Holiday Advertising @ the Bonz
Happy (gulp) holidays everyone! That's right, we're already seeing an increase in holiday displays and cheesy Christmas music at our favorite retail stores, so it can only mean that it is the time of year when sales start to catch fire. Ole!
This year we've been brainstorming on how we can effectively raise awareness about Bonanza to shoppers during the holiday season, and as usual, we have arrived at "advertising" as the solution, but "lack of funds to dedicate to advertising" as the problem.
Yes indeed, it's that time of year.
After a bit of collective head scratching, we realized that the most fair & effective way we could fund our 2011 holiday advertising campaign would be by generating a new revenue stream: targeted ads at the bottom of Bonanza search results.
I'll admit, initially we were pretty resistant to the idea of allowing ads in our search. But as we started to look around at our many ecommerce brethern, we noticed that nearly every single one (including our friends at Amazon) are now employing ads at the bottom of their on-site search. The reason, it turns out, is that these sites have realized that when they can't deliver the results a buyer was looking for, these ads can actually increase the relevance of their search results by allowing Google to take a stab at showing the buyer what they are after via advertising. As it turns out, Google is pretty good at finding results that are relevant to a buyer when Amazon (or Bonanza) isn't.
Even given the pervasiveness of search advertising, we were still hesitant. The decision to add any sort of extra element to a page is one that we don't take lightly. But when we realized the potential to redirect these revenues from our on-site advertising directly into an ad campaign that would bring new shoppers to Bonanza, the writing was on the wall and we decided to get our advertising program started.
So now the question to our savvy merchants: where do you think we should be advertising Bonanza to capture the most & best holiday shoppers? I still don't think our budget is going to be able to buy us the Super Bowl commercial we've been after, but most types of online advertising, and possibly offline advertising, are now in play. We're very excited to finally be able to implement some of the creative advertising ideas we've heard in our forums for so many months. Let's make Bonanza's 2011 holiday season one that Bezos would be proud of!
P. S. Thanks for yet another record breaking month of sales in October, everyone! You're on a roll.
P. S. S. Don't worry, we have setup exclusions on our ads such that we don't advertise certain competitive sites in our search, though please let us know if you see anything getting advertised that you think doesn't belong. Also, be aware that the ads won't always show up when you search -- they will only show when Google AdSense thinks it has something relevant to present.
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94 responses to Holiday Advertising @ the Bonz
Bill, anything which says “Advertising” perks my ears up
But I have to be honest, I’m a little confused re: the Ads themselves (sorry about that); and your question (“Where do you think we should be advertising Bonanza to capture the most & best holiday shoppers? I still don’t think our budget is going to be able to buy us the Super Bowl commercial we’ve been after, but most types of online advertising, and possibly offline advertising, are now in play.”)
I definitely get the Super Bowl Commercial not being an Option. And If I’m understanding this portion correctly (and some of those Ads you’re referring to are Offline); perhaps something in the way of popular magazines would be a great way to go for the holidays. Something which would reach a wide scope of Readers.
Thank You for asking for our Feedback re: this subject, which has been extremely important to Everyone.
@chill02wolfart, you are correct. Offline advertising possibilities could be as simple as a trade magazine that targets a certain demographic (i.e. “Pottery world” or “Antique Journal” etc). Our community is best to identify those publications and opportunities that exist.
Great, Mark; I was hoping I was understanding correctly. Thank You
Even super popular ones (Oprah, Woman’s Day; House Beautiful; Prevention; Good Housekeeping; Gentleman’s Quarterly, Dr. Oz, People, perhaps a Crafting Magazine, etc.). I’m on a roll now
Facebook
Readers Digest perhaps? Lots of folks reading that. What about some of the southern style magazines? Might be a great place to promote some of the crafting folks do here.
Although I am not an antique seller nor an artisan, I really think it would be a good idea to target some of those categories. We have some wonderful antique sellers, as well as sellers of collectibles such as coins, etc. Mags geared towards glass and pottery, etc., would also bring yet another group of possible buyers to check out this new site.
I definitely think we need to gear towards buyers, as opposed to those articles in Reader’s Digest and some other mags, that just tout Bonz as yet ANOTHER place to sell your stuff on the net.
I don’t want to rain on anyone’s parade but I’m thinking it may be too late for any kind of a print campaign.
@CrystalBlueAttitude, rain cannot stop us from having a parade, we are in Seattle
While true that it may be too late for a specific publication, there are still others to target. I can envision us continuing this after the holidays as well. Let us know if you have any ideas CBA.
Well by the time that the ads hit the mags and get published you might be right. Though I think magazine ads are a good step forward.
so for online…facebook….what about some forum websites?
