Using Classified Ads for Selling Digital Content

Using Classified Ads for Selling Digital Content

For many sellers, the Classified Ad format is alien territory. eBay created this format a few years ago in order to provide a workable format for sellers of goods and services for which the traditional auction and fixed price formats were not appropriate.

If you haven’t done so already, review the Help page for “Advertising with Classified Ads”

http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/f-ad.html

Using the Classified Ad format only for your content listing strategy is probably not a wise idea. CA format will work best in tandem with a wider range of content listing options.

Selling digital content on various physical media
Using solid media like an optical disk allows a seller to continue selling their digital content in categories directly related to the topic or subject of the content. Many sellers are now listing the digital content on CD or DVD; a viable solution to policy compliance.

However, The new policy also presents intriguing marketing opportunities for the enterprising seller of digital content to add value to their content by offering it on media that can be used for other purpose. For example, offering one or more eBooks or templates on a USB flash drive, SD, or Compact Flash memory card. Currently, low capacity USB flash drives (128 or 256MB) can be purchased from on and offline wholesale and retail outlets for reasonable prices. In addition, USB drives can be branded with your eBay Store name, your logo or your domain name.

Although they cost more than low capacity USB drives, SC and Compact Flash memory cards serve an extremely useful double duty. Not only can use them for packaging your digital content, your buyers can also use them in their cell phones, laptops and digital cameras.

USB drives and memory cards also allow for cross category listing and promotion. For example, a 1GB SC card containing your selection of eBooks, templates or plans can be listed in the following categories along with many of their sub categories:

* Books
* Cameras & Photos
* Cell Phones & PDAs
* Computers & Networking
* Consumer Electronics


A Digital Content Selling Strategy Example

A good selling strategy should utilize as many listing options as possible. Let’s use the example of a seller of eBooks. (the following assumes the seller has an eBay Store to help cross promote all of their content listings with their non content listings).


1. First, list out the catalog of your eBooks and decide how you want to package them, either as single offerings, collections or both.

2. Then list out the various delivery methods at your disposal on eBay:

• Classified Ads (for purely digital downloads)
• CD or DVD
• USB Flash Drives
• Memory Cards
• And don’t forget the tried and true, Bound Paper (an actual book!)

3. List out the relevant categories in which your items will fit. If your eBook is a “how to sell on eBay,” on CD and a Flash Drive, the following might be on your list:

• Books
• Everything Else > Information Products (auction or fixed price format)
• Everything Else > Information Products (Classified Ad format)
• Computers & Networking
• Consumer Electronics

4. Decide how to package your content for each of the options (media type and category). Keep in mind that you will cross promote all of the content listings in your eBay Store.
Other points to keep in mind:

5. Use appropriate, relevant keywords in your listing titles. For example, for listings of content on CD, make sure that the title of the content and the media type are included in your title (follow the usual guidelines for effective titles: only keywords, no punctuation, no modifiers like adverbs or adjectives.) For example, content on CD:

Bigger Profits on eBay eBook CD CD-ROM

Content on Flash Drive
Bigger Profits on eBay eBook USB Flash Drive 128MB

If your eBook title has a subtitle, consider placing it as marketing in the Sub Title” area of the listing.

Once you have planned out your complete packaging, format and listing strategy, you can start listing the items on eBay and, by using your eBay Store Cross Promotional boxes, indicate which of your content items promotions (up to 12 per listing) will appear at the bottom of all your listings. If you are not using or are not familiar with Cross Promotions, you can learn more here: http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/cp-overview.html )

Just In Time Printing

Finally, don’t discount the old tried and true printed book method of delivery. As the success of on and offline bookstores like Borders, Barnes and Noble, Amazon and of course, eBay’s own Half.com clearly show us, bound printed on paper books still have a huge audience of eager buyers. There are many self-publishing options available to neophyte authors, especially those authors for whom finding an agent or old world publisher is not a viable option. Search the internet for “self publishing” to discover the options available. Many self publishing businesses offer authors a “print on demand” service which could very easily tie into an eBay listing strategy.

Perceived Value Matters!

I suspected that a few of you would balk at the idea of spending more to promote your content items on eBay. Let me tell you why increasing the value of your items may actually help, not hurt, your content sales.

Adding value to your content will set your listings apart from your competition. To my eye, one of more distressing aspects of the growing trend in digital content is the “sameness” that permeates this particular category of listings. There are so many titles like “How to sell on eBay,” “How to Make Millions on eBay,” “Needlework Patterns,” etc that it is difficult for buyers to differentiate between content listings.

Let’s explore the various ways a seller of self-created content can stand out from the crowd:

The Content Itself

Considering creating an “eBay How To” eBook or compile a collection of your own needlework or embroidery patterns or a collection of templates (the type of content doesn't matter here. All types of content will benefit from these tips)? Fantastic! Keep in mind that these are very crowded fields at the moment (it’s almost seems like every full time seller is writing a “how to” eBook of some sort). Before you begin, ask yourself: what is my angle? What is it about my content that is different, more valuable than the existing content? Maybe it’s your humorous writing style that sets your ebook apart. Or maybe you actually have strategies, tips and tricks that have never been presented. Maybe your ebook is rich in helpful graphics or is laid out like a school text books with q and a tests at the end of each chapter.

Maybe your “how to” ebook comes in audio format as well. (Why are there not more of these?)
If you cannot come up with a unique angle for your content topic, maybe you should consider a different topic. What are your other fields of expertise? Are you a fly tying expert? An expert watercolorist? A paint decorator? There aren’t too many ebooks on these subjects. The field beyond “How to [fill in the blank] on eBay” is wide open.

Branding

No matter what media, format or category, make sure that your content packaging and presentation is consistent and identifiable as your brand. Many successful content sellers create a graphic for their content that shows it as a hard or soft cover book. You may need to hire a graphic designer to do the initial work for you but again, anything you can do to set your content apart from your competition provides value to your potential buyers. Your mantra should always be, “I must set my content apart from the pack.”

Pricing

This is touchy area for many sellers. No one (including me) wants to dictate the value of self-created content as indicated by the price the seller places on their own content. But consider: you spend time and effort putting together an ebook on a topic. You are proud of your work. You consider it to be of great potential value and use to your readers. You have followed all of the above suggestions and have created a workable listing and marketing promotion strategy.

Then you price the content out at .99

Remember, for the most part, buyers believe that value is best indicated by price. Sure, every buyer wants a good deal, a bargain. No buyer wants to spend more than an item is worth. However, there is a price point for every item – not always obvious and not always easy to determine – below which the buyer stops considering the item as a bargain and starts viewing the item as “cheap” with all the word’s negative connotations.

Don’t demean your content’s value by a too-cheap price. Part of your differentiation strategy has to be pricing. Experiment with different price points and take into consideration the results of your extensive research into existing pricing. Many sellers know this from experience but the lowest priced item in a category is not always the best seller.

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The above information was taken directly from the Digital Download Policy Workshop on eBay dated 4/11/08.
http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=2000544349&start=0