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The entire next summer we debated publishing my wife's
patterns as PDF guidebooks. We knew we could do it, but
worried about whether it was the right business strategy.
It felt like a huge gamble.
Would we be creating an army of competitors all using her
patterns to undermine her auction prices?
Would other people take her work and go further than
we'd been able to up to that point?
Finally that fall we decided to trust Jim's advice, and go
digital.
That month we set up a new site,
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www.libertyjanepatterns.com, published a few patterns as
PDF guidebooks, offered some for free, and ended the
month having sold 11. It was the start of a new product
category for us that had one huge benefit, it was easily
scaleable.
Within six months, our pattern guidebooks category was
making as much as our eBay auctions ever had, and the
decision to offer digital products had proven to be a no-
brainer. None of our fears materialized, and we've
discovered more benefits than we could have imagined.
Today we are adding over 100 people per week to our
newsletter list, and last month we had over 2,200 patterns
downloaded. We have over 2,500 YouTube subscribers,
and over 2,600 Facebook fans. Our business model today
includes multiple digital products, downloads and coaching
courses.
By allowing other seamstresses to use our patterns for
sew-from-home businesses for free (we call them
partners), we've actually created an interesting secondary
market that hasn't diminished the value of our original
outfits  instead it's actually enhanced them. In the near
future we are working to overhaul our websites to
accommodate the continued growth, and we're working on
publishing two exciting new books which we know will be a
hit with our customers.
Thanks for publishing the  Silent Sales Machine, Jim!
----
Update to the story:
Jason and Cinnamon Miles (they are the ones who sent me
the above letter) have now gone on to have tremendous
success in the  self publishing arena with their original
books on not only doll related topics, but also social media
and online marketing! I also partnered with them to
create my first ever  self-publishing course available at
ProvenSelfPublishing.com
As eBay has matured as a marketplace, it has gotten more difficult to
attract a niche audience there, but it can still be done! To stay up to
date on the latest trends in using eBay and Amazon as a creative tool
for expanding your audience, visit this blog post and contribute you
ideas and observations:
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http://www.jimcockrum.com/blog/2014/01/31/using-ebay-and-
amazon-to-generate-leads-grow-your-audience/
Hot tip: Grow email lists in multiple niche markets using
ONE eBay account.
I created a YouTube video that shows you step by step
how to grow multiple mailings lists automatically on eBay
by inviting each of your eBay buyers to get on an email
mailing list based on the product they purchased. Watch
the video here:
http://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=FM165MxO9hc
Examples of how this could work for you:
- If you sell guitar picks on eBay, you can quickly grow an
email list of people who play guitar.
- If you sell dog treats on eBay, you can grow an audience
of dog lovers.
- If you sell any low ticket, impulse buy item that is
purchased by enthusiasts of any niche, you can grow a
great email list in any or all of those niche markets using
the simple strategy in the above video.
Depending on the niche you are in, you could actually
LOSE money on each eBay sale, but build an incredible list
of customers for repeat and future purchases!
General eBay Tips to Maximize Exposure and Profits
Regardless of Your Business Approach to eBay
When it comes to maximizing eBay profits, the basic principles are that
the more TARGETED visitors who see your item for sale, and the better
deal you are able to get on your inventory when sourcing it, the more
likely you are to make a nice profit on the item.
Here are some facts to keep in mind to maximize your profits on eBay:
1. HARDLY ANY EBAY VISITORS SEARCH USING AUCTION
DESCRIPTIONS!
Some eBay visitors do advanced searches on eBay and look at the
detailed descriptions, of course - but the vast majority still use TITLE
SEARCH ONLY.
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(One exception: The more obscure the item you're selling, the more
likely it is people will search in titles AND descriptions.)
Knowing this, it is very important that you spend the time to write a [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]