Targeting the readership of specific interest magazines is an excellent idea. I’ve also seen editorial tie-ins for items from certain sites —
it would be good if you could tie into them.
Carolyn
I’m thinking banner ads through ISP’s like Net Zero, AOL, PeoplePC, Yahoo, whomever people use for their email servicers. Most people visit their ISP Pages several times a day, if not many times a day. This is where we will most likely be noticed. Just a thought, in case it hasn’t been brought up.
Big city newspaper ads around the country. The only kind of paper ad I can think of that can happen quickly.
I wish bonanza could make some kind of connection with Country Living magazine. Besides the monthly, mailed magazine, they have a fabulous website, and they mention and link to lots of other products, companies, and selling sites. Browse around on their website to see what I mean.
http://www.countryliving.com
I think many people go to the websites of the mags they read, so that’s probably a more likely way to get an ad out before Christmas.
I know for Reader’s Digest, for instance, they have many articles in the mag that just refer you back to their website for more info, so people do go there. It actually bugs me – if I didn’t want to read a mag, I wouldn’t buy the damn thing. Most websites have other activities and info though, apart from the mag itself.
There are no major print publications that are still open for a major holiday ad campaign. November & December are in production in August and September, most likely, since the issues are on the stands in October and November. It will have to be online ads and banners at this late date. There are tons of suggestions and ideas that have been thoroughly researched and offered in forum threads over the past three years. A search of the forum archives will tell you everything you ever wanted to know (and some stuff you probably don’t want to know) about advertising this site.
People a lot more savvy can answer the where/when question. All I have to say is, after 3 years, “Thank you!”
Talk radio has a huge audience, but may also have huge fees. The good thing about radio is that the audience can’t fast forward through the ad.
I really believe that this will enhance the views of the Bonanza marketplace. I have a website where I use the google ads, and it drives visitors to my site, and I have also done something to enhance the seller’s views..I am offering free advertising links on my website for all the sellers here, and over 25 folks have already posted theirs, and I am sure that they are receiving traffic from this. The old saying “what goes around will come around” surely will help all of us. Give unto others, and it will help everyone!
Thanks again, and if you would be interested in promoting my free website advertising for all the booths, please let me know. I won’t post the website here because I don’t want to face any unforeseen problems with Bonanza. But I will tell you that my website has over 1745 visitors daily. PJ
I plan to offer banner ads also in the near future for a low fee.
Well, i’m sure you didn’t think i WOULD KEEP QUIET LOL.
1st off “targeted ads @ the bottom of our search ads” IMO is ludicrous because Bonanza is not used as a search engine like Google & Amazon are. They have name recognition. We do not. So that would be a waste of the ad buyers dollars (albeit not a loss for Bonanza). We can not be compared to Amazon & Google.
I believe it is way too late to consider magazines.
BUT USA Today may be feasible.
The best Idea yet Is for Bonanza to take the suggestion they have been making to their sellers: Face book and other ecommerce sites like Google, Amazon etc in the form of banners. At this late date that is where you will get the biggest bang for your buck.
Lordy I think I’m having vapors
lol
Magazines will work for maybe springtime if you do them now..they do their layout MONTHS in advance.
Have to agree that if the Bonz name is not recognized the ads on search here would be sort of a lost cause.
Think abt it..maybe as guys you don’t no offense intended..but THE biggest hit is always the Thanksgiving day newspapers. Do you realize how many people buy that one issue to pour over to look for that first major holiday shopping weekend? Doesn’t have to be huge and splashy.
A briefspot on say cable tv..a sort blitz of the name etc..intrigues people to check it out..especially late nite
If you are truly serious start hitting the tv stations.they start doing their 30 sec. blitzs of where the best bargains are shortly after Halloween..again no offense but need someone that exudes enthusiasm and can discuss something other than the bizarre and dumb items for sale.
I always knew if we stuck it out this would happen. Kudo’s to you Bill and Mark. No I don’t have suggestions just very glad to hear about advertising. I also saw a sample of ads on the bottom awhile ago on firefox, then I saw nothing so I am on IE right now.
Apparently Google TV lets you buy commercial airtime on cable TV.
This guy tried it and his ad was seen by some 1.3 million people, over 1000 of whom typed in the URL in his ad for a cost of $1300:
http://www.slatev.com/video/how-i-ran-ad-fox-news/
The ads are already there at the bottom of search results. I don’t know what Google considers ‘targeted ads’, but there was nothing there that had anything to do with the category I was searching on. If we want any type of holiday advertising it will have to be online ads and banners. Even late night cable TV ads which are cheaper, take time to set up and develop, by the time a contract is negotiated, ads are written, and production is finished. It’s normally a lead time of weeks minimum, and sometimes a couple of months, and you can’t just order a couple of ads. It has to be a campaign over time to be effective and that’s where the $$$‘s add up. Even radio ads are done on a long term contract basis. We researched all these things last year when we did our ad campaign here, and also my mom was in on-air advertising for years, and this is just the way it’s done.
