Terrific post, David - Thanks so much for sharing such in-the-trenches pro experience. Great grist for the mill.
On Dec 30, 2013, at 1:20 PM, David wrote: > Hi All > > It's been a few days since this topic was posted and I have been humbled by > some of the kind words said about me and the work I have done, so thanks to > those people sincerely. As most people who know me will attest, I am almost > always happy to offer free advice about this sort of thing (off camera as it > were), even give a website the 'once over' if asked. Having read the replies > over the last few days I would say I agree with some comments, some I do not. > So here's a few notes I jotted down.... > > One thing I have found over the last 20 years of doing this sort of thing is > almost always your opinion is your DIY website is pretty much just as good as > a professional website...ummmm, nope. > > Now, that is not to say you shouldn't have a go at building a website > yourself, absolutely, give it a go, and don't get me wrong, some do achieve > amazing result too. Building your own website is fun and of course there is a > sense of achievement when it's completed too! Even better, the most wonderful > thing about building your own website is that no matter how dysfunctional it > is as a website or how ugly it really is a design (in a medium where design > absolutely matters), almost all of your friends, all your relatives and even > all co-forum members, will all be extremely complimentary about it, because > everyone knows you spent all that time putting it together, they know how > proud you are of it (because you did it yourself) and as a result no one > wants to tell you your website looks like something the cat dragged in... Works the same for new babies, too! > > So, did build your website for the compliments or for the income it will > bring? > For most people a website is not a 'bit of fun', it's a proper business (at > some level), if there is an expectation of a commercial outcome then treat it > so. > Your 'front page' has about 15 seconds to make an impact on the surfer when > they arrive on your website, I don't care how good the product is, if your > site looks amateurish and 'home-made' then a large portion will leave and > take their wallet with them. That's reality. Thanks so much for this - it is easy for this to get lost. > Collecting movie posters is a hobby, buying them involves more than just > emotion, it involves the wallet, please treat you potential client > professionally. It's not just about how nice you are in email or how well you > pack their posters. > Biggest tip I give DIYers ALL THE TIME - don't clutter your front page with > all that damn writing! Why the first page is so complicated is beyond reason, > if the surfer really wants to know more they will find the information via > the menu; the average webizen is very clued up on how to surf a website, > yours is not the first one they have been to so there is no need to shove all > the info on the first page. The best thing about this hobby is that > we are selling pictures and yes, a picture is worth (you know the rest)... > telling them who you are, where you are based, what you are selling, how to > use the website, how long you've been in the hobby, the name of your dog, the > colour of your socks and so on....ZZZzzzzzzz, unlike your friends, your > relatives and fellow forum members, Joe-Average buyer does NOT care! If you > are a webshop then remove the clutter and start selling on the first page! > If you use eBay then I agree with others (and as I have said so for a long > time), have a back-up plan. Why not have a commercial website to run > alongside the eBay one - you've got the database of clients who are happy > with what they bought off you, point them at your other website for other > purchases. > Free websites: hmmm...so, you want a professional looking shop, you want to > spend about an hour or so building it, you want to spend almost no money > outfitting it, you want to spend no money marketing it, you want to put up > pictures of the items you are selling taken with your phone-camera on the > floor of your dining room, you want to get a lot of traffic, oh and everyday > you expect lots of orders because you want to make money hand over fist > immediately because your friends said it would go well - yep, that how it > works in bricks and mortar business too... > If you sell items on your own website but do so by the old "send me an email > with what you want, then I will send you a bill, then you pay, then I will > wait for the money to clear etc..." OMG - if you cannot achieve two clicks to > purchase then you are losing business. > I note the question about meeting the web designer designer. Why is it you > don't care about selling internationally but care so much about designing > locally, you expect your clients to trust you without meeting you but...? > SEO - Search Engine Optimisation. Ahhhhh - here's a secret...if you build it > they will NOT come. You really have to understand what you are doing, and it > takes quite a while. If Google themselves say you CANNOT be guaranteed a top > spot in search results (excluding paid ads), then why believe any of those > SEO companies that say they can achieve it? Bottom line, search results are > driven by your website content and it's a hard job to get the content right, > it's not learnt in 5 minutes and if you don't know what you are doing then > good luck: > Type vintage poster restoration into Google - (fingers crossed on the results > as I haven't checked in a while) hopefully, you will find > www.vintagemovieart.ca in the results on that first page (whether it is > google.com, google.co.uk, google.com.au or even google.ca), when I built > Dario's website he didn't feature in the first 30 pages of the international > search results, what was worse on Google Canada he didn't feature in the > first 10 pages (and he lives there)! It took almost four months to start > getting decent results, now as the result of his talent when combined into > his website a bit better his site ranks well. He now gets as many people > visiting his website in one year as he did in the 10 years he had from his > old 'home-made' website. > "Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day, teach a man to fish and he will > sit in a boat drinking beer all day" Sure you can learn SEO, understanding it > to then make it work for you is the hardest part. > Social media - ignore it at your peril. At the very least you should have a > Facebook page running in conjunction with your website, just because you > don't understand about FB (or care about it) doesn't actually mean your > clients do - 'nuff said. > Remember that old bumper sticker, "Ass, grass or gas - nobody rides for > free". Having a business website is hard work, don't expect to set it and > forget it and then watch the orders and money to come flowing... > These are just my thoughts, some will agree, some will not, either way you're > a grown up and you get to make the final call on what you do...so good luck > David Rew > > > > Alan Adler did previously state on 29/12/2013 4:49 AM: >> Dear Mopos with Websites - >> >> Have been thinking of following Bruce's advice and creating my own off-Ebay >> website to sell (not auction) posters and goodies. >> >> >> How do you mo-pros who sell on your own sites enjoy that digital venue vs. >> the old Ebay paradigm? >> >> Is it more difficult technically (man hours) to use your own site or costly >> to keep running than you thought it would be? >> >> How do you drive eyeballs - Is it tough getting visitors? >> >> Do you sell on Ebay and your own site - or strictly your own site? >> >> What do you suggest be included or avoided when building a site? >> >> Any big surprises or epiphanies you've had in the process of building and >> running your website that you'd be willing to share? >> >> >> Hope some folks find this a stimulating thread. >> Thanks in advance for your time. >> >> Alan Adler >> Museum of Mom and Pop Culture >> >> Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com >> ___________________________________________________________________ >> How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List >> >> Send a message addressed to: lists...@listserv.american.edu >> In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L >> >> The author of this message is solely responsible for its content. > > Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com > ___________________________________________________________________ > How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List > Send a message addressed to: lists...@listserv.american.edu > In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L > The author of this message is solely responsible for its content. > MUSEUM GIFT SHOP: http://stores.ebay.com/Museum-Store-Gifts ALAN J. ADLER INTERVIEW: http://ephemera.typepad.com/ephemera/2009/09/movie-poster-collector-alan-j-adler-interview.html Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com ___________________________________________________________________ How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List Send a message addressed to: lists...@listserv.american.edu In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content.
