If you would like to see how easy it is to import to Facebook using the Netcarnation I did a quick video. You can view it on YouTube here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khMku-IjHxI&feature=player_profilepage
Since then, I’ve had several questions about the two applications and what the difference is. So, I thought I’d do a quick summary and comparison of each. That way you’ll have a better idea which product will work best for your needs.

First off – I want to tell you that I really like BOTH applications. I found both very simple to set up – and both companies provided easy to follow instructions. But, the two are like comparing apples to oranges.  In the interest of full disclosure, Navaneeth from Netcarnation contacted me and offered two free premium upgrades to give away as I wished. I really appreciate his generosity. ArtFire did not give me anything to try their product, except the offer to pay for a subscription – LOL.

That said here’s what I found out about the two applications.

Netcarnation:

If you have an eBay store and want to import the items to your FaceBook profile this is the application for you.  You copy the rss feed provided by eBay and paste it into the importing tool and Netcarnation pulls in your store and fixed priced listings.

Once you set up the store your products appear along the sidebar on your profile and info tabs. You’ll notice the buyer can click the tab to go directly to your Netcarnation store to find out more about your products.

Or they can click on a thumbnail to be taken directly to the product.

From there the buyer can click on the blue “Go To Product Page” to be taken to your eBay listing to purchase.

The Netcarnation store is simple to use, nicely laid out and fits into the FaceBook look and feel perfectly.

Cons: the big drawback to this application right now is that it is limited to only your FaceBook personal profile – NOT a Fan page.

Pros: Netcarnation offers this application for free. Test it out with ten of your products (you can choose which ten). If you find the service of value be sure to upgrade to the premium edition where you can showcase up to 1,000 products for only $10.00 a month.

Find all about the difference in services at: http://www.netcarnation.com/premium

If you are ready to try a Netcarnation store: setup your facebook profile (if you haven’t already done so) and go to http://apps.facebook.com/socialmarketplace/
And look for the ‘free setup”  link.

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ArtFire is a wonderful new site, much like Etsy. However, ArtFire actively helps sellers get their products listed on their own websites, blogs and now FaceBook without having to figure out complicated shopping cart software.

ArtFire recently added an ‘import from Etsy’ feature to make it easy for artisans to get their items over to ArtFire to take advantage of some of these great marketing features. The one we’re talking about here is the ArtFire Kiosk on FaceBook.

Once imported, your items have a tab called “ArtFire Kiosk”

When your buyers click on the tab they are treated to your products and your branding. With the ArtFire application your can upload your store logo.

From here the buyer can click onto a thumbnail photo and purchase directly from the FaceBook application.
The setup is simple and the interface again, matches the FaceBook look and feel.

Cons: The main one I have – is that I’m not a crafter or selling my art – and this application is meant specifically for the handmade group. So if you are an Etsy seller – ArtFire, yes.  eBay seller – ArtFire NO. There is no free trial of the Kiosk – if you want to use the application you must subscribe to the verified account for only$12.00 a month.

Pros:  The Kiosk will display on both the personal/profile page AND the Fan pages. The buyer can purchase directly from the FaceBook application without leaving facebook.

To sign-up or find out more about the ArtFire FaceBook Kiosk go to:
http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=help_guides&op=facebook_kiosk

Both of these applications will allow you to put your products onto FaceBook a site that is experiencing amazing growth. Having your products in front of your friends and fans is the essence of social marketing. I strongly recommend you try one of these great tools if you are selling online.

In a nutshell:
eBay sellers – use Netcarnation
eTsy sellers – use ArtFire

I used to think that a ‘keyword rich’ title simply meant stuffing as many keywords into a title as possible. If that meant a title was just a string of keywords instead of a statement, so be it. In my mind a title like: Canon Digital Camera with Camcorder & Memory Card would help shoppers on eBay find my item. However, as search terms become more valuable for finding what seekers are looking for, it’s important to understand how to use keywords in your title effectively.

Understanding who and where your customer is in the “buy cycle” can help you hone in on the correct keywords that will attract purchases (if that’s the purpose of your site – or listing). Your site might not be to attract a sale right away – in that case you’d want a different set of keywords. For instance, if you had a blog that you wanted to attract readers, not necessarily buyers, you might want to target the searcher who is in the research mode. Someone who is simply looking for more information will type in a different keyword string than someone who is ready to buy. The buyer knows specifically what they want and will type in more specific brand and model information, the researcher may type in some less specific.

