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Market Your Business with the Private-label eCatalog from eMerchantClub
The latest release of the eMerchantClub Version 9 eCommerce website contains an important new tool for your marketing arsenal - the Private Label eCatalog.
The Private Label eCatalog allows you to download an entire eCatalog onto your computer in a few easy clicks. You can then copy the entire contents of the catalog to a CD, DVD, or USB flash drive drive. These options give you a lightweight, innovative and inexpensive way to distribute or show off your catalogs to potential shoppers. BACKGROUND The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) performed a study for the Cambridge Associates on the effectiveness of CD catalogs in the $120 billion catalog market. Here is what they found:
BENEFITS Shoppers can simply slide the CD into their home computers and browse your catalog at their leisure. If they are connected to the Internet while browsing, they can click on any item and link directly to your website, where they can purchase that item and continue shopping. You also have the convenience of carrying your product line everywhere you go by copying your catalogs to a portable USB flash drive. Slip the flash drive onto your keychain and you have the ability to show a potential shopper your catalog on any laptop or desktop computer, with or without an Internet connection. But the best part of the Private Label eCatalog feature is the ability to customize the downloaded catalog with your business information! This powerful new feature places significant marketing power into your hands. Used properly, you can now extend your business reach and branding capabilities in ways that rival the big companies, without the big company price tag. Every marketing strategy requires a solid understanding of something called the “Sales Funnel.” Picture a funnel, wide at the top and narrow at the bottom. At the top of the funnel we pour in all potential customers. These are referred to as “suspects,” because at this stage we don't know whether they are people who are truly interested in what we have to offer, and are ready, willing and able to make a purchase now. As these people progress through the Sales Funnel, they will either become non-interested visitors, prospects, or customers. A prospect is an individual who, by his/her actions, has demonstrated some interest in what you have to offer. You have to do everything you can to cultivate this person's interest. A customer is a prospect who has decided to pull out his wallet and make a purchase now.
To be successful with your new Private-label eCatalog, you will need to get it into the hands of both those people who already know you or have done business with you, and new people who have no knowledge of you or your business. However, the approach you take may be slightly different for each group of people. So, the first thing to do is to profile your customers. In other words, take inventory of the people you intend to do business with. Let's take a look at each group individually. Suspects These are people who haven't yet shown any interest in what your business has to offer. They may have seen you at a flea market, heard about you from a friend, neighbor or business associate, or have no idea who you are and what you do. An important part of every successful business is how they handle the area of lead generation. Lead generation is the process that introduces new people to your business. If you intend to be successful, you need to put a system in place to find these people and cultivate them. These are the people we are referring to as “suspects”. If you don't find a way to create a steady supply of leads, you don't have a business – you have a hobby! But, you need to do something bold that will capture their attention and convert them from suspects into prospects or customers. Here's one way to do that. Assemble a professional looking package that includes your eCatalog CD, a nicely printed certificate that says “Free $25 Gift Card Offer with Your Next Order”, and a “You Don't Know What You're Missing ‘til you shop at Business Name” flyer or brochure and distribute the package to these suspects. Prospects These people may have dropped off a business card at your flea market booth, requested a catalog in the past or indicated in some other way that they had an interest in the products you offer. Again, you can assemble a professional looking package that includes your eCatalog CD, a $10 gift card and a “Give Us a Chance to show you how happy you'll be to shop with us” flyer or brochure and distribute the package to your existing prospects. Existing Customers These people have done business with you in the past. Assuming their experience with you was a pleasant one and they are happy with their prior purchase, they should be highly open to making another purchase from you – provided you present them with an exciting offer. You see, it's all about building trust and an on-going relationship with your customers. The eCatalog CD gives you the opportunity to assemble a unique offer that is sure to grab their attention. For example, you can neatly and professionally package the CD along with a $25 or $50 gift card (depending on how much they've spent with you in the past) and a “Thank You for Your Business” handwritten note and distribute the package to your existing customers. Another important part of every successful business is setting up a referral system. This can be as simple as offering special incentives to your existing customers for introducing your company to people they know. See the Affiliates section below for some ideas. New Customers These people thought enough of your business and products to pull out their wallets and make a purchase. Besides making certain they receive solid customer service on their order, send out your eCatalog CD package a week after they receive their shipment. Besides the eCatalog CD, include a $10 gift card and a “Here's a Little Thank You for your recent order” handwritten note. Affiliates Here's an area of major opportunity that few members have taken advantage of in the past. By getting other people to sell for you, you increase your ability to spread the word about your business and put money in your pocket. The new eCatalog CD gives you the tools to develop your own sales force. eMerchantClub's eCatalog CD production software gives you the ability to generate a private branded CD catalog with your affiliate's ID automatically embedded in the catalog! This means, your affiliates (sales people) can now distribute a professional looking CD and track any sales made through that CD in the Affiliate Section of your website! How easy is that? Don't you think you can find people who would like to hand out these CDs for you and make some easy extra money, especially in this economy? Contact friends, relatives, and associates. And, how about your customers? Do you think any of them would like the idea of being able to cover the cost of their Christmas present purchases and even make some additional cash this holiday season by handing out your eCatalog CDs to the people they know? You can even setup CD catalog displays at local stores and offer to embed their affiliate IDs in the catalogs they display. They can even drop one of your CDs into their customers' shopping bags at the register. It doesn't cost them anything, there is no additional effort on their part and they can potentially add more revenue to their bottom line. How many businesses can you approach and set up this arrangement with? As you can see, the new eMerchantClub Catalog CD is a powerful tool that can help you take your business to the next level. This guide has given you some ideas to get you started. With a little creativity and perseverance, you're sure to come up with a great many ways to put it to use in your business. We have great tools which help you learn how to use this feature. View our video tutorial on downloading eCatalogs or read the online manual topic about eCatalogs to learn more. HOW TO GET THIS FEATURE If your site has not yet been upgraded to Version 9, please call us at (888) 806-2081 and we'll help you update your site with the latest features. As always, if you have any questions please contact Technical Support
Thank you, Your eMerchantClub Team |
