"The Killer Ebay Ad That Makes Your Items Sell Like Hot Cakes" by Jason James
This is what is all comes down to, you take everything that you have learned and you put it to good use. You know what you want to sell, you know how you want to describe it, you know what your starting bid will be, and you have a picture or two up on the Internet that you want to use in your ad. You are primed for action!
This next step can really make or break any ad that you have come up with. If you’ve looked around eBay or other auction web sites, you couldn’t tell one from another. You know what that means? You probably are not inclined to buy from those ads.
You did see a few ads through, that you thought "wow that's cool." You know the ones that used different fonts, in different sizes, with bold letters, or different colors that really caught your eye. And they used a great photo of the product, and even some cool graphics, right? And, those are not only the ads that people remember; they are the ads that people BUY FROM!
If you take the extra time to make your ad look good, the people who are bidding on the item will realize that they are dealing with someone who cares about what they are selling. They are dealing with someone who will go the extra mile to make sure that they are happy with their purchase!
If you are already familiar with HTML, the language that you use to create web sites, than you can pretty much skip this section. What I’m going to show you here is how to make your ads look like a custom web page using simple HTML.
There are a lot of different programs out there that can help automate this task for you. Programs like Microsoft Front Page are a full-blown web design tool that you can use. Or you can even use the more recent browsers from Microsoft or Netscape to create a simple web page. The programs will let you work in a WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GET environment, and will let you create some awesome looking web pages without needing to know a whole lot about HTML.
The section on eBay that asks you for a description of your item, the section that says that HTML code is accepted. What this basically means is that you can include any of the tags that HTML understands. These tags can do anything from make the text larger or smaller, make the text bold or italics, center the text and graphics on the page, or even link up to another website. The possibilities are endless.
BASIC HTML TAGS
What I’m going to give you here are the bare basic tags that you can add to your eBay ads to make them look better. This is not a full guide in HTML, but you can find a web site address later in this section that will take you to a full tutorial on HTML if you are interested in such things!
If you have placed any ads on eBay, you have seen the screen where you enter the ads into the system. You enter your vital information, like your e-mail address and your password. When you get down to the box where you enter your description, it says something there that you may or may not understand. It says that HTML tags are acceptable. What this is telling you is that you can use little bits of HTML tags to help your ads look better.
Attaching Images: Most auction sites make it very easy to attach an image to your auction when placing a listing.
(Note: URLs for images will all end in either "gif" or "jpeg." These are file formats for images. GIF images are limited to 256 colors, but JPEG images can contain up to 16 million colors and provide photo-like clarity.)
Many sellers have decided to go the extra step and create personal Web pages, which can include information about them, their auctions, and the kind of items they specialize in. It's a good way for buyers to get a better understanding of whom they're dealing with. Many Internet Service Providers offer a small amount of free Web space on which to host a personal page. In addition, Web-building software, tutorials, and HTML books make it extremely easy for even the most technologically challenged to be the masters of their own domain space.
Ever wonder how the HTML pros do it? Well, it's very easy to discover the tricks of the trade whenever your browser is on a given Web page. If you're using Internet Explorer, click on View on the menu bar and then select Source. If you're a Netscape user, click on View on the menu bar and then select Page Source. This should bring up a Notepad file in which you'll be able to view all the HTML commands and codes that went into the creation of the page you're visiting. It's a good way to familiarize yourself with all the different elements that go into a Web page.
FREE COUNTER
We can see how many people have actually bid on our auctions, but how do we know how many people have stopped to look at our ad for the item we're selling? You can obtain a FREE counter for your eBay ad when you create a listing.
However, if you wish to have more details stats about your auction listings a program called "Sellathon" will tell you such things as: How users found your auction, what search terms were used, how much time people spend looking at your auctions, and more. Use the link below to get more information on Sellathon: http://sellathon.auctionresourcenetwork.net
In my next lesson, we will discuss... "Your eBay Strategy"
Yours in success,
Jason James
Consultant and eBay™ Power Seller™
Founder, Auction Resource Network
Click Here to get photo hosting for your Ebay items for only $6.99 a month.
Jason James is originally from Boston, MA. and has spent time in the U.S. Marine Corps learning some of the discipline that is required for a successful home-based Internet marketing business.
Jason has built a long track record of success mastering eBay and building profitable membership websites.
His first Internet success was selling products on Internet auction site eBay, becoming a power seller then eventually putting together the website www.auctionresourcenetwork.com which detailed the exact steps a person can take to make money on eBay.
Jason's most recent venture is putting together a series of Online videos made by some of today's top Internet marketers to help budding entrepreneurs get trusted information to help their online businesses grow to phenomenal levels.
Jason has kindly allowed us to post one of his articles about how to be successful on E-bay each day for the next couple of months. Thanks Jason.