Advice on Sales!!

Probably a gif ani file like this. I made this in photoshop,then image ready.
just 2 pics but you can use more.

Thanks - havent a clue but will look into.

Link to original blog post: https://blogs.secondlife.com/community/commerce/blog/2009/09/30/trick-or-treat-its-time-for-halloween-promotion
0 Trick Or Treat! It's time for Halloween Promotion!

Posted by Pink Linden on Sep 30, 2009 Hello all,

Halloween is around the corner. Shoppers are now hunting for that perfect costume and those scary party decorations. For our merchants, it is time to create some new Halloween merchandise and get involved in our Halloween Promotion.

New Halloween Categories--Check out *all* the Halloween Goods Here!
We've also added 8 new sub-categories to our Halloween section to make the shopping that much easier and more fun. Here they are:

•Apparel, Costumes and Avatars
•Decorations
•Furniture and Architecture
•Gestures
•Other
•Scripts
•Sounds
•Textures

Merchants, please place your new Halloween items in one of these 8 Halloween sub-catetories. Also, if you have listings in the Halloween base category itself, please take time this week to move those listings to the appropriate sub-categories. We'll be clearing out the Halloween base category next week, so if you haven't moved your listings to the sub-categories by then, we will move them for you.

Halloween Spotlight Promotion

In September we launched our Fall Fashion Lookbook. We got compliments on the quality and a lot of appreciation for our devotion to help grow the marketplace. We also heard from our merchants that we should have had an open submission process. So, we've taken your feedback and we're trying something new for Halloween. We're going to create an experience similar to the Fall Fashion Lookbook, but for Halloween related goods-- and we're opening the submission process to all merchants.
Any merchant wishing to participate can submit up to 10 Xstreet SL Halloween listings.

(here's the link for submission: http://bit.ly/dbDOL)

The "Dead"line is Noon SLT Wednesday, October 7th. We'll even be doing an adult and non-adult Halloween Spotlight, so our merchants selling adult goods can also participate. (We know Halloween has special significance in a number of adult communities ). We'll be reviewing all of the listings submitted that follow the criteria listed on the submission page, and we'll select a variety of merchants and merchandise to spotlight those items that represent the high quality of goods that we're so proud to have in Second Life. Don't forget that presentation matters! Please review the specifications for listings in the submission form and then send us your best listings with your best descriptions and listings.

We can't wait to see all the BOO...tiful Halloween Listings.

As always we wish you all only treats in your Halloween candy bags.

Pink

PS don't forget about us Tinies! We need costumes too!

At this point, most of my sales come from XStreet, at least one a day if not several. I gave up my main shop due to becoming ill, so am back to my Primal Art location. I have not being doing any advertising/promotions whatsoever and still sell a few things from the shop as well weekly.

I'm not heavy into my store atm, so haven't paid any attention to all the different items above (dashboards, paying for extra ad exposure, etc.).

Due to my being in a "holding pattern" regarding my store, I'm surprised I make any sales at all, so what I did in the past must have had some word of mouth or repeat sales, or people finding my items on XStreet then buying in world.

I'm happy and way less stressed, so for me, XStreet *is* my main advertising and I have been happy with it.

Well as I stated in my last update, XStreet does work for me. Traffic is average around 60, with peeks towards 100. Paying about 15K per month for 5 featured items, pays off, but that is only true because the animation packs are pretty expensive. If I sell one of the most expensive boxes at 18K, that month is already covered.

In my opinion it is great for brand recognition, but hardly pays of in sales if you have a cheaper range of items. In general I would think it gets interesting for items from 900 up. But forking over 12K for 4 homepage ads in a month, does give you exposure, and that is worth something. It would be nie though if we could easily record the TP's to the store, from XStreet. That way you also can see how many in-world sales are XStreet related, which is especially important in my line of business. How many people buy furniture or animations without testing?

Not XStreet related: I bought the nicest main store building evah!!! Well, I did it on XStreet though with a footprint of 120x120 it is huge, and very open so people can find their way. Will post an invitation as soon as the new location opens

bleh at the lookbook I only usually do one seasonal item, and its a freebie which means that it isn't gonna go on XSSL (if they want my halloween gift, they need to walk IN to my store)

Guys- was talking inworld today on the Biz Network group- if these forums poof we will lose a lot of this content..- I have not been in here much lately other than to post new products and the occasional drive by- am making a little corner for my self at www.secondcitizen.net- i want to ask u guys to consider popping in and contributing to this same sort of thread over there- i am going to create one and hope folks can drop their two cents worth there - SC has the advantage that is actually modded. I will tell u right now, it is not as pg as u see here - Skell, if u r reading this- i wd like ur permission to link in ur page where u had posted the highlights of this thread about a year ago- let me know 'cause i wont do it unless u approve- so- i have not started it yet- will work on tomorrow but wanted to let u guys know.

Great idea, Amar! It would definitely be a shame to say the least to lose all the great info in this thread.

Good to know there is another SL forum available that is modded. I'll have to check it out.

There are a few forums available, Czari- SecondLife Universe is great too and the slapt.me one i have read good things about though i have not been there.

*waves to Amara*

Just to let everyone know that there'll be another BO-Xchange update coming soon. I know not everyone has group notices turned on in-world.
I plan to release it on or around 1st November as it was suggested that some might like to make Christmas ads.
So if anyone has any updates (LMs or ads) they'd like included send them in the usual "BO-Xchange - Your Name" folder. Full perms too of course. Will be needing these asap, to add them in time for the release

Just to let you all know that the BO-Xchange is currently up-to-date and ready for release next Sunday, 1st November.

If anyone else would like to add or update any ads and LMs, then please send them to me asap so I can include them in next Sundays update.

