Today's post is by guest blogger Chris Taylor. Here are a few marketing tips to use to get ready for selling during the busy month of May:
Yes, I’m a procrastinator. I even waited until the last second to write this post. It might be a genetic thing. Unfortunately one of the keys to becoming a successful eBay merchant is that you need to market your products at the right time. And if you sell seasonal items, that means you typically have to prepare weeks and sometimes months in advance.
To make my mom proud, I’ve decided to turn over a new leaf and listen to my own advice. So looking ahead (can’t believe I said that!), May brings us a variety of events that eBay sellers should leverage to help bring in money by having the right products at the right time of the year. What makes this selling strategy even more successful is how heavily these events are pushed by other businesses. Essentially they are helping to do some of your marketing for you. Now it’s up to you to take advantage of it.
Are you ready?
Cinco de Mayo – May 5th
Bust out your sombreros, maracas and most importantly, your party gear. Cinco de Mayo is the perfect opportunity to be ramping up your sales on party platters, decorations and Mexican-themed attire. Buyers will be scouring eBay looking for ways to make their house party memorable. Better hurry on this one, only a few weeks away!
Mother’s Day – May 13th
The keyword “mothers day gifts” gets searched for over 200,000 times a month on Google. Unlike me, many buyers will search well in advance. So you should be ready now. Of course if you list your great Mother’s Day gifts the day before then you’ll at least have me as a potential customer.
This is the perfect time for you to be ramping up your listings of photo albums and frames, jewelry, candles, pampering gifts and other gifts for around the house.
Indy 500 – May 27th
Just about every time there is a major sporting event like the Indy 500, it’s pretty common to see a huge spike in searches for memorabilia. So many fans just witnessed their favorite driver come through at the last second for the win, and they want to make that memory last.
Take advantage of these types of sporting occasions by ramping up on that particular sport’s memorabilia. For NASCAR, you can be listing car replicas, hats, shirts and other racing-themed items. This is a great way to capitalize on impulse buys while the thrill of the race is still fresh in their minds.
Moving Month
Did you know that the month of May is widely known as moving month? The majority of home and rental moves take place in May, and as an eBay seller that means you should be preparing for an increase in decorative and home furnishing sales. And a lot more related to homes, apartments and condos.
Making Your Listing Stand Out
Don’t forget about the importance of making your listing stand out from the competition. Other eBay sellers will be trying to capitalize on these seasonal events as well, and you can enhance your listing by using a custom eBay listing template. A custom template will help give you the professional and trusted appearance buyers are looking for when spending money online.
Want more ideas on what you to sell this month? Checkout the eBay Retail Marketing Calendar from Page Mage to see a complete list of monthly events and trends for all of 2012 that you should be leveraging.
Chris Taylor is VP of Marketing at Page Mage. Page Mage, a recipient of eBay's 2011 Ecosystem Champion Award, offers Billboards, a "Top 10 Most Popular" application for free custom eBay listing templates for eBay sellers looking to stand out from the competition.
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