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Advertising ???

Zoha Boa
Registered User
Join date: 12 Mar 2007
Posts: 2,893
03-26-2007 08:50
Hello,

I have bought land (+/-10.000 m² in total), created several shops, bought al lot of items with resell rights, ....

Everything look's perfect but I have allmost no visitors to my shops/land.

I have also shops/appartments/space for rent, t'ill now nobody is interested.

What can be done to have more visitors. I have allready announced the shops in the 'Search', 'Classifieds', ... and I am using keywords.

I don't want to put campers before my door (I hate them )

I have space for billboards. Maybe we can start a sort of exchange system or does this allready exist ?
Reverend Herzog
Registered User
Join date: 25 Jul 2006
Posts: 111
03-26-2007 08:53
I'm not sure if by classifieds you mean the in game classifieds or the ones near the bottom of these forums. If not the latter, try an announcement or two in the "shopping" and "new products" forums.

Events are also a good way to attract business. Hold a contest or special sale of some kind and announce it in events in world. Get creative with this and you can really catch people's attention.
_____________________
Curtis Conacher
Registered User
Join date: 11 Sep 2006
Posts: 62
03-26-2007 08:58
In-world classifieds are still by far the best way to get your products noticed. Therefore, work out an advertising budget and post the most expensive adverts you can reasonably afford. Also make sure you list your places in the places search and also add a landmark to each of your products so that customers can pass these on 'word of mouth'.
Sara Sullivan
Registered User
Join date: 21 Nov 2005
Posts: 211
word of mouth also works wonders
03-26-2007 09:04
When I got my first island, I quickly made 8 parcels of land, a beautiful bay an 12k of land for me, I had very low retention rates and always had a plot or to open, i found that my prices were not excessive, I just was new at it so I wasnt organized enuff so that some one who was interested in the property didnt exactly know what to do to lease it.
As time went on and I added islands with my sis we started notcing IMs from "friends of [insert resident or friend's name here] asking about land and what we had available.

By treating your residents fairly and helping them out from time to time you will start to make a name for yourself as well. The bottom line is be responsible for your residents, help them and provide stellar customer support and the rest will take care of itself. I go as far as asking my residents from time to time what they DONT like about their parcel, it always amazes me that USUALLY what they HATE is very easily fixed

No I do not advertise, I do hold a party from time to time ( RARE ) and I donated a 8192 parcel to an awesome university but as I said earlier, You need to take care of your residents and then they will take care of you.
I hope this helps

Sara
Beebo Brink
Uppity Alt
Join date: 12 Jan 2007
Posts: 574
03-26-2007 09:19
From: Curtis Conacher
Therefore, work out an advertising budget and post the most expensive adverts you can reasonably afford.

Does that work for you? It didn't for me.

If your "most expensive" ad gets you near the top of the page, that obviously seems to work. But if your marketing budget only gets you to the middle of the page, that's probably the worst option. Or at least, that was my experience.

I started a new business (just about two months ago), and my first classified ads were at the L$50 minimum because that was all I could bring myself to spend in the face of all my other overhead. I was heartened by a steady stream of traffic and moderate sales, so I then upped my classifieds to L$200.

Wrong move! My traffic died, as did my sales.

So, rather disheartened, thinking my business had run its course in just a few weeks and exhausted the pitifully small supply of residents interested in my new product, I dropped back to the L$50 ad.

Traffic jumped back up and sales increased to an even higher level than before.

So now, as my business expands, I'm planning a series of L$50 ads for different product segments rather than trying to buy ever more expensive ads.

I'd be very interested in hearing how other store owners deal with classified ad marketing.
Colette Meiji
Registered User
Join date: 25 Mar 2005
Posts: 15,556
03-26-2007 09:25
From: Beebo Brink
Does that work for you? It didn't for me.

If your "most expensive" ad gets you near the top of the page, that obviously seems to work. But if your marketing budget only gets you to the middle of the page, that's probably the worst option. Or at least, that was my experience.

