Global Auction Blog

Bidder Etiquette & Auction Rules

With the advent of this web site’s premier “News” section, I have been asked to write articles not only from the auctioneer’s perspective, but also those articles for the benefit of the bidder or the general public,as more and more internet consumers discover this web site and its obvious benefits. The goal is to educate the general public (the bidders) about the auction method.

Many auctioneers are often asked questions from their bidders about certain auction processes before, and unfortunately sometimes during the Live Auction, inadvertently interrupting the auctioneer. It is vital that auctioneers provide an opening statement, or that they cover the governing bidder rules of etiquette or conduct that is expected of the bidders during the auction. Auctioneers should also provide the bidders with an opportunity to ask their questions before the auction commences.

Obviously every Auctioneer and Auction Company is going to have different rules for their auctions. While the general public expects a certain amount of uniformity and consistency (i.e. how to bid), they should not anticipate that every auction will be governed by the same rules, or even the same laws for that matter if the bidder plans on attending auctions in different states, provinces, or countries.

First and foremost, the bidder needs to understand that the auctioneer has the final word and authority on all auction matters. An example: An auctioneer is chanting and using $100 bid increments with the bid at $500, and the auctioneer is looking for a $600 bid. A bidder shouts out $5, expecting that the auctioneer will accept his $505 bid, but the auctioneer refuses the bid. I have witnessed many bidders get upset because the auctioneer did not acknowledge their bid, and the reality is that they do not have too. However, in the interest of good customer service, the auctioneer may reiterate that the bid increments are in $100 increments. The auctioneer may even offer to accept a half bid in the amount of $50, thereby bringing the bid up to $550 from the previous bid of $500. Either way, the bidder must accept the auctioneer’s discretion, experience, and final decision.

Auctioneers should post key rules in an area (i.e. Cashier Booth) where the public can view them. Auctioneers are advised to record their auctions, but this is not required. Often times a regular bidder will come to an auctioneer’s aid in contested matters (i.e. price, quantity, etc.) where other bidders have openly challenged the auctioneer’s decision. Truly the best way for the bidder to learn about auctions, auction rules, and auction etiquette is to attend auctions regularly.

The general public is expecting honesty, integrity, and leadership from the Auctioneer, and that means that the auctioneer may occasionally make decisions that an individual bidder may or may not agree with. The public must understand that “the show must go on”, and that time is often equated with money in the auction industry. Bidder Etiquette & Auction Rules are for your benefit, and not for the auctioneers. For more information on the auction industry contact the National Auctioneers Association or the Canada Auctioneers Association.

To contact Tom, visit www.DiNardoandLordAuctioneers.com

(c) 2004 Tom DiNardo - All rights reserved.

Popularity: 75% [?]

“The power of advertising auctions on the internet only generates more buyers.”

How to get 30,772 pageviews of your next upcoming auction sale

Advertising on the Internet can be as easy, or as complicated as an auctioneer wants to make it. With so many Internet options available, this article will help guide auctioneers in how to make best use of their Internet advertising dollars in an economical and effective manner.

Your own website.
Having your own website is the most effective and economical tool that every auctioneer should have as the centerpiece of their branding and advertising campaigns. It is believed that over 50% of an auctioneers regular bidders will choose to use an auctioneers own website as their regular point of contact, but only if the auctioneer takes their website seriously. This doesn’t mean spending thousands of dollars annually for your web presence. Bidders want to see a tidy website with clear navigation and easy to read content. Most importantly, they want to see current upcoming auction content with as much detail as possible. You never get a second chance to make a first impression.

If your website is out of date, showing past sales as being still upcoming, or not showing any information other than date, time, and location, you will leave a poor impression with your bidders . With services offered by several national auction advertising sales that will power your auction calendar or your complete website, there is no excuse to not keep your website up to date even if you are not computer savvy.

Newspaper / Radio Station websites
Newspaper websites can be worthwhile, or a waste of time and money. Many newspapers see the Internet as a huge competitor to their business model and have their head stuck in the sand and hope it goes away. We all know that is not going to happen.

