
form a real word, but they should be pronounceable. Long can
work as well, especially if you add dynamic keywords. Depending
on your specialty, you could try adding atomic-, cosmic-,
compu-, super-, or mega- to another word or name (remembering
that AtomicCosmicCompuSuperMega is far too long). Avoid adding
numbers to your name. While many e-companies encourage this,
numbers are harder to remember than a name.
Specialize
It
Once you've got a memorable and relevant online auction moniker,
you want to start spreading that name. One good way to brand
your name is by specializing. If you take a shotgun approach to
selling, don't expect that many buyers will remember you. You
can't sell banjos, Barbies, baseballs, and bras the same week
and expect that you'll stand out. Focus on a major category,
with one or two minor specialties within it. For example, sell
old toys, specializing in board games. Or sell computer parts,
specializing in mouse pads and printers. This way, you attract
people who are interested in many of your auctions, not just the
first one they encounter.
Sure, you'll have odd
items outside of your specialty to sell. You can blend these in
with your auctions or set aside a week out of every few to
display these odd lots. Or maybe you can set up an alternate
seller identity to unload all those miscellaneous items. Most
online auction sites will allow you to have more than one
account, as long as you don't give yourself feedback or bid on
your own items.
Think
about it: Specializing is far easier than trying to
sell bras, baseballs, and Barbies to a banjo collector.
Getting
Your Name Out There
So, you've got a name, a specialty, and bids are rolling in. The
next trick is to get serious, frequent bidders to remember you.
This is something you can do on your auction page, where simpler
is better. Many sellers attempt to follow this credo;
unfortunately most do a really bad job.
Do not expect to endear
people to you by loading your auction page up with cute photos
of your pets or children (unless you're selling them, of
course). Do not add a clip of your favorite hillbilly music--or
any other music. Be especially careful of your image hosting
service. Some image hosters include third-party ads with their
service. Click a button to see a photo and BANG!--an advertising
window pops up.
All of these annoying
distractions waste bidders' time while they wait for pages and
images to load. Worse, they can cause older and less-updated
computers to freeze or crash. Sure, buyers will remember you for
these types of things--but not in the way you want.
Instead, focus on your
text. You might begin your auction description with
"Auction by…" followed by your username. (Some
sellers even go so far as to include their name in the auction
title.) At the end of the text, ask buyers to search your other
auctions. Make it easy for them by including your auction name
in the description (this way, novice buyers can search your name
through regular auction description searches as well as through
seller searches).
There are also simple
ways to incorporate your name into your auction photos. Many
computer programs allow you to overlay text across your photos,
though this can require some skill and be time-consuming as
well. Instead, you might choose to make some sort of modest sign
and place it beneath your item. Then photograph or scan both.
There are more imaginative methods, too. For example, several
online auctioneers use old wooden children's blocks on which to
set their items prior to photographing them. The blocks, of
course, spell out the sellers' usernames. Just be careful not to
do anything that seriously distracts one's eye from the product
you are selling.
Pack
It Up
When you package your items, be sure to include your online
moniker atop the return address. You might also include a
thank-you note with the item, signed with both your real and
online names. The note can be simple (one
word--"Thanks!"--is often enough). It could be
handwritten or computer-generated for mass production. Don't get
too elaborate with your design, and avoid computerized notes
that simulate handwriting. They work about as well as trying to
make a handwritten note look computer-generated.
GBN:
Good Business Sense
But in the end, the best way to brand your name and get people
to remember you is to practice good business sense. Be fair with
your buyers. Describe your items accurately and completely. Send
out your end-of-auction emails quickly. Pack items securely and
ship them promptly. Be a professional and follow through with
every aspect on your end of the deal.
After all, Coca-Cola's
brand name wouldn't be worth dirt if it didn't taste good.
Back to Auction tips &
tactics
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