We all know Internet advertising pays off better than any other form of advertising. That being said, Have you thought of contacting Internet providers ? They all have a web page, which displays ads that are from ebay, and other web sites.
Hughes net displays that are not related to their web site. when I was on dial up, my ISP displayed ads on their web site that had other web sites advertised.
Here is a screenshot of what I am talking about.
I am wondering if there could be a trade off on advertising. One of their adds on the bonanza pages in exchange for an add from Bonanza on their pages. Might be worth checking into
It may be too late to buy advertising in the magazines but not too late to buy advertising on the publishers’ websites. Same thing with topical cable channels’ sites like, say HGTV. Not sure how much they cost there, though. Just thinking of ideas.
I know Bonanza advertises with Google Adwords but do you advertise ON it? Those pop up everywhere.
You would be surprised on the people who are committed to buying a certain magazine each month that read ads placed in these magazines. Take Ladies Home Journal for instance, this magazine targets a certain audience. Likewise, a magazine on collectibles would do the same. I do agree that there would have to be more than one or two or three ads placed. Some folks have to see something more than a few times to check something out. It has to be implanted in their memory. Ladies Home Journal reaches 13 million people and this is a magazine that is considered the sixth largest magazine in America.
This is not to say that the 13 million people would read the ad and come to Bonanza, but there is potential for a good number of people to come to Bonanza since the magazine itself reaches that many people. It also takes good content in an ad, which I have the feeling MGMT could come up with that or reach out to a professional who can.
Probably advertising in a magazine could not happen this year, as mentioned, but it is an idea for next year…I’m just grateful to be hearing the word advertising and that we can have this discussion openly here in this blog with Bonanza MGMT. Thank you!!
What Sofy said here I very much agree with… “THE biggest hit is always the Thanksgiving day newspapers. Do you realize how many people buy that one issue to pour over to look for that first major holiday shopping weekend? Doesn’t have to be huge and splashy.”
For my part, I believe a magazine is one of the most exciting possibilities, but as others have pointed out, it’s probably something that will be better for after the holiday season. I think Internet or newspapers are our most likely targets for the next couple months. Will be interesting to see what kind of a budget we end up having to work with from the AdSense ads. I know magazine ads can be extremely pricey (ie 20k or more….you could buy an awful lot of Facebook ads with that kind of change
)
Thank you Bill & Mark
Sounds great and the net banner ads will or should do well between now and Christmas.
We are down until some family surgeries are over in a couple of weeks but will be back then and ready to roll , so the effort is much appreciated here..
Thank you again
Thank you Bill
I actually just saw a sample of the ads…I don’t think I like them, for the ones I saw. I sure hope someone does not click on one of those ads instead of further looking at Bonanza and I hope that this will not keep a shopper from going further down the page to see membership listings on the left side. If the ads are going to be there, would it be possible to move our listings back over the top of all the listings? Thanks.
Editing to add that the photo I saw of the ads in the forum made it look like the ads are on the left. The way I am understanding it now is that the ads are more near the bottom.
I’d like to mention one other thing lol and then I’m done posting
The search function on Bonanza has been a known issue. It has been posted about several times in Bonanza threads brought to the attention of MGMT, though I do not know if the seriousness of the search issue has been realized.
I think that going through search here on Bonanza and getting it up to par (really up to par) runs right along beside advertising.
Shoppers are not patient and will leave if search is not working smoothly, especially since there are lots of other places to shop on the net. I don’t want to lose a buyer if we can help it.
I do love being a seller on Bonanza. I think we are awesome and really will be going no where but up!! I’m willing to give the AdSense a try
Improving search is an ongoing task and super important to us too. Features like tagging will greatly improve your items visibility. If you happen to spot inconsistencies with search, please report them to support so we can investigate and address.
http://www.antiqueweek.com
Has very reasonable rates, and this publication is always present at antique shows, shops, etc.Many municipalities rent the side of a bus for advertising, and some cities also rent out the enclosures for bus stops. Just another idea of a possible spot. People in cars will see them as well as any bus riders.
Glad to hear you are joining us in the idea of Advertising off site, try one of those ‘click thru’ type adverts that you pay only when someone clicks the add? Any help bringing people to our site is greatly appreciated. Thanks
Wonderful! thank you all for the hard work that you do.