Other newspapers have a website component that is simply a copy of what their newspaper ad is. If the online newspaper version is available to everyone then it can some value to the auctioneer even if they are charging extra as potential bidders who are not subscribers may use the website to locate future auctions.

If the website is password protected so that only print subscribers have access, their is absolutely no benefit to paying extra for their Internet advertising. The only people using the website are the same people using the print newspaper, so what benefit is there? Even the NY Times recently opened up their complete website to everyone as the subscriber only model was not working for them or their advertisers

Some newspapers also list the sales online with no details , photos etc, are also not searchable, and are also only available for the same week that it is in the paper. These are all things that have very limited value to auctioneers when their are so many more effective ways to reach the bidders.

Only newspapers who have full auction sale content, perhaps even with expanded listings and photos are a good value for auctioneers.

Association websites.
Auctioneer Association websites are a great idea for auctioneers to quickly and easily find information regarding their profession. There benefit as an advertising medium to reach bidders is questionable as they are not usually setup to maximise this feature. Many of the salebill pageviews on websites such as these are only other auctioneers checking out the competition. Since these calendars are usually a benefit of being a member , if you have the time to add your sales you have nothing to lose by adding your sales

Local Auction websites
Most states usually have a local “mom and pop” auction advertising website. Usually started by an auction enthusiast, If they have been online for many years these sites are usually worthwhile advertising with as they have a good brand among local bidders who may use these sites as their primary location to check for upcoming sales. Depending on costs of course, they can be effective and they usually get great coverage in a very local area. They may not have all the full features that the national services use to maximise your Internet marketing. Many of these sites have good Google rank for very specific searches, so it can be worthwhile to be listed just to get a link back to your own website if they allow.

Watch for Part 2 coming soon that will help you go National !

Popularity: 74% [?]

Had a great afternoon on April 10th at the IDA & REG MIDDLETON FARM AUCTION conducted by Gilbert Gauthier Auctions. A beautiful day and strong pricing made for a great sale.

Popularity: 74% [?]

Well here’s an idea that will lift your spirits. Wine, Spirits, and yes even Beer Auctions are becoming one of the hottest trends emerging in the Fundraising Auction Industry. I have written about Fundraising Auctions in the past and how they can be a wonderful and lucrative addition to an Auctioneer’s dossier of services that are offered to their clients. If you perform fundraising auctions, then this is definitely an area that you will want to explore.

Wine Auctions are becoming so popular and trendy that they are literally creating their own specific niche in the Fundraising Auction industry. The good news regarding Fundraising Auctioneer job security is that wine consumption is at an “all time high” according to the Wine Spectator magazine, and as such, the demand for wine is increasing, especially in Fundraising Auctions.

There is balance in everything, and for every upside, there is also a downside. The upside in Wine, Spirits, or Beer Auctions is the obvious financial opportunities created for auctioneers, but the converse is that true wine appreciation requires a tremendous amount of knowledge (i.e. pronunciation of the name, grape varietals, taste description, terroir, appellation, vintage, and dollar value of the wine being sold, etc.). If some of this terminology threw you, then needless to say, you have a lot of study ahead of you.

The last thing you want to do is place yourself in an embarrassing situation with your client, or destroy your credibility with your bidding audience. Believe me, they often know much more than we do! You never want to rely on the just the Master of Ceremonies description (if applicable) to the audience either. Also don’t ever fake your knowledge or lack thereof to the audience, as they will spot it right away.

Some sobering advice: Don’t be intimidated! What you don’t know now, you can always learn. So if wine is not your forte`, then perhaps you know about Spirits or Beer? Become an expert in your area. When you are able to answer a client’s question’s asking you to explain the differences between a double or single malt scotch, or you are able to discuss the differences in Alpha Factor between Northern Brewer’s hops or Saalz hops used in brewing beer, then you will be well on your way to becoming an expert or at least knowledgeable about your area of interest.

How do you gain the knowledge? Read everything related to Wine, Spirits, or Beer. Take Classes. Taste (Hey it works for me, and its fun) different wines, spirits, etc. Join clubs. Ask the experts (sommeliers, winery owners, brewers, distillers, etc.). Become a knowledge sponge.

