eBay and MySpace Exchange Numbers - Water Futures on eBay? - Hitwise Reports on Google Base and Checkout - Free Web Stores on ZLio - Internet Brochures - Maggie the Lottery Dog
The Wall Street Journal reports that eBay and MySpace are in discussions regarding a possible partnership. The idea is to let MySpace users buy and sell items from each other using eBay’s online-commerce technology and its PayPal payment system.
Meanwhile, CitiGroup meets with eBay officials and comes away with a targeted list of goals that eBay will focus on in ‘07…is it any surprise that “enhancing revenues per listing” will be a key goal?
An Australian economist suggests that selling water on eBay might be a way to bring market forces into play to help control water supply during Australia’s record drought….Marx,Keynes,Samuelson and now Megisian Economics.
According to HitWise, Google Base’s market share of visits has declined by some 18% from last July. Google Checkout’s market share was up over 350%, due to heavy promotion but still has not made any significant inroads into PayPal.
A free web based tool where you can check your web page (or eBay store) for keyword competitiveness vs. the top 10 sites for that keyword or phrase on the internet.
A French site,Zlio, launches its US counterpart where you can choose from a catalogue of thousands of products and arrange your own shop, collecting affiliate fees from the service.
A well designed site that lets you create your own online magazines, fanzines, brochures, catalogs, portfolios and more. Using the formatpixel online editor you can design page based projects, layout text, upload your own images, add interactivity and customize their appearance.
PayPal actually has an on-line forum…shiver me chargebacks!…I never knew! Perhaps a better way to deal with those convoluted PayPal problems.
One of my favorite tools is CCleaner (Crap Cleaner) a freeware system optimization and privacy tool. It removes unused and temporary files from your system - allowing Windows to run faster, more efficiently and giving you more hard disk space. The best part is that it’s fast! (normally taking less that a second to run) and Free.
I examine a missed opportunity for a lovable chocolate Lab (Maggie, pictured above) whose owners touted her lottery picking skills via an eBay auction. Too bad they didn’t take a page from my Power Press Press Release Book and really take advantage of the publicity Maggie so richly deserves.
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Links From this week’s show:
Power Press Web Site Marketing Strategy - Write press releases that will drive traffic and buyers to your website or auction. Normally $37.97, you can receive $10 Off ($27.97) by entering “lonelyboy†(omit the †“) in the Promo Code box.
e-Junkie - The best digital download manager available. Enter code: “SELL101″ for a one month’s free service.
GoDaddy Discount - Get $96 in Free Extras with your domain name from GoDaddy.com. Each domain includes free hosting with a Web site builder, a free Blog, Complete Email and much more. Enter code “pod54″ and get 10% off your order.
eBay/MySpace Talk Partnership - A million here, a million there…pretty soon we’re talking a real crowd.
CitiGroup Report on eBay’s ‘07 Goals - Revenue Enhancement.
Australian Economist Says Sell Water on eBay - The Perfect Storm?
Google Base and Google Checkout Traffic Analysis - Don’t you just hate it when a monopolist can’t get its act together?
WeBuildPages Keyword Analysis Tool - A free web based tool where you can check your web page (or eBay store) for keyword competitiveness vs. the top 10 sites for that keyword or phrase on the internet.
ZLio - Site where you can easily and quickly set-up an internet store and share in the resulting affiliate commissions from hundreds of internet sites (e.g. Amazon).
formatpixel - Create your own online brochure or featuring your products/descriptions to augment your auction listings.
Official PayPal Forum - Ask questions and share advice with other PayPal Merchants, experts and developers.
CCleaner - Excellent free download for keeping your computer nice and clean.
Maggie’s Personal Lottery Service - A very cute idea that could have used a lot more imagination.
Well, I’ve finally finished my edit of “The Power Press Web Site Marketing Strategy” and I’m happy to announce it’s finally ready.
Behavioral Marketing sounds Orwellian..and perhaps it is. In any case, by understanding your customers not only in terms of the product they are seeking but also in terms of how they search the web, you can effectively drive sales to your most profitable venue.