How to Use Twitter to Market Your eBay Auctions

Do you sell on eBay?  If so, you may be facing some difficulties.  Yes, eBay is still a great place to buy and sell goods online, but it has increased in popularity.  This means that you may find more competition.  For that reason, you need a way to make your eBay auctions standout.  The good news is that you can do so with Twitter.

Twitter is an online social networking website that doubles as a micro-blog.  It is user based.  To get started, create a free Twitter account.  Next, you will need to add contacts.  You can do so by importing your contact list from your email account, searching for friends based on name, location, and email address.  Many times, when you start following the Twitter conversations of others, they will do the same for you.

Returning back to how you can use Twitter to market your eBay auctions, it is important to not jump right in and get started.  If you do, you may make many costly mistakes.  These mistakes can do more harm than good.

Twitter, as previously stated, is a social networking website.  Most individuals use the service to keep their friends and family updated on their life.  It is not uncommon to see messages, otherwise know as Tweets, talking about a new movie, a party attended, school, and so forth.  Although Twitter can be used for just about any purpose, you want to avoid sounding spammy or like you are trying to sell something, even though you are.

Once you have developed a list of followers, who are people who will read your updates, you can start marketing your eBay auctions.  As for how you can do so, remember to be subtle.  Instead of saying “buy the Motorola cell phone I am selling on eBay,” say “I just finished uploading my eBay auctions.  Check them out if you want,” and include a link.  Although the two messages have the same purpose, they come across differently.

You can also use @replies to your advantage.  The best way to do this is to look for updates your contacts send you.  For example, if someone says they are looking for things to buy on eBay, send a message.  Your message could say something along the lines of “Neat.  I sell on eBay, checkout my auctions,” and include a link.  Yes, you are outright asking someone to buy your merchandise, but you did so in a response.  You did not outright solicit business.

In keeping with @replies, you can search the Twitter website.  You can do this at Search.Twitter.com.  Here, you can perform a search with the phrase “eBay.”  You will then see all Tweets that have eBay in them.  Look for those who are shopping on eBay, looking for something in particular, and so forth.  Even if you are not a regular follower of that person, you can become one. Send them a message, directing them to your eBay website.  To prevent spam, only send one message to one Twitter member and remember to be subtle.  Do not instruct them to buy your merchandise, simply encourage them to look.

In short, Twitter is a great way to stay in contact with friends, family members, and coworkers, but it is also an amazing internet marketing tool.  If you are an eBay seller who isn’t seeing success or an eBay seller who wants to increase your profits, give Twitter a try.  Since the service is free to use, you have nothing to lose, but profits to gain.

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