It wouldn’t be a paid advertisement, but if you could somehow get Nightline to cover a story on us about being an alternative to ebay would be exciting! How we are continuing to grow, we have lots and lots of items that would make great Holiday gifts, the community, etc.
Just did a quick search of the Bonz forum posts using the word “advertise”. There are 908 pages of ideas posted over the past few years.
Our forums are a wealth of information for sure. Seeking out relevant/current topics and sorting through the comments can be a bit daunting to say the least. For now we can start with the blog comments (super suggestions so far) and then reference the forums if need be.
I am thrilled to hear of the possible advertising being considered…
Thanks Boyz and Gurlz for listening to the sellers here…It means a lot…
Another idea is BILLBOARDS.
Along major thorofares, like I-95 for example. Can you imagine the curiosity you could breed by just putting
on a billboard?
Boss these Bonzers are full of advertising ideas.. would not hurt to lend them your ears
any major interstate highway would be good.
I-40
I-540
I-95
These are major, with millions of folks traveling them everyday all year long.
I know a man who does this for a living, he services and created the billboards, he is one of my neighbors. He said it is one of the most inexpensive way a business can reach millions of folks in a short time.
You might find there are more than just one way, to advertise at the same time.
Billboards and Internet, would catch the eye of nearly everyone out there.
I love the idea of Newspapers also, Bill (as something quick before the holidays).
Also, those small “Monthly Shopper” Inserts which you get in the mail (advertising everything from Restaurants, Hair Salons, Dentists, Chiropratic, Veterinary, etc., OfficeMax, etc.).
Another quick option pre-holiday: Printed Flyers; tack them up in places which allow it, of course (Family Restaurants, Coffee Shops; where you see others Ads tacked or taped to the wall). I do that with my own Flyers.
In addition, there’s the ads you see in some Family Restaurants (on a single sheet, the size of a placemat. They’re on each table). They have several Ads for various things (such as I mentioned in the Monthly Shopper).
Here’s another one: the Church Newsletter (the back is loaded with Ads).
TV ads do get your name out there now. Mags for the spring sound fabulous. Newspapers are dropping at a record number because only older people read them but maybe USA or the Wall St Journal hold up readership. Young people and people on the go get the news from the intenet so the banners make more sense there.
But I applaud any advertising. We need name recognition.
I do not know about other places, but we have a bus here in NC that goes around picking people up at specific locations that carries people into town, basically a route.
I know in Florida where I used to live they now have a public bus that does the same. It “seems” that the use of them is on the rise once an area shows a large enough need for it.
Anyways, there are adverts that can be placed on a back of a bench or also adverts that could be placed inside of a bus somewhere.
In the bigger cities where there is not enough parking, lots of people use buses as a way of transportation.
It may be something worth looking into on a smaller scale for a few high-traffic areas.
TipTop aka Heavenly
Don’t forget to use free press releases news stories. Here are three good sources for antique & collectibles.
http://www.antiquetrader.com/magazine?r=atrcirppcg&gclid=CKXKzJXejqwCFWcaQgod1idymg (takes free adds)
http://www.maineantiquedigest.com/ (one of the top)
http://www.dmoz.org/Recreation/Antiques/Publications/ (A list of top publications for antiques & collectibles)(A lot of these are given out free at malls, auctions, etc.)
Maybe Bonanza can also “like†a lot of Facebook pages & get the logo out there.
Ex. http://www.facebook.com/american.philatelic.society (stamp collecting used to have the largest number in the world with golf being second.
I have no idea about advertising, but I can say this – I love that you are trying to gain more buyers this holiday season. Even if it isn’t successful, which I think that it will be, thank you for your hard work. I have only made one sale this month, but the great community and the great items to buy keeps me going.
I think the idea of advertising is great and it is wonderful that Bonanza has found a way to get advertising funds. There could be a problem with the ads being placed on the search pages though, unless Bonanza has a way to approve them or at least check them out before the ad runs. I just did a search for Vintage Pottery and at the bottom left side were two girls in cut out dresses with a link to Great Glam.com. I clicked on the link and it took me away from Bonanza to a site selling Sexy Dresses. Unfortunately that competes with the people selling Sexy Dresses here on Bonanza. We don’t want to lead Buyers away from this site, we want them to come here. It’s a great idea, but it does need to be monitored.
As far as I know we do have a way to exclude or at least request that certain advertisers do not show. If you spot an ad that you feel should not be there, please report it to support so we can have a look.
I am very happy with this revenue-raising idea!
How about online ads on several newspaper websites? Maybe do a query of completed sales to see what states have been better buyers than others, and target advertising either with them or with weaker areas to try to build up steam.