Let’s take a quick look at the three types customers, or researchers and where they are in the ‘buy cycle’

Browsers are in the information gathering mode. These types are looking for more information about a product or service. They are in the first step in the ‘buy cycle’. This type of looker often types in generic keywords for search. For instance, I’ve recently decided that sometime in the near future I want to buy an RV to do a little traveling – without sleeping on the ground. My first step at gathering information is to find out more about the RV itself. So, I went to Google (knowing nothing) and typed in the simple phrase ‘RV Magazine’ – I don’t know anything about RV’s but my guess is that magazines about the subject will get me started. Notice that the search was two words and they are very generic. I’m a long way from making a purchase at this point, I’m simply trying to find out more information.

Shoppers have identified a need and tend to use more keywords in their searches. These types of searches make up the bulk of searches on Google, Yahoo, MSN, etc. To continue my RV shopping (but still in the gathering mode) I want more information. At this point my searches start getting more specific to the item or service I’m looking for. Like I may type in ‘reviews of class C motor homes’ ‘Winnebago class c RV’ or ‘places to visit on RV vacations.’ If I come to an RV dealership that has the information, it’s possible that I’ll bookmark it for later reference and even come back when I’m ready to purchase. So, it’s a great idea to target the shopper – but don’t expect to have a high rate of purchases from this group of researchers.

Buyers have done all their research and are ready to hit the ‘buy now’ button – once they’ve found specifically the item they want at the price they’re willing to pay. Let’s say I’m ready to head out to the showroom or even ready to start bidding on the RV of my dreams – I’m going to start my Internet search by using, more specific and longer phrases. My search may include: “Pre owned Winnebago Outlook 331C Class C Motor Home”

What researchers have found is that the way people use search, and the number of keywords typed into search tends to get longer and more specific as the buyer gets closer to purchase. You can take advantage of this by considering your product – how a buyer may search for the item as opposed to a browser and tweak your ‘long tail’ keyword string accordingly.

In some cases it’s hard to distinguish the difference between ‘browse’ words and ‘buy’ words – but keep testing until you find the sweet spot. In general, the highest click through and buy ratio will be with the longer, three words (or more) phrases. If there’s a make, model number or type related to your item be sure to put them in. Be as specific as possible about your product and you’re much more likely to find buyers.

Thomas Plaster spoke on Amazon’s Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) program at the recent Internet Sellers Conference in Seattle. I found his talk enlightening not only as an FBA user; he also gave attendees a taste of the direction Amazon is going as an online retailer.

The surprise/awakening statement:

Tom started by telling us a little about the history and direction and ‘why’ of FBA. As you may know, founder Jeff Bezos started the company with the vision of being the biggest book seller in the world. He wanted every book ever written to be available. As the company has matured the vision has changed. Now Amazon aspires ”to have available for sale everything ever created or intended to be sold.” Think about it – that’s an astonishing goal. And, how in the world would any corporation ever have enough capital funding to achieve such a goal?

Well, that’s the interesting thing. Amazon has no real intention in purchasing all those products to resell. To accomplish the goal they are moving away from being a direct retailer and moving toward being a platform or ‘marketplace.’

Slowly, but surely, Amazon is moving away from purchasing and reselling products. To accomplish this Amazon has two hurdles to overcome.
One is that 50% of their buyers have still not purchased from a third party seller. That could be because third party sellers charge shipping and it may be the trust and safety feature.

Two small, third party merchants often have storage and fulfillment problems that stand in the way of expanding.

Amazon FBA was designed to bridge those gaps.

When a seller sends the inventory to a fulfillment center Amazon includes it in their free shipping program and takes care of all the shipping, handling and customer service issues.

The program is a whopping success! The Amazon marketplace is being changed rapidly by FBA. And, this year alone Amazon intends to add between 3 and 5 new centers to the 28 fulfillment centers.

If you haven’t looked into Amazon FBA as a part of your seller toolkit this program may help you gain the lift you need in the Amazon marketplace. Look at your inventory – is there a product that might sell better if it shipped for free? Can your retail price be shifted or tweaked a little to roll the pick, pack and storage fees and offer you a reasonable margin? If so, consider try using the Amazon FBA program before your competitor does.

For more information about Amazon FBA and how to use it to grow your business join us at the Web Sellers’ Circle.

You may think you already know which pictures are your money shots. After almost 35 years as a photo professional and a decade on eBay, Cindy certainly thought she knew which shots were golden.

The results of her experiments and research challenged both her assumptions and conventional wisdom.

This talk will be a “Don’t Miss!” event for anyone who wants to grab every competitive advantage they can in this difficult economy. (And it applies to Bonanzle and Etsy as well.)

