Use promotional flyers to turn first-time buyers into lifelong loyal customers!

As a business owner, you should always be looking for ways to promote your listings and increase your sales. But once you've actually sold an item, the opportunities to make money don't stop there... One great way to encourage one-time customers to become REPEAT customers is to put promotional flyers in the packages you ship to them. That way, you can drive your customers back to your eBay listings again and again, which can potentially double — or even TRIPLE! — your eBay earnings! Not only are these kinds of flyers a fantastic way to thank your customers for their business and encourage positive feedback, you can also use them to remind your customers to add you to their Favorite Sellers list. And THAT'S pure gold, because once your customers list you as a Favorite Seller, eBay will automatically email them weekly updates of any new items you've got listed. Plus, once your customers list you as a Favorite Seller, you'll get their email addresses, which means you can email them directly to build your relationship with them and send them more promotions whenever you want! Any way you dice it, the more you're able to communicate with your customers, the better the chance they'll buy from you again. The thing is, your customers are one of your most VALUABLE assets! They already know you provide quality products and top-notch service, meaning they'll be FAR more likely to buy from you than from an eBay seller they've never heard of before. After all, they've already come to trust you enough to buy from you. And trust is a HUGE component of the eBay seller-buyer relationship! And provided you've kept track of their buying history, you already know what kinds of items interest them, which means you have a good idea of what they might like to buy in the future! Presenting them with more opportunities to buy from you can potentially increase your sales — while costing you nothing in return. So the more ways you can find to encourage first-time buyers to become loyal, repeat customers, the better In order to make the most of your customers, be sure to send them promotional flyers with the following elements: Thank you! This lets your customer know you appreciate their business and shows them you are committed to meeting their needs, which lends to your credibility. Congratulations on purchasing product XYZ! Many buyers report feeling a rush of excitement when they win an eBay auction, but this excitement can dissipate by the time the item actually arrives in their hands. By congratulating your customer for snagging something of value, you can re-ignite the thrill of the "win" and get them interested in what else you've got to offer. It also helps to reduce buyer remorse, which can cut down on your refund rate if you accept returns. A little about me. Putting a face to your business makes it more personal and can help create a connection with your customers. By including a short biography about you or your business, you can show your customers that there's a real live person behind the listing. If you liked product XYZ, you may also be interested in... This is your chance to plug other items you have for sale — which is especially effective when they're related to the item your customer originally bought. Be sure to include a brief description, the URL to the online listing, and perhaps a small photo of the item. The key is to make your product blurb interesting enough that your customers will want to check it out online. This is also a good opportunity to remind your customers that they can get a weekly update of your items for sale automatically by adding you to their Favorite Sellers list! A discount on your next purchase! Offering a limited-time discount helps to create a sense of urgency to buy, especially if you compete with lots of other eBay sellers who sell the same kinds of items you do. It can really help your business stand out from the rest! On top of that, discounts are also a good way to liquidate slow-moving inventory, so you can replenish your stock with hot items that'll fly off the shelves! Putting flyers in your shipping packages is an easy — and inexpensive — way to follow up with your customer and optimize the final step of the sales process. If you're an eBay Store owner, you can learn more about using eBay's Promotional Flyer service by going to: http://pages.ebay.com/help/specialtysites/promotional-flyer-ov.html If you don't have a Store, or if you simply want more control of the look and layout of your flyer, go ahead and create one yourself! Just be sure to customize it with your name, eBay Seller ID, and Store URL, if you have one. It's also a good idea to keep your flyer to a maximum of one double-sided page in length. If it's any longer, you run the risk that it'll look like too much work to read — and chances are it'll go straight into the recycling bin!