I’m thrilled that you’ve found a way to fund some advertising for the site. I have a question, tho. This afternoon while doing some searching, I noticed that on the left-hand side of the search results, where there used to be Pro Gold Members items relevant to the search term, there is now a large ad for VistaPrint. Will there no longer be the Gold member perk of having items featured on the left of search results? And if that’s the case, is there anything planned to replace that particular perk?
Subscribing members items that are relevant to the search term should still show as always. If you see a page where that is not the case, please send us a link to the search so we can have a look.
I know this is regional. They have a very large following, cover I believe 5 states, and they are a monthly paper, meaning that each ad runs for a MONTH. They may still have a front page banner ad available. I have sent you information on it before, along with a copy of the paper. The publisher is Paul Post, and he is eager to speak with you. I believe that the deadline is somewhere around November 8th for the DECEMBER paper. There are no doubt other regional papers where we could utilize a reasonable infusion of cash… (This ad was MUCH less than $1000.00) to reach a large, and interested audience. This would be an almost immediate hit (Not a Spectacular hit, but a targeted hit), leaving a reasonable amount of advertising funds for
reaching out to the larger audience after the holiday season.
http://www.theoldtimes.com/
I am thrilled! ADVERTISING! YEAH!!! I love the ideas everyone here are putting on the table. I saw were several were mentioning billboards. The idea momspennies showed has one flaw in my mind. That is that people will get to wondering but if it doesn’t have the .com on it will they know to turn to the net? I have seen that type of sign as a tickler when the next board would have a little more than the last and then finally you see what its about. Also, a billboard in my poor part of the country is anywhere from $225 for a small board to $500 or more a month for a larger one. Most require a 12 month lease or more. If you want to hit major interstates that will cover the county overall that could be a pretty hefty fee.
I recall a place I used to see would run a monthly add in Antiques & Collecting Magazine or Antique Week. They would take a full page ad, BUT they offered sellers a listing on the ad page for a fee. I don’t know if you could get enough ppl behind this sort of idea but its a thought.
So, say you pick Antiques and Collectibles and say 50 (or whatever number) of our collectible sellers buy a share in the ad, that helps you to fund the ad. You could apply this same idea to publications like Oprah, Country Living Magazine, or other mags for fashion, crafts, and maybe a hobby magazine. I know too that we are too late for Christmas this year but if you start ramping up an ad campaign now think what next year could bring!
Antique Week is published weekly and could be used for this year’s Christmas campaign. Here’s a link to their fee schedule http://www.antiqueweek.com/DRates.asp. I’m sure there are other weekly publications that would work too, perhaps for hobbies or crafts, I am just not familiar with those.
Like so many others I agree that the web may be your best coverage in that it can be seen by anyone in any country where as some publications are specific to US. This is probably the biggest drawback to the billboard idea in my opinion.
There, my ideas! Like Paula, I have no shortage of opinions!
I’ve been advertising for my mall for 8 years now and know what works for me. One thing I found on a local level is that its not to hard to get a local paper to write an article about you. When Frank Fritz of American Pickers stopped in my mall we got a pic with him and it ended up in both of our local papers with a write up. Free advertising! That’s the best. Also, there is a local travel publication that has articles and listings for a tri-state area that lists the area’s Antique Shops, Quilt Shops, and Restaurants. For a $50 ad they did an interview and published a half page article on my mall. Between that and the ad I covered most of a page!
Last, but most importantly, THANK YOU! Thank you for listening to your sellers. Thank you for taking the plunge and deciding to advertise. I think this is super big! I know how hard it was for me to commit to a billboard but am reminded almost daily how great a move it was when my clients tell me they stopped because they saw my board.
If this takes off it will be a win for all of us, you as you see your profits from commissions increase and your sellers as we see more sales. Again, Thanks!
I know in my hometown of Salisbury,NC. A local favorite soft drink Cheerwine has in the past had logos put on a van driving in the southeast handing out samples and info on their products. They even now have a Miss Cheerwine. I would think billboards along the interstates would be awesome. I see alot along 1-85 I-64 etc. they work. Glad to see more ideas being presented. Good luck to all this holiday season. Let’s help spread the word.
I don’t know what they cost, but in very rural areas, barn rooves can be utilised. Online also makes it much easier to gain access to shops without a potential hour + drive to “get to town”.
I was looking for a logo that said BONANZA.COM but couldn’t find one. But that’s what I meant when I said use it on a Billboard. And Bonanza.com is easy to remember.
Good idea. I will put in a request for us to add new logos to our assets page. Here is a link to that page: http://www.bonanza.com/home/assets
I hope you will let us know what the final decision is on where and When, you are advertising. We would like to see this in action please. It is almost November now, and most advertising should have already been done. Now is the time to get this out in time for the Holiday Shoppers. Please don’t put this off till after the Holiday season, or middle of the season, It needs to be implemented now for it to do anyone any good.
