I’m a native New Yorker, an LA transplant. Cabin fever has been part of my life in February for as long as I can remember. I thought the sunshine and happiness CA offers would fend it off this year, but lo and behold the transition between February and March is still crap, wherever you are. It’s rained for weeks. I’m cold, my dogs are sick of walking in the rain, and I’m dying for some sense of adventure.
All this cabin fever makes March the PERFECT time to start thinking about your Shopit marketing strategy. If you have one, we applaud you. If you don’t, or if you’re scratching your head, get with the program people! Pull up your email address book, your rolodex, your summer camp address list, (we’re not against reverse white paging those phone numbers you get drawn on your arm at the bar), and your grandma’s Christmas card list and find some new customers! Just don’t become a spammer. Here’s how.
Direct messaging is a common marketing tool but one that comes with a stigma. I want to stress the importance of direct interaction with your customers and potential customers and encourage the soft sell. The soft sell is a great technique that Brian Littleton says social networks have validated. The soft sell is marketing as you would like to be marketed to. (The Golden Rule always sneaks itself in somehow doesn’t it). Make your profile a little personal, don’t just throw the product up there without explaining why you’re selling/providing it. Let people know who they’re dealing with, not just what they’re buying. Ask for feedback, always!
No one wants the completely impersonal blast emails that cram all the technical information down your throat or just say, “here’s my product, buy it”. Isn’t that the point though? To get a sale out of the communication? Yes, but please don’t shove it in my face. I want a good opening line. Don’t insinuate that I have erectile dysfunction, that I don’t have a college degree, or that I can’t find my own XXX sites. I automatically don’t like you. A simple “Hi! National Irish Drinking Day er, I mean St. Patrick’s Day is around the corner, do you have all your necessary accessories? I didn’t last year… I should’ve brought my own cup. I think they just reuse cups that day - gross. In case you don’t have one and don’t want to carry your souvenir cup from Disneyland around, I found some really cool ones and I’m selling them!”. Maybe now I like you. Maybe I want to check out this cup. Maybe I think you’re ridiculous for selling them but I’m still thinking about it.
If you want to get your friends and family as customers please for the love of peace do not just send them an email with your store link and expect them to support you. I’ve found it’s good to pass it off as an email letting all your loved ones know what good in your life, what’s new. Tell them about that soccer league you joined, the great movie you saw last weekend, your dog’s new trick, and the mole on your arm that looks suspicious. (Have that checked, please, we at Shopit support melanoma awareness). Then casually mention that you’re trying out this new website because you’ve got some stuff to sell. Maybe they never knew you were an entrepreneur. Ask them to check it out, give you feedback, show their friends, and maybe you’ll get a sale out of it. Split your email recipients into groups too. Those who can take a few jokes, those that need a slightly more sophisticated approach, and those who’s attention span is so short maybe they just need to be tricked by a link that says “My Crazy Cabo Pics” that actually goes to your Shopit page. (We never said we were above trickery).
To gain totally new clients soft sell on your facebook, myspace, twitter, AIM, etc accounts. Talk about your store or an item in a status update: “Check out my sweet new Pez dispenser” and add a link to that product. Google your genre or item and see if there’s a discussion board about people looking for your product or with similar interests. Start a conversation with them. Get your name out there and let it plant itself wherever it ends up. February could be dubbed National Cabin Fever Month and with all that desire to be doing something people are willing to look at some funny emails, so talk a little longer. They’re looking to be engaged. Count on it.
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