When I got into this field, a fellow wine auctioneer asked me, “Are you ready to upgrade to a new lifestyle?” I knew exactly what he had meant, and briefly his question and the thought had terrified me. I had the epiphany that this could be the opportunity I had always wanted and been searching for. Let me tell you, it was the opportunity I had been searching for, and I have never turned back since.

These auctions will introduce you to influential people, master sommeliers, master chefs, frommagiers (cheese experts), winery owners, etc. These auctions create the networking opportunities of a lifetime. These auctions inevitably create more opportunities for your business. Go out and succeed.

To contact Tom, visit www.DiNardoandLordAuctioneers.com

(c) 2004 Tom DiNardo - All rights reserved.

Popularity: 75% [?]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 8, 2008

AUCTION GALLERY OF THE PALM BEACHES
Sale May 1, 2008
West Palm Beach, FL

Exotic chess sets from around the world will cross the block May 1 when Auction Gallery of the Palm Beaches hosts the CCI Auction.

(WEST PALM BEACH, FL) – In conjunction with Chess Collectors International’s 13th Biennial Convention in Boca Raton April 29 – May 4, Auction Gallery of the Palm Beaches will host the CCI Biennial Auction of chess sets, memorabilia and related ephemera from around the world on May 1, 2008.

This will be the first major chess set auction in the United States since the last CCI Convention in the U.S. in Philadelphia in 2002. This Convention and auction will be will be held in conjunction with U.S. Seniors Open Chess Tournament to be held in Boca Raton. The sale will consist of over 140 lots of antique and modern chess sets and related items consigned by members of CCI and members of the public. Consignment is open to the public as is the auction.

The inventory will include lots like an 18th century Burmese carved figural set, an English 19th century turned ivory set , a 19th century English bone traveling set and an elaborate 18th/19th century French/German Dieppe style carved bone figural set with leather hats. Also included will be a Russian carved mammoth ivory “Knights” figural chess set by Russian sculptor Oleg Raikis, a J. Jaques boxwood and ebony tournament play set from Frank Marshall, U.S. Chess Champion from 1909 to 1936, an exotic Egyptian carved ivory “Pharaoh” figural set, a rare Dominican carved amber “Medieval” figural set, a German 19th century wood, plaster and lead “medieval” figural set and a 19th/20th century Chinese export carved ivory figural set.

The sale will be carried live online by LiveAuctioneers.com and Auction owner Brian Kogan says this may turn out to be one of the largest online chess related sales in history. Extra phone lines will be installed and absentee bids are welcomed. Preview for the sale will be April 29 – May 1 at the Gallery located at 1609 South Dixie Hwy, Suite 5, West Palm Beach, Florida 33401. A catalog with approximately forty illustrations will be available. For more information about this sale call (561) 805-7115, email info@agopb.com or visit the website at http://www.agopb.com.

Written by: Fred Taylor
http://www.furnituredetective.com/
800-387-6377

PHOTO CAPTIONS FOR AUCTION GALLERY OF THE PALM BEACHES

RUSSIAN CARVED MAMMOTH IVORY “KNIGHT” FIGURAL CHESS SET - King signed Raikis on the underside. In black and white. King as a bearded male, bishops as hooded monks, knights as horse with armor, rooks as turrets. Height of king 4 3/8″. Height of pawn 3 1/4″. (15000/18000)

RARE DOMINICAN CARVED AMBER “MEDIEVAL” FIGURAL SET -
The king holding a sword and shield. Height of king 2 1/8″. (10,000/15,000)

RARE SWISS HAND CARVED WOOD “BEAR OF BERNE” FIGURAL SET
1890-1910 - One side in a darker wood. Kings and queens wearing crown and holding scepters, bishops with staffs, knights as bears carrying smaller bears on their backs, rooks as turrets with bear’s heads looking out, pawns as squatting bears. The king 3 1/2″ high The pawn 2 1/2″ high. Note: The center for bear carved ornamental subjects in the 18th Century was Berne where the city’s emblem was the bear. In the 19th Century mountain guides during off season would carve sets of this type for sale during the tourist season. (4000/5000)