Thanks Alibirdy2. While we may be a little late to the party we still believe that we can be effective but our reach really depends on the revenue that we are able to realize from our new channel. Most important is that we are setting a wheel in motion that will continue to pay dividends for many holidays to come.
I think you will find billboards way too costly and regionalized.
Banner ads seems like a doable thing quickly.
Glad to hear about advertising in general. Congrats on taking this step.
I like the idea of a clickable banner ad across the top of Yahoo.com e-mail Inboxes. I see eBay’s there everytime I log into my Yahoo e-mail inbox.
like this
(Of course, it would need to stretch longer, like the size of our banners in our booths.) It could be customized for the various seasons.
Always love the new ideas Bill and Mark! I hope they bring us all more sales!!
can i help any one with traffic to there store ??
As a seller on other venues, I would like to say, at least you are trying to bring the shoppers in. It’s worth a try to see what it will bring. It comes down to this, if we as sellers don’t make the money then you will not either.
Hi everyone! Was away on business this weekend, so I’m just catching up with this news and discussion. Linking with outside advertising is great. But if you’re going to do that, could we once more discuss the appearance of the home page? I’ve been showing the Bonanza site to a number of friends, when I visit them; standing by while I have them pull up the site on their computers. Every time, the first reaction I get is: “what are you doing on a CLOTHING site!!??” (I was born and will be buried in my Salvation Army jeans and sweatshirts lol!) If you are hoping to have lots of outsiders link to Bonanza, they need to see a home page that does not appear to be all about clothes and/or fashion. The boxes, For Her For Him For Everyone seem to refer to clothing. A new person coming to this site, does not already know what a Hand Picked List is, and doesn’t have an immediate reason to select that box. The box referring to What’s new isn’t an immediate draw to an impatient shopper seeking a specific item in a hurry.
I don’t know how Bonanza sales are in specific categories, but I strongly suspect that non-clothing sellers are receiving fewer visits from outsiders coming to the home page. I know you spent a lot of time and effort on redesigning the home page; and that you are pinning a lot of hopes on “personalization.” But there are millions of potential customers out there for whom personalization is either meaningless or irrelevant. They want to find their items fast, and don’t want to be annoyed by a computer program that’s trying to guess their innermost thoughts. Especially at this time of year, when they’re often not shopping for themselves, but for others! I’ve read the books on data mining, and super crunchers, etc., etal. And as NetFlix is proving, these data-driven ideas are not perfect. Simplicity and convenience still rule the day on the internet, and I strongly urge you to come up with a home page that reflects this. Thanks for all the great effort!
Thank you for deciding to take the plunge into paid advertising! Many of us sellers have been paying for various types of advertising for a long time & am glad that now we’ll see the big guns!
I like most of the suggestions I read here, but feel that internet ads would probably be the best way to see an impact during the holiday shopping season.
That said, I do hope that you consider that millions of people love to watch designers like Nate Berkus (I hear he shops at Etsy) & others on HGTV.
An invitation to visit Bonanza during a Rush or Auction might generate enough interest for a segment on their shows? Maybe invite designers to decorate a space (bedroom, living room, kitchen, etc) with things they find on Bonanza? Or create a competition between several up & coming design stars to decorate a specific room with different themes based on purchases from Bonanza? Even if it’s just a quick segment on one design show, it could generate MILLIONS of hits!
How about on Auction bites the have adds on both sides of there column. I see others there like Etsy. I agree with lovelylittlethings there is way to much clothing advertised when you first get on Bonanza, how about switching that off to other items as well.So everyone has a chance to be seen.
Had a thought early this a.m. Spend some of the advertising money to purchase 1,000 vehicle decals that have the message: “I do all my online shopping on Bonanza.com!”
Sell them here on Bonz super cheap (no more than $10.00 including shipping, and discount when a buyer purchases more than one). Imagine what 1,000 booth owners driving around their towns and cities could do to boost sales! If the price is cheap enough Boyz, the cost of gasoline to make some extra vehicle runs to advertise would be more affordable.
There are several booth owners here on Bonz that do vehicle decals and might give you a break on the wholesale purchase of 1,000.
This could be done quickly and reach more potential buyers in a short amount of time.
ADDENDUM TO ORIGINAL IDEA RE COST OF DECALS: Cost should be $2.00 each including shipping, since buyers will be spending additional money driving around their towns in high shopper traffic places most likely. Oh, and why not park in a prominent spot at the local mall or Wal-Mart? Each person can “target” the best audience that sees the decal.