I started a new business (just about two months ago), and my first classified ads were at the L$50 minimum because that was all I could bring myself to spend in the face of all my other overhead. I was heartened by a steady stream of traffic and moderate sales, so I then upped my classifieds to L$200.

Wrong move! My traffic died, as did my sales.

So, rather disheartened, thinking my business had run its course in just a few weeks and exhausted the pitifully small supply of residents interested in my new product, I dropped back to the L$50 ad.

Traffic jumped back up and sales increased to an even higher level than before.

So now, as my business expands, I'm planning a series of L$50 ads for different product segments rather than trying to buy ever more expensive ads.

I'd be very interested in hearing how other store owners deal with classified ad marketing.



Very interesting and it makes sense - im gonna start a couple of $50L ads to supliment my 1700 one!

Thank you.
Ace Albion
Registered User
Join date: 21 Oct 2005
Posts: 866
03-27-2007 02:21
I have one classified ad, but I think most of the visits to the store are from people who saw our stuff out in the world. I do get clicks on my classified (it's a 2500 one). I might make a 50L one for giggles and see how it compares.
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Daisy Rimbaud
Registered User
Join date: 12 Oct 2006
Posts: 764
03-27-2007 03:00
I have one L$50 ad, which shows up mostly if you actually search for the company name.

But I know I get a lot of traffic from word-of-mouth, because people tell me they hear conversations of people asking each other where they can buy my stuff. And from people seeing it in world.
SuezanneC Baskerville
Forums Rock!
Join date: 22 Dec 2003
Posts: 14,229
03-27-2007 05:37
I know of one person that got all sorts of free stuff from product makers - all sorts of cars and avatars and such - and this person was a living advertisement for the people's stuff. They didn't have to run around talking about their free stuff, they just used it and wore it and people would ask where it came from or check the properties to find out who made it. So, maybe giving out some free things might be a worthwhile thing to try.

Can't hurt to advertise in all the resident sites that offer free ads. Might not help that much, but the price is right.

Another way to get your name and what you have to offer visible is to create a forum signature with descriptions and links to inworld locations. Then check the forums for questions you can answer. You get your name and offerings seen and associated with being a helpful person.

The About section in your inworld profile is empty - that's free advertising space.

Hanging out in places where avatars and participating in the chat is more likely to bring attention to your wares than being off by yourself and being silent.
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So long to these forums, the vBulletin forums that used to be at forums.secondlife.com. I will miss them.

I can be found on the web by searching for "SuezanneC Baskerville", or go to

http://www.google.com/profiles/suezanne

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Members: Ben, Catherine, Colin, Cory, Dan, Doug, Jim, Philip, Phoenix, Richard,
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Zoha Boa
Registered User
Join date: 12 Mar 2007
Posts: 2,893
03-27-2007 05:50
Thanks for the answers/hints.
I have put in some information about myself in my about box.

I pay for the moment 75l$ for my classified add? How can I change this into 50 ?
Shep Korvin
The Lucky Chair Guy
Join date: 30 Jun 2005
Posts: 305
03-27-2007 05:52
Install a lucky chair.

(I may be biased.)

((but seriously... they work!))
Zoha Boa
Registered User
Join date: 12 Mar 2007
Posts: 2,893
03-27-2007 05:55
Do they ? Does it work ?
How doest it work ?

I hate them ?
The same with campers ?
Zaphod Kotobide
zOMGWTFPME!
Join date: 19 Oct 2006
Posts: 2,087
03-27-2007 05:58
Bingo. It accomplishes two things - exposure, and presence. Exposure, seeing a product I like, wondering where to get it, check the properties. Presence, the appearance that this is an established, popular product. It's helpful to have friends who own/run popular places where your product would "fit".. give them a few items to toss around.

From: SuezanneC Baskerville
So, maybe giving out some free things might be a worthwhile thing to try.
Zaphod Kotobide
zOMGWTFPME!
Join date: 19 Oct 2006
Posts: 2,087
03-27-2007 06:01
Lucky chairs and camping chairs are not the same thing. There is a whole contingent of "shoppers" out there who prefer establishments with lucky chairs, which are simply scripted chairs that randomly give out free stuff or money. They are definately a draw. They are definately not in any way camping chairs.