INDIAN CARVED IVORY FIGURAL CHESS SET - Raj Shahib style. Early 20th Century. One side with stained bases. King as elephants with howdahs, queen as elephants with open howdahs, bishops as camels, knights as horsemen, rooks as elephants and pawns as troops. Height of king 2 5/8″. Height of pawn 1 1/4″. In fitted box. (1000/1500)

RARE FRENCH/GERMAN CARVED BONE “DIEPPE” STYLE FIGURAL SET - 18th/19th Century. The king and queen in Period costume, the bishops as generals, knights as horses, rooks as castles and pawns as various figures, some with implements. (Cond: minor losses, restorations and imperfections) (6000/8000)

Popularity: 74% [?]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 11, 2008

JACK EUBANKS AUCTIONS
BREVARD, NC
Sale May 3, 2008

CONTACT:
JACK EUBANKS
(828) 884-7889
www.jackeubanks.com

Masterful bird carvings by Texas artist/sculptor/carver James Eddleman to cross the block at Jack Eubanks Auctions in Brevard.

(Brevard, NC) In 1971 a South Florida real estate developer was visiting in Texas when he saw the most remarkable carving of a bird he had ever seen in Texas Highway Magazine. The magazine contained an article about the carver, James Eddleman of Lubbock, TX. The developer immediately ordered an example of Eddleman’s life size Mockingbird for delivery to his mountain retreat in Transylvania County, NC near Brevard at a cost of $1,250. When it arrived he ordered several more birds to be delivered over the next year. At the completion of the order he was so pleased he ordered one of every bird Eddleman had carved.

Eddleman informed him that he had an 800-bird carving backlog and it would take him at least eight years to fill it. However, since the developer by then was the single largest owner of Eddleman birds, he consented to work in the new order at the rate of one or two a year. In 1975 Eddleman presented him a Master Carving of a family of Blue Jays along with the $5,000 bill. Over the years the developer accumulated a sizeable number of Eddleman’s works and when he died in the mid 1990s his estate donated eleven birds from the collection a local non-profit organization which has now consigned them to Jack Eubanks Auctions.

This is the largest accumulation of Eddleman’s work outside of Southwest Gallery in Dallas. Each bird in a series is numbered and carved completely of basswood. Even the leaves and realistic foliage is carved from wood. Legs and claws are fashioned of wire and taxidermist eyes are used for realism and each bird is painted by hand. “Real enough to fly away. The only thing missing is the warble” is a frequent comment when Eddleman’s birds are first encountered. All of the birds are life size and the carving work is so detailed that individual ribs in each feather are visible.

But there will be lots more than birds flying across the Eubanks block on May 3. Included in the other 500+ lots will be the popular version of the Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 from 1974, a large Griswold collection, historically important silver from a local prominent family and significant works of art.

Included in the artwork will be an oil on board Florida landscape, 24 by 30in, by one of the famous Florida Highwaymen, James Gibson. The work is typical of Gibson’s art showing the scenery in exquisite detail. Other art will include a signed and numbered lithograph by Alexander Calder (American 1898–1976), a woodcut, “Maiko,” by Kiyoshi Saito (Japanese 1907-1997), an etching, “Polperro 1923” signed by Kerr Eby (American 1889-1946) as well as works by John Taylor Arms (American, 1887-1953), a watercolor by W. N. Bartholomew (American 182201898), a landscape by S. Seymour Thomas (American 1868-1956) and two signed Salvador Dali prints acquired by the consignor in 1978 and appraised in 1981 and 1990.

Preview for the sale is scheduled at the Auction house for Friday May 2 11:00AM – 6:00PM and on sale day beginning at 8:00AM. The sale, to be held with no reserves, is Saturday May 3 at 9:00AM in the Eubanks Auction facility at 220 S. Broad St, Brevard, NC, 28712. Reserved seating for 160 is available by phone or email. For more information contact Jack Eubanks at (828) 884-7889, email info@jackeubanks.com, visit the website at http://www.jackeubanks.com or www.auctionzip.com.

Written by:
Fred Taylor
http://www.furnituredetective.com
800-387-6377

PHOTO CAPTIONS FOR JACK EUBANKS MAY 3

Eddleman recently offered to duplicate this Master Carving of the Blue Jay family for $9,000. The leaves and acorns in this carving were based on actual items from the developer’s estate in North Carolina, sent to Eddleman for the sake of authenticity.