I like it!
Legal? Maybe. Effective? Yup.
I have to say that receiving those “advertising tools” in the mail remains the highlight of my Bonanza/Bonanzle career to this point
Have to say good idea Bargain Basement!!
Auctionbytes is a good idea. I think loads of sellers, at least, visit there. I do realize we’re trying to attract buyers, but as we all know, sellers are buyers too. Of course, if may be preaching to the converted.
I LOVE the idea of Billboards… and Facebook also. I personally don’t open magazines… and most of my news is online.
Good Luck Bill and Co…. and while I’m not able to do much selling right now, I’ll certainly spread the word and try to spend some money here in the process to do what I can.
Best to you all….. always.
Lisa
Per blarney_stone’s suggestion … http://www.theoldtimes.com/
I ran a business card size illustrated ad [that I drew] in The Old Times back when I had a store in MN and the response was amazing. I got customers from NY and LA, Texas and Seattle and many other far-away places. They did not have a web-site then …I imagine that now that they do they are getting a lot of exposure over and above the paper rag.
But my immediate reaction to the question where to get the biggest bang for the advertizing buck is television … the late night & middle of the night. A clever, short ad with a quirky hook [not buffoonery, but simple and clever]…15 to 20 seconds or however they are divided up – simple like the best logos are – will get the most attention. Have no idea of costs, but my Dad used to make his own for local TV stations. You don’t need an agency.
It sounds like a good idea. I just hope it works. The only way to generate the money is for people to actually click on the ads… (adsense) and I, for one, don’t click on them. I don’t know how many people actually click on them. Of course if they click on them they will be taken away from here, where they might find something to buy. But then advertising can bring them back again… I just hope it works. Really.
I always knew this would need to be added to the process. I also understood it would be a little while for us to get there.
You guys are soooo great !!
I really do not know that much about advertising. I too have seen the new adds at the bottom of the page. I was glad. I have sold for so long on the bay. They have been doing this for years now and this has never threatened me or worried me at all. Why? because like a boomerang, the buyers will check out the ads but always return. I know I do. The only time I take these small lower page add seriously is when I cannot find what I am looking for and the ads offer me a possibility to find the item in question.
So I am all for them.
Internet Banners; great idea on search engine page like Yahoo. I am always checking for any sales that have taken place by looking at my email. While on the yahoo page I always checkout new links, news, smut so forth. Yahoo page is very interesting with a lot to go check out
Applying to “The Good Search” which has tool bar. Anyone who goes to your site through " The Good Search" gives a donation of your choice. I am sure their are many more of these types of internet donations sites. I support the Whooping Crane so I always check " The Good Search" for participating sites and if the site I want to use is on "t
The Good Search List, I will go through them.
I feel TV would be out of our league for right now. Billboards would be costly and iffy at best as I did hear of some main highways but not Hwy 80 that goes from coast to coast in an arc from the east coast
Stick with me here I am almost done
My husband has been a Painting Contractor for over 30 years. His best return has always come from news papers of all types. But he never did a ad on a page. He created a separate flyer with his logo to be inserted within the paper. Usually center but finances allowing they could insert it where ever you might want based on cost. The theory is you must grab the reader within the first 3 sec.upon laying eyes on the ad. An ad in a paper is just another ad in a paper and it usually ends up in the trash. But a flyer often times is set aside for a further look thereby getting even more exposure with in the house hold long after the newspaper is gone. s to get a feel. Ask our merchants to participate and find out if the hits and sales went up in those areas. You know like a pre release
And last but not least sports events are big exposure. Golf sports cards, outfield banners at baseball fields ect
Like I said I’m not even sure if theses suggestions are feasible
BargainBasement’s idea is cheap and far-reaching. Place it on the list near the top. Don’t wait around until it’s too late with your promotion.
Thanks for the thumbs up on my idea TipTopMgr and daffs60. I thought it was a great inexpensive, easy to accomplish and far reaching way to go about advertising too.
Thank you Eclectic. I like the Old Times, and Paul is looking at utilizing the WWW, way beyond his “Local Tag” paper. This paper has a very large following, and a front page, full with banner, would be seen by every person that picked up that paper, and everyone that glanced at the paper, wherever it went. A simple BONANZA.COM, would garner a bunch of curiosity…. I believe the banner was about $600.00 per month, with a 6 month contract…. This is 6 MONTHS of hard hitting VISIBLE ads, while we search for more viable, more hard hitting avenues to follow. I am sure that there a few other similar papers we could utilize, as well, until we determine what will be even MORE effective, and hard hitting. THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMITTING THIS TYPR OF AD IS 1 WEEK FROM NOW for this paper……
This is one of ebays new ads for the season..just so we know what the others are doing https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150347848884064
Hey when would this new advertising start taking place for B?