From: Zoha Boa
Do they ? Does it work ?
How doest it work ?

I hate them ?
The same with campers ?
Zoha Boa
Registered User
Join date: 12 Mar 2007
Posts: 2,893
03-27-2007 06:06
From: Zaphod Kotobide
Lucky chairs and camping chairs are not the same thing. There is a whole contingent of "shoppers" out there who prefer establishments with lucky chairs, which are simply scripted chairs that randomly give out free stuff or money. They are definately a draw. They are definately not in any way camping chairs.


Where can i find a "good" lucky chair script ?
How offen do they give a prize ?
I have seen them before: lucky number is D, F, ....
Is this number random or do they generate every minit or so a number ?


I have never seen one with the letter Z (my firstname letter)
_____________________
ZoHa Islands: SL Real Estate Management since 2007
Looking for land ? You will find it @ ZoHa Islands !

Orange Beach Mall: 50 000 sqm shopping fun



http://slurl.com/secondlife/ZoHa%20Islands/222/227/27
website: http://www.ZoHa-Islands.com
Shep Korvin
The Lucky Chair Guy
Join date: 30 Jun 2005
Posts: 305
03-27-2007 06:21
From: Zoha Boa
Where can i find a "good" lucky chair script ?
How offen do they give a prize ?
I have seen them before: lucky number is D, F, ....
Is this number random or do they generate every minit or so a number ?


My Lucky Chairs (the original and best!) are sold at a place called Lucky Designs, in the November Sim. When an appropriately-named user sits on the chair, the prize is issued and the letter changes.... or - if nothing is claimed - the letter will time out after an owner-specified period, and a new letter is selected randomly. If somebody is particularly keen to get a prize from a chair, you'll find they start inviting other chair hoppers to try to bump the chair to the next letter... and in that sense, the chairs work as a pretty powerful viral advert. There are large teams of people devoted to tracking down the chairs + trading letters ... some of the biggest groups (e.g. "Jennifer World Crew" and "Super Awesome Lucky Chair Wow";) have thousands of members.

The letters are generated randomly, A-Z, with no weighting.

If you'd like an opinion from other chair owners before buying, try joining the "Lucky Designs" group in-world. Lots of satisfied users there, happy to share marketing tips :)
Zaphod Kotobide
zOMGWTFPME!
Join date: 19 Oct 2006
Posts: 2,087
03-27-2007 06:24
Look up a place in-world called "Lucky Designs". The place you're after will be owned by one Shep Korvin.

From: Zoha Boa
Where can i find a "good" lucky chair script?
Gillian Waldman
Buttercup
Join date: 1 Oct 2006
Posts: 697
03-27-2007 06:53
I love Lucky Chairs but I cannot imagine shopping somewhere because of a lucky chair (??). Perhaps I have missed the point about how Lucky Chairs help business. Anyway, if you sell clothes, shoes or hair, you can join the Fashion Consolidated group and send out notices that way. I will also say that giving out free gifts help build a loyal customer base - provided your work is good.

Question - are you a reseller or are you an original creator?

I may have to go back and read more carefully ;)
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Zaphod Kotobide
zOMGWTFPME!
Join date: 19 Oct 2006
Posts: 2,087
03-27-2007 07:03
I think the underscored part of your post explains how lucky chairs benefit the establishment. You can load them with free copies of your product, which they will randomly give away.

From: Gillian Waldman
I love Lucky Chairs but I cannot imagine shopping somewhere because of a lucky chair (??). Perhaps I have missed the point about how Lucky Chairs help business. Anyway, if you sell clothes, shoes or hair, you can join the Fashion Consolidated group and send out notices that way. I will also say that giving out free gifts help build a loyal customer base - provided your work is good.

Question - are you a reseller or are you an original creator?