This Master Carving of Bluebirds was acquired in 1978 for $3,000.

The Bob White male stands his ground with his mouth open.

This is the Mockingbird that started the collection in 1971.

This lithograph by Calder is signed and numbered.

Florida Highwayman James Gibson painted this landscape.

Popularity: 74% [?]

Here is a post from the incredible Ebay Auction Resource website known as AuctionBytes . If you want to know what is going on the minds of the EBAY buyer / sellers universe, this is the place to go……….Dwayne

While not official, we’ve heard from credible sources that eBay is doing away with its Live Auctions platform. This is the area on eBay where auction houses advertise and run their auctions in “real time.” Not only do they get traffic and bidders on eBay, it adds an Internet-bidding component to their real-life auctions (just as some bidders phone in their bids to live auctions).

With enormous changes rolling out at eBay over the past year, particularly with the January 29th announcements, many eBay sellers have been feeling that the company is trying to boot out small sellers and that it favors commodity items rather than collectibles. Killing off Live Auctions may be seen by sellers as one more sign that this is the case.

Just 2 weeks ago, an eBay executive stated that eBay’s goal was to deliver a more retail-like experience, and by this time next year eBay.com will be unrecognizable compared to today.

I’m not sure how much revenue Live Auctions provided eBay, but it’s clear the impact will be felt by the auction houses. (eBay also allowed companies such as GoAntiques to run auctions composed of their clients’ items with no real-life auctions associated with them.)

No other live-auction platform “marketplace” comes to mind. Companies like Able and LiveAuctioneers have the technology and could likely provide auction houses with the ability to accept online bidding. But they don’t have the buyer “eyeballs” that eBay has.

Popularity: 74% [?]

Between my Dad and I we were at 6 farm sales this past weekend. While it was 20C (70F) in Manitoba, it was a little cooler at the Saskatchewan sales where it was barely above the freezing mark.

Here is a shot of the Hodgins Auctioneers crew at Steinbach Manitoba on April 19th 2008

 I also attended the Murray Rankin / Downey Crowe Auctions sale on the edge of Winnipeg for Hi-FLite Ag Inc. and the Penner Auctions Equipment Consignment Sale In Steinbach Manitoba

Some good sales were held in Watrous Saskatchewan by Manz Auctions

Kramer Auctions had a big sale at Foam Lake Saskatchewan for  Cooper Enterprises

George and Iris Wick had a sale in Foam Lake conducted by Ukrainetz Auctions

Popularity: 74% [?]

 Many of you know that part of our phenomenal success in the internet auction advertising industry has been our ability to market your upcoming auction sales through our syndication program. We spend the bulk of our time setting up new partnerships with newspapers, radio networks, portal websites and our competitors. We were the first in the industry to do this and still the most successful at it with over 50 websites carrying your auction sales.

One of our competitors that we worked with very well has been with www.TodaysAuctionPage.com in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. With our partnership we were able to give Alberta auctioneers unprecedented coverage in the local, regional, national, and international exposure.

When owner Mark Cunningham decided in early 2008 that he wanted to concentrate on his other successful businesses, we were quick to  make an offer to purchase his website to continue the relationship we had built up with his auctioneers in Alberta.

We are happy to announce today that we have relaunched www.TodaysAuctionPage.com to give it a new look and to add the same features that we have on most of our other auction websites.

Be sure to check it out, and we look forward to your feedback as we continue to inch forward to our new website that will be coming out soon……..

Dwayne Leslie
President - Global Auction Guide Media Group
Portage la Prairie
Manitoba, Canada
http://www.globalauctionguide.com 

Popularity: 78% [?]

