Marketing Case Study

"How We Made $11,137 In Profits In Three Weeks

From A Site Less Than 2 Months Old."

4/18/03

In the last issue of this newsletter, I announced my newest site, http://www.auto-
broker-magic.com. This is a joint venture with a good friend of mine. We buy late
model cars, trucks and SUV's at crazy prices at dealer-only auctions ... below
wholesale ... often way below wholesale.

We then sell them with a small markup directly to consumers via the internet ... and in
the brick and mortar world as well. Anyone can buy these cars from us ... and
usually save thousands of dollars compared to going through a dealer.

After all, we have no showroom costs, sales commissions, big Sunday ad costs, etc..
And it's a win-win ... our customers are thrilled to save so much money ... and we're
thrilled to have them as customers.

Okay, that's the background.

The response has surpassed our expectations, to put it mildly.

Now, let's look at the reasons this venture got off to a strong start. I know what
works in one business doesn't necessarily mean it will work in another, but perhaps
there are some lessons here in this Internet marketing case study that will apply to
your business as well.

* First ... Identify Your Niche Market:

We're not trying to be all things to all people. We're specifically targeting the "used
car" market ... and even more specifically ... those people who "shop and compare"
on the web.

Then, it was just a matter of finding out where these people hangout. After some
search engine time, we found them. Then, through ads or reciprocal links, we've
introduced them to our site.

Do you know where your market members hangout?

* Second ... Establish Your USP (Unique Selling Position):

We're strictly "wholesalers" ... and we're just "regular guys". We're not some mega
dealership that's trying to bleed out every dollar possible. We're on the consumer's

side ... genuinely out to save them lots of their hard-earned cash ... and people seem
to recognize this.

Our USP? We're "wholesale car rebels".

What's special about your business? How are you different ... and more
beneficial than the competition?

* Third ... Get High Search Engine Rankings:

Create your web pages with Google in mind. While it takes some work, it's not all
that difficult. Half of our traffic is now search engine generated, even though the

site is just 2 months old.

Since you have web pages anyway, why not structure them to do well in Google?
It's free, extremely targeted traffic.

Are you getting good search engine rankings?

I got all the help I've needed last Fall and simply use it over and over again with each
of my sites ... and it works time after time. If you need to solve the search engine
puzzle, you can do it here:

http://www.internetprofitwizards.com/Improve_Search.html

* Fourth ... Get Links From Other Sites:

Getting links from other sites isn't just for improving your search engine rankings,
although of course it helps. Your strategy here should be doing "double duty". You
want them from sites that will actually bring you traffic as well.

Here's what I did: Using the Google toolbar, I searched for the keywords I was
interested in, and the added, "add url" to the search. This is a big surfing time-saver.

For example, I would do a search for "auto tips add url" (without the quote marks),
and all other search terms I was interested in.

In visiting the sites, I found those whose link pages had a Google Page Rank of at
least 4, but preferably 5 or higher. I then made a file of those sites I needed to
contact to attempt to get a link (I still haven't gotten to these yet).

But I quickly set up links for those sites who merely required a reciprocal link, two of
which were sites getting a million visitors a year. Bingo ... instant traffic. And

a month later, a Google PR of 4 ... good enough for page one and page two rankings
for a number of search terms.

Are you searching for good linking partners who would benefit your site, both
in terms of page rank AND traffic?

* Fifth ... Hire A Professional Where Needed:

There were some things that were "beyond" us. We needed a professional looking
logo for branding as well as a top-notch brochure for offline marketing. We
provided the copy ( need copy help? ) but hired a "pro" for the overall appearance
we were looking for.

The result? Rather than stumbling along for weeks or months trying to figure out how
to create effective pieces ourselves, as we see so many others do, our modest
investment paid for itself within 24 hours ... and in spades since.

(If you need a terrific graphic artist, I can recommend ours wholeheartedly. Very
reasonable too. Just email me.)

We've already "outgrown" our simple "starter" web site and are now also talking with
prospective web site designers to add a look and functionality that has become
necessary ... and that will serve our visitors far better.

Are you using "pro's" where needed to be both efficient and to increase
sales? It's next to impossible to be a 'jack of all trades' ... and will really
slow you down.

* Sixth ... Explore Offline Marketing Avenues:

We're using our brochures, focused on leading people to our web site, as both a
mailer and as a potential new, zero-cost, employee benefit. Any 'employee sales'
also result in a charitable gift to the organization of the employer's choosing.

Are you employing offline techniques to boost your online sales?

* Seventh ... Build Trust And Credibility:

People won't give you a dime on the Internet if they don't trust you ... nomatter how
great your product or service. And we're asking them for thousands of dollars.

Provide testimonials, references, pictures, banking information from a 'big name'
bank, snapshots of licenses and memberships, phone numbers and addresses of
everything.

Have you gone the extra mile to allay any potential fears your customers
may have?

* Eighth ... Create An Effective Newsletter:

We certainly don't convince everyone that we are on the 'up and up'. Others just
don't need a car right now. But we don't want to lose either group forever.

If they get to know us, some will realize we can, indeed, be trusted. Others, over
time, will come to understand that we are the best source for the savings they are

seeking.

This is best done with an insightful, trust-building newsletter.

Are you getting your site visitors to subscribe to your newsletter before
leaving? And if so, are they actually reading it and responding?

I use a terrific resource for newsletter success.

http://www.internetprofitwizards.com/NewsletterMark.html

* Ninth ... Give 'Em A Reason To Come Back:

So they came and went. No sale and no newsletter subscription. Is it over? Not if
you've hooked them on coming back.

How? By continually adding new information that's right up their alley.

We go to at least 4 major 'dealer-only' auctions a week. And each week, we buy
vehicles that we don't have orders for because they are just too good to pass up ... at
crazy prices.

We offer these on our web site and they usually sell quickly. Right now, a third of
our visitors can't resist returning to see what we've added every few days and to see

what we've sold ... and at what prices. This builds familiarity, trust and future
customers.

Are you giving your visitors a reason to come back?

* Tenth ... You're Customers Are Your Biggest Fans. They'll
Give You Plenty Of Referrals If You Give Them An Incentive.

We give our customers a $50 gift certificate for the restaurant of their choice when
someone they refer to us becomes a customer. We could have just offered $50 in

cash, but that looks too much like a pure bribe.

The gift certificate gets a very good response because it seems more like a ... well ...
gift.

Is there a way you can offer your customers something of real value for
spreading the word?

* Eleventh ... Get A Little Lucky:

Sometimes, good things happen unexpectedly. For example, our car auctions on
Ebay have brought many new visitors to our site ... people who weren't apparently
interested in the car being auctioned, but who were interested in what

else we may offer.

And we've sold vehicles to a number of Ebay people who called or emailed us with
specific requests.

This wasn't something we thought of beforehand. Now we've discovered a new
source of leads and have factored that into our costs of listing with Ebay ... bringing
them way down and compelling us to do more auctions.

Activity brings discoveries, often times very positive ones.

Are you staying active? Are you always on the lookout for new marketing
opportunities and the lessons they bring?

Well, let's end here for now. I'll be bringing you further experiences, insights and
updates on this venture in the days ahead. I hope these have been helpful.

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