The plan is to use the revenue generated from our new revenue channel to fund advertising of Bonanza. Though that revenue stream is young, we are already researching and identifying potential advertising for Bonanza.
having a “PR” person would be great, someone who knows how to put together advertising packages/ for newspapers, calling emailing various news sites, blogs and let me just say I pay a very LOW advertising fee for an ad for my store in the Dallas TX newspaper and I know for a fact that newspaper ads do work and they do not cost that much just a thought since we are late starting this again this year, a “PR” person would know when where and who to interview with who to get plugs with, someone who can write an article to post and surely this would not cost that much. If bonanza is growing then it should be an interest to news sites, maybe all it would take is for someone to submit a email or letter about bonanza to certain newspapers or even tv stations..who knows you might get lucky and get a free interview
I am glad something is finally being done concerning advertising even thought it is a little late when it concerns the holiday rush as always maybe next year it will help.. I take my hat off to you Bill, it is nice to hear
Having worked for an ad agency, billboards are very pricey. A one time large print ad would be the way to go. Maybe USA Today or People magazine…
HATS OFF BOYS!!!!!!!! I have to say I was in marketing for 16 years. And the money is being held back on meny companys. This is the time to NEGOTIATE. You would be suprised how meny marketing companys will work with you on a trade bases. Having QVC is a big one, GOOD JOB!! I would talk to shop NBC and The home shopping network. Starting anything now might be to late in most cases but your walking the right path. I think your best bet right now is the internet like alot of people talked about. Meny people said use your banner. YES simple and sweet and will drive the courses person. But dont forget the .COM after Bonanza. I know alot of your Yellow pages have Bill Board adds for there sites that can go up fast and they need money bad. Something that would not cost alot of money is have a place on Bonanza where the sellers can go in and copy a one sheet promotion on Bonanza where we could copy it and stuff them in local news papers or place them with a walk in business. There a thousand things to do and I am sure your family hear at Bonanza will help in anyway they can. THANKS
Just a thought, maybe a flyer inserted in the Sunday paper.
Blogs. Target high PR, ranking and targeting can occur via geographic, topic, and target market. This can be done either via a blogger outreach or straight up advertising dollars.
Kudos on the advertising for the holidays
Awesome!
The advertising copy deadline for the December 2011 issue of The Old Times is FRIDAY – NOVEMBER 11th. This would still be a good time to do a Holiday Open House (Christmas or New Year’s – or BOTH) – any good reason to get folks out of their houses and into your shops before the snow flies!
The December issue will be printed on Monday, November 21st and the paper will then be in the shops on Friday, November 25th or Monday, November 28th (because of Thanksgiving some papers might not be delivered till Monday).
Best wishes from all of us at The Old Times for a Happy Thanksgiving and a successful start to a busy Holiday Antiquing Season.
My two top picks:
Facebook (I’ve had a lot of success for very little money, and it won’t break your bank!)
Banner ads on free email sites like Yahoo, Gmail, Hotmail, Excite, etc.
Personally I think for IMMEDIATE visibility the Sunday newspapers are a great idea. A one page flyer insert would be very effective. Many folks don’t subscribe to their daily paper but take delivery of the Sunday edition only. This is just a thought but something I would be willing to do and perhaps I might spark a little support here but since we sellers have made money with our sales; to get the ball rolling this season, since we are spread out all across American, I, for one, would be willing to personally buy and pay for space in Ohio’s largest newspapers Sunday edition Commerce or Shopping section and simply say something like this in about a 4" square size ad:
“DO YOUR HOLIDAY SHOPPING ONLINE BUT WANT TO FIND
SOMETHING VERY UNIQUE? GO TO WWW.BONANZA.COM WHERE YOU
WILL FIND EVERYTHING BUT THE ORDINARY”
It might cost each of us $40 or $50 bucks but it would produce the type of IMMEDIATE results we are looking for THIS holiday season. I’m in Ohio and would gladly buy the space in the Columbus Dispatch Sunday edition for November 13th or the 20th. If you are in a larger city then your local newspaper would be a great place to contribute to our site. It really is OURS and until the Corporate Heads can get together a solid plan for later on down the road, why don’t we FAMILY members chip in just this once and help each other make some sales this year and get Bonanza on the map right now?
P.S. I am not suggesting that we ask Bonanza for reimbursement for our ads. If we had a store front business we would spend a little to make a little. My ad may not make me a sale but it might make you one. Your ad may not make you a sale but my ad might. I guess I’m just the charitable type and thought there might be some others out there that would be willing to chip in and help out right now.
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