I may have to go back and read more carefully ;)
Gillian Waldman
Buttercup
Join date: 1 Oct 2006
Posts: 697
03-27-2007 07:07
Yep. You're right :D. But I don't find businesses because they have Lucky Chairs. Though you're right, if I happen to be at a store and I get something for free and I like it, I will be a customer again.
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Zoha Boa
Registered User
Join date: 12 Mar 2007
Posts: 2,893
03-27-2007 07:13
From: Gillian Waldman

Question - are you a reseller or are you an original creator?

I'm a reseller but for +/- 100 items I have bought full rights (I can make copies and give them away.)
So, how many times per day I can give a T-shirt away
Is a T-shirt enough to give away ?
Maybe I can give a t-shirt away with the name of my shop:
"I got this stupid T-shirt at "ZoHa Plaza"'. Everyone who's wearing it is making publicity.

But will I have more paying customers with a lucky chair or will I have more visitors to the store that finaly nothing sell ?
_____________________
ZoHa Islands: SL Real Estate Management since 2007
Looking for land ? You will find it @ ZoHa Islands !

Orange Beach Mall: 50 000 sqm shopping fun



http://slurl.com/secondlife/ZoHa%20Islands/222/227/27
website: http://www.ZoHa-Islands.com
Zaphod Kotobide
zOMGWTFPME!
Join date: 19 Oct 2006
Posts: 2,087
03-27-2007 07:16
That depends entirely on the quality of your product, and how competitively it's priced. Also, I'm a bit concerned - be very careful that you're not reselling known "freebies".. this is a no-no.

From: Zoha Boa
But will I have more paying customers with a lucky chair or will I have more visitors to the store that finaly nothing sell ?
Annabelle Vandeverre
Heading back to Real Life
Join date: 30 Nov 2006
Posts: 609
03-27-2007 07:45
From: Zoha Boa
I'm a reseller but for +/- 100 items I have bought full rights (I can make copies and give them away.)
So, how many times per day I can give a T-shirt away
Is a T-shirt enough to give away ?
Maybe I can give a t-shirt away with the name of my shop:
"I got this stupid T-shirt at "ZoHa Plaza"'. Everyone who's wearing it is making publicity.

But will I have more paying customers with a lucky chair or will I have more visitors to the store that finaly nothing sell ?


If there are a ton of other stores with resell rights for the same things you are reselling, that might be part of the problem. If I go somewhere and immediately see the same things I see everywhere else, I take off for greener pastures. Also if this is the case, make sure your prices are competitive.

Give lots of stuff away and put in your classifieds that you have free stuff available - and find good freebies to give away, so people remember where they got that cool free thing and tell their friends about it. It's a pain in the butt to sort through all the freebies out there - but you'll earn customer good will by giving them nice things.

Making original items to give away is a good idea too - a t-shirt is a good start. I like finding lucky chairs when I'm out shopping - gives me a chance to try someone's products and then I'm more likely to buy something.
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I am returning to my real life for personal reasons this summer. My store, $50 or less @ Annabelle's Garden and Home Decor, is now closed. Thank you to my customers for making my store successful in the short time I've been here. Get this before the bots do: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Nefrax/153/156/40
Zoha Boa
Registered User
Join date: 12 Mar 2007
Posts: 2,893
03-27-2007 07:47
From: Zaphod Kotobide
Look up a place in-world called "Lucky Designs". The place you're after will be owned by one Shep Korvin.

I have bought one. Shep Korvin has earned something thanks to the free publicity he had here.

This is the way that it works. 2 People recommend it.

I did not compared it (price/quality/possibilities/...) with other simular products (I even did not searched for it). I just bought Shep Korvin's product because you said it is a good product.
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ZoHa Islands: SL Real Estate Management since 2007
Looking for land ? You will find it @ ZoHa Islands !

Orange Beach Mall: 50 000 sqm shopping fun



http://slurl.com/secondlife/ZoHa%20Islands/222/227/27
website: http://www.ZoHa-Islands.com
tristan Eliot
Say What?!
Join date: 30 Oct 2005
Posts: 494
03-27-2007 07:50
I love shopping at places that give away free products to random shoppers and usually tell my friends to go. :)
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