Here is a great post from the Conversation Marketing Blog by Ian Lurie . Be sure to check out the rest of his posts…..Dwayne

Internet marketing is about lots of little things, not one big one. This list is half-list, half-procedure. If you go down these items in order it might give you a decent internet marketing plan for the next few months. If you have others, post ’em as comments:

1. If you have a Flash introduction on your web site, delete it. If you don’t agree, try this: Shove your head into a bucket of water. Stay in there, not breathing, for 10 seconds longer than is comfortable. That’s what you’re doing to your customers. Delete it, please.
2. Check the load speed of every page on your site. If any load in more than 10 seconds, fix it (2-6 seconds is far better). If your developer says they can’t, and it’s not your own network causing the problem, fire them. Here’s a good page load tester.
3. Check your site for broken links. You can use a tool like Xenu. Fix those links. Do not pass this step until you’re done. If it takes your developer more than a week to do this step, again with the firing thing.
4. Make sure you have a user-friendly 404 error page, not the generically nasty PAGE NOT FOUND message.
5. Make sure you have a user-friendly 500 error page, too. A 500 error happens when some bit of database code you wrote late at night decides it’s had enough with this world, and takes your web site with it. That usually leads to something terribly informative like “500 Error Connection Timed Out”. Maybe you can do something better?
6. Remove all inline javascript to a separate .js include file. That will speed up page load times and may help you with search rankings, too. Plus it appeals to code geeks like me, and we’re all that matter, right?
7. Set up Google Webmaster Tools, Yahoo! Site Explorer and Live.com Webmaster Tools. You’ll see your site from the search engine’s viewpoint, what folks use to find you, and whether there are any problems that might be hurting you in the search engines.
8. Set up an XML sitemap, too. Check out Sitemaps.org for an overview.
9. If you’re running an e-commerce site, hire a really good writer to rewrite all your product descriptions. Those descriptions matter more than you think.
10. Get analytics set up on your site. You can’t do internet marketing without it. Actually, you can, but you’ll suck at it. I recommend Google Analytics. If your developer says they can’t install anything, well, you know…
11. In that analytics tool, make sure you can consistently track conversions: Sales, or leads, or whatever else you want folks to do when they see your site.
12. Get a HackerSafe or ScanAlert logo on your site. While I question their value, the search engines don’t. Nor do customers. That sticker can get you more search engine ‘trustrank’ and improve conversion rates.
13. Put your full address and phone number on each page of your site, for the same reasons.
14. Use Wordtracker, Trellian Keyword Discovery or something similar to find the top keywords that folks use to find your products or services.
15. Now find the top ranking sites for those phrases.
16. Who links to them? Do a “link:” search on Google, or use linkdiagnosis.com or Yahoo! Site Explorer to build a list. Now go out and get those links!
17. If two years ago some SEO hack advised you to put 100 links at the bottom of your home page, delete them. They’re not helping you, and they may be hurting you.
18. If two years ago that same SEO hack advised you to write title tags that read like this - “Wedding stuff and wedding things and weddings stuffs and weddings things with more wedding items and this is your place for weddings” - delete those too and write something that doesn’t sound like Elmer Fudd suffering a mental breakdown.
19. If you have the same keywords in your keywords tag on every page of your site, search your feelings… Do you really think the search engines are that stupid? Change ’em, or delete the tag altogether. The tag doesn’t really help, and duplicating keywords across all pages can flag you as an SEO spammer.
20. Write a high-quality meta description tag for each page of your site. That may not affect ranking but it’ll get more folks to click on your search listing.
21. Make sure your site uses correct semantic markup. Your developer had better understand what that means. Don’t make me come over there…
22. Get your site totally standards compliant according to the W3C code validator.
23. At the same time, make sure your site isn’t hideously ugly.
24. With those two items handled, you can now go to all the major XHTML and CSS site directories out there, which list lots of standards-compliant sites, and submit your own web site. If you get in, you get great links from great sites. Do not submit your site to any CSS or XHTML directories until you see a happy green report on the W3C validator. Doing so wastes your time, and the directory owners’. They’re liable to digitally tar and feather you.
25. Comment on other folks’ blogs. That gets you attention from those bloggers. They may come look at your site, or just drop you a line, or they may do nothing for a while. But you’re building relationships you can use later.