Sent off my update

I have a Freebie Ring, a Lucky Chair and just bought a Midnight Mania. I had a great response yesterday and today with the MM board- then Ralektra mentioned some folks game them in the sense they dont put anything goodand just use them to generate traffic. while I believe we can all agree real traffic is a good thing, I am of the contention I don't really care for traffic with out a chance at actual sales. I have managed to garner sales from the MM folks and those that hit the board do have a chance to win a real prize.



I might add that as I have stated often, I find the over abundance of Freebies to hurt more than help business owners so do not do more than ONE or TWO Dollarbies in the entire store and do not update that at all- it is the same freebies as I offered when the store opened. I see them as samples and nothing more - if folks like my stuff, they can shop, if not- they can go get some more freebies elsewhere -

So- What are you using in your stores and what results do you see?

crap I had a response half posted and I hit a wrong key or something and it went away lol.

I have a Lucky Board, I don't advertise it but from time to time I will come in and find 6 or 8 people waiting around for their letter to come up which is kind of cool. Bored people cam around and maybe shop

I have 2 MM boards which I loved when I got them, I could call something and lots of people would come in, and some would shop. I haven't even bothered to call my boards in a month or so though, because of the huge amount of spam-for-traffic issues going on with them now. As I said in another thread earlier, I actually dropped 3 MM groups this week. I kept one (this group has a rule that stuff in MMs can only be stuff created by the MM board owner and they check too) and since I have dropped all those spammy ones I might start to call my boards again from time to time.

Whenever I do a new release, I offer a gift with it. This gift almost always consists of a small part of my new release in a special color, etc. This serves three purposes...it allows people to try on enough of the release to get a pretty good feel for how well made the release is (sort of like a demo but it doesn't say DEMO all over it), it allows me to post the release in the two major freebie search groups (you can post a new release but you must also be posting a free/dollar-bie as well), and it gets me onto the freebie blogs. Now I know all the arguments about how people who come in for freebies aren't people who shop but I don't need them all to shop. If just a few of them shop, I'm happy.

Here is an example: I had a new release today. It was of an outfit that consisted of several parts. Separately I boxed up the top in a color that is not for sale, and offered it as a sample. It cost me $20L for uploads ($10L was for the box it is in) and about 5 minutes of my time. Probably as of right now, wait I'll go count: ok I have had about 100 people take the freebie, and I have had 20 sales. So far I have sent my release notice out to 2 freebie groups and 1 consumer group (I space them out thru the day).

ah that's another one by the way. Fashcon, Fashions-R-Us, Sexy Shoppers, Quality Coture, and Cheep Peeps (I don't think I forgot any that I use). When I do a new release, all of these consumer groups get a notice. I also post it on my blog which probably no one looks at lol

edit: make that 17 sales, I just noticed 3 were in a mall.

Thanks Ralektra- I had not heard of Quality Couture- I willlook them up - Waht's the board for MM's that makes sure it isn't spam? I would prefer that one I am sure - TIA.

dropped you a notecard in world, the MM group isn't open enrollment so you will have to contact the group owner or manager but it's worth it

Thanks - got it and sent off request

This is one of my issues with the 25 group limit.

If I knew what I know now I would have one avatar strictly for the business and another avatar for social and other interests. That way there would be room for all the various business groups for the business avatar.

I have established my identity in SL with my main "Czari" avatar and only use my alts to hold copies of items, some of my money, etc. To try to separate business from my other interests now after over 2 years would involve a lot of time, confusion amongst friends, and lose whatever brand recognition I have established. There are soooo many groups, both business, educational, and other interests I would love to join but am maxed out.

Since my business is very small and my SL interests are going in other directions now, I just kept three business groups: Cheap Peeps, Homestyle Consolidated and Free*Style~Home and Gardens as well as my own *Czari's Attic* group.

(While I've been writing this, inspiration struck - there's at least one and probably a couple groups I could leave and have my alt join and receive the info I need from there.)

I'll be releasing the latest version of the BO-Xchange on Sunday. This is your last chance to add or update LMs and ads. I will release it around 9 to 10am SLT on Sunday, so I'm allowing up to 24 hours from now for any last minute updates.

Great minds etc...

While chasing down advert groups last night and running into the 25 cap- I realized I have an alt perfect for this very thing- I have an alt named Talonfaire - how perfect is that? So she will be taking care of advertising for me I think -

I just sent out the latest BO-Xchange v1.21 via the Biz Owner group.
Please replace your old ones as soon as you get the opportunity.

Cheers

Prawny thank you so much for all your hard work on this, I want you to know that it is appreciated! My new box is up and workin fine

No probs at all. Glad to be able to do it

Hey there all

I have now read the entire thread and i feel like i know you all You seem like such a great bunch of people and what i find amazing is that this thread has never gone off topic and has never degenerated into a flame war )

Anyway im a budding builder of prefab houses and have also decided to try and make furniture as well. Im not ready to open a store yet but when i do i will probably purchase a 512 plot because i have premium.

Anyway i will be using al the promotional ideas i have read about here and ive taken a list of them all and added them to my hard drive.

Just a couple of questions. Is it as competitive on the prefabs market as it is on the clothing market? And do alot of these promotional ideas apply to housing and furniture as welll?

Also i want to be able to add poseballs to my furniture spas pool. However ifind that if i purchase poseballs they are not full perms. Is ther a place where i can buy full perm poseballs?

Anyway im getting into this biz lark because it satisfs me immensely to create something.
Anyway any advice from you peeps would be wonderful...esp if you own a furniture store and a prefab store.

Anyway this is a good bump i hope
Thankyou kindly in advance for your answers or advice )

Anni