I thought some of Cindy’s conclusions were so interesting that I put together this short Photoshop Elements tutorial to help you get started in creating startling and remarkable thumbnails.

This is my entry in her Contrast & Color category. How would it standup to Cindy’s new test? I don’t know – but maybe she’ll show us after eBay’s Las Vegas shindig.

Use Title Cards in Your You Tube Video To Increase Sales and Traffic

Good looking title cards at the beginning and end of your screencast can make your video look more professional and send viewers from You Tube to your web site. This video teaches you how to make title cards using Photoshop Elements and Quick 3D Cover

Use These Camtasia 5 Recorder Settings for Best Web Screencasts

Camtasia 5 can create great screencasts for any use, whether it is on your own web site, on You Tube, or on DVD. But to get the best results for a specific use, you need to customize the Recorder’s settings. This video shows you how.

Best Settings for Camtasia 4 Recorder for Web Video

If you have an older version of Camtasia, this video shows you how to customize the Recorder for Version 4.

Beyond You Tube – How To Add Flash Videos To Your Web Site

You Tube is a great way to grab new viewers and bring them to your web site. But there times when you will want to host your own videos. This tutorial will show you how to make flash videos for free and then embed them in your web site or blog.

Shopping Carts – What They Are And How To Choose One

If you sell online, or are thinking about beginning to sell on the web, you’ve probably spent hours puzzling over shopping carts. The field is crowded and it can be difficult to know where to begin. This article helps you sort through the choices.

How To Upgrade Your Blog to the Latest Version of WordPress

WordPress v2.8 was released on June 11, 2009. It contains new features that will make it a must have upgrade for most users, as well as over 270 bug fixes. Here’s how to upgrade safely.

Use Free Photo Story Software to Create Videos Without a Camcorder

Photo Story 3 can create professional, fully animated videos without a camcorder, and this 30 minute video will teach you how to do it.

How To Resize Your Photos

Hosting your own photos instead of using services like Auctiva and eBay can save you hundreds of dollars. But when you host your own photos for use on the web or eBay you need to make them smaller than the orginal file size. In this demo we show you how to resize your photos using PhotoShop Elements .

Uploading Photos Using FileZilla

You can save hundreds of dollars in fees every year by hosting the photos for your eBay auction listings on your own web site rather than on services like Auctiva. This video will walk you through the steps of uploading with FileZilla.

Filezilla – The Free and Easy Way to Transfer Files

An FTP client is the fastest and easiest way to transfer large files – or multiple files – from your computer to your web host. FileZilla is a free, open source FTP application that is easy to use.

WSC Spotlight on Collectibles Corner TV

In this WSC Spotlight, Cindy interviews Tammy Kahn Fennell of Collectibles Corner TV.

How To Choose The Best Colors For Your Template or Listing Design

Learn how to choose complementary colors and color palettes for your web site, listing template or blog. The right color combination will make you look like a pro. This short video will show you a free tool that takes all the guesswork out of color.

These are just some of the articles and videos available to our members. There is also a 3 part Photoshop Elements course, an 8 part course on starting and running an online business, and a seminar on designing ebooks.

Web Sellers’ Circle has a 21 days for  $1.00 Trial membership that takes all the risk out of exploring the site. If these sorts of articles and videos and classes appeal to you, why not take a look? If you decide it’s not right for you, cancel before the renewal date. No fuss, no arguments, no tricks.

Three weeks – $1.00. How can you lose?

http://sherylschuff.com/blog/selling-on-line/expert-tips-for-on-line-sellers

But the blog isn’t going away!

We have so many subscribers that we don’t want to just delete the blog.

So look for it at this new address:

http://www.websellerscircleblog.com

We’ve updated the Feedburner address, so we are hoping that there will be no interruption in the RSS service, but just in case….

Update your bookmarks and RSS reader to the new addresss

http://www.websellerscircleblog.com

There will still be plenty of great content delivered every week for free on the blog. Thanks for reading.

But we do want to warn you that this is the weekend we are turning our servers over and changing this URL/website to the new Web Sellers’ Circle.

We’re really proud of the project and know you’ll find value. I hope you check in next week and take a look at the new site.

Our charter members will get the first look though – we’ll be sending them log-in information as soon as we’re sure the installation is stable.

So, if there’s information you want to read here – or photographs  you’d like to borrow of the Bonanzle Up – grab them now! We’d love to have you on our free tip of the week newsletter so please sign up next week.

See you on the other side

Cindy & Dany