26. Do a press release a month. Chances are something cool happened. Did you hire someone new? Create a new product? Complete a new project? Win a prize? Brag!
27. Get someone who can write to create that press release. Bragging doesn’t help if you sound like an idiot.
28. Learn to use Google Reader. Subscribe to the top internet marketing blogs. Read them a lot. For a hint you can look at the AdAge 150 list.
29. Go to Google blog search. Search for your own brand name. Then subscribe to that search result in Google Reader (you’ll find a little RSS link on the search results page). That gives you a quick look at what folks are saying about your company.
30. Do the same thing for your own name.
31. Then subscribe to who’s linking to you on Technorati, for the same reason.
32. Go to local directories like Yelp! and make sure you’re listed. Hey, it’s a link, right? Plus it’ll give you one more place to manage your reputation.
33. Be sure your company information is up to date in Google, Yahoo! and Live’s local search tools.
34. If you’re a local business, ask your customers to review you on one of the local sites: Either on the search engines or on the other sites. This will boost your ranking in local search results. Beg, plead, bribe. It does require work on their part. And don’t worry if you get a few negative reviews, either.
35. Start working on Yahoo! Answers. This is an opportunity to make yourself an expert, and get some links at the same time. Spend no more than an hour a week. Read Matt McGee’s excellent article on the subject to learn more.
36. Invite people to subscribe to your house e-mail list. If you don’t have one, start one. This continues to be one of the most neglected facets of internet marketing.
37. Make sure there’s an easy way for folks to sign up for that list.
38. Remove any extra fields from your subscription form. All you need is their e-mail address.
39. If you require registration during checkout, get rid of it.
40. If you’re automatically opting folks in to your e-mail list, stop.
41. When you receive customer requests via e-mail, answer them. Fast.
42. Remember that house e-mail list I got you to start building? Starting sending out a quality offer to that list, once a month. See how it works. Keep testing different types of subject lines, creative, offers and such. Always strive to beat your last best performance.
43. Now you’re ready for some real online marketing (yes, all this was a warm up). Create a landing page for the best offer you’ve got. Follow best practices. Read Marketing Sherpa’s Landing Page Handbook for the best information you’ll find.
44. Create 2-3 headlines for that page.
45. Write a few different versions of body text for the landing page.
46. And finally use a couple of different images.
47. Then use a multivariate testing tool like Google Website Optimizer (if the budget’s tight) or Widemile (if you want the best possible result) to test all those headlines, copy versions and images and find the best ‘recipe’.
48. Create 2-3 pay-per-click ads on Google Adwords and/or Yahoo!. Point those ads at the landing page. Be sure to use whatever tagging mechanism your analytics software requires, so you’ll know which ad generates which clicks.
49. Now start that test!
50. Pick the 3 things you learned from that test, and apply them to the rest of your site. Did one call to action work best? Create a button to put everywhere on the site. One type of photography? Use that, too. You get the idea.
51. Did conversion rates go up? Cool! Now make sure you’re earning a good return on those PPC ads. Increase your spend and broaden your campaign, always watching out for ROI.
52. Now you can create landing pages for all those house e-mails you’re sending out. Since you already know which subjects work best, and which kinds of offers, you can start with a good foundation and find the best possible landing page.
53. Borrow your neighbor’s DVCam. Put it on a tripod. Film yourself talking about one of your products, or explaining how to use one of them. Post it on YouTube and then embed it on your site. No, you’re not Scorcese. But it’s more exposure for you, in another venue.
54. Are you still using Yahoo! Answers? I hope so. Don’t make me come over there AGAIN.
55. Create a MySpace page for fans/hobbyists/enthusiasts/students of your product or service. Don’t brand the page that heavily. Focus on the type of product or service. Attract folks who want to know more. Then wow ‘em with your knowledge, and build a circle of friends. Now you can announce offers and such to them, too.
56. Do the same thing on Facebook.
57. Find any industry-specific social networks that are relevant to you. It’s easy: Go to Google and search for “‘your product’ social network”. Bet you find some. If you do, join up.
58. Take all the cool stuff you’ve learned by testing offers, and newsletters, and keywords, and ads, and landing pages, and revamp your site. Then announce your new, improved site to all your customers, and subscribers, and MySpace friends, etc..
59. Whew! You’re done. Congrats! Now, go back to step 1, and repeat the process. Because you’re never ‘done’.

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