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Let’s put our creativity to work by brainstorming for a collector’s Web site.
First, let’s talk about our target audiences. I’m a collector, so I know about “these people.” When you are passionate about your collection, which most collectors are, your “wants” become “needs.”
Let me explain. I have a watch collection. I didn’t mean to have a watch collection. It just sort of happened. I get rather carried away with things. With the watches, it became a learning experience with me with SEO and user/seller behaviors which even made it worse (or better, depending on how you look at it). I probably have 20-25 watches. Funny thing: I don’t even wear a watch to work these days. No time to decide which one to wear.
But here’s the main point. Do I need another watch? Absolutely not. Could a watch seller convince me to buy a new one with little trouble? Absolutely.
This is an important point to consider with collector’s Web sites. They may need another piece to complete a collection, or they may need this year’s new piece or a retired piece that they haven’t been able to buy. But they often buy because they’re passionate about their collection. They’re buying because they “want.” The way you describe the object on your Web site can greatly impact their buying decision.
What is the history of the piece? How many were made? Is it autographed? Do you have a spectacular picture of the piece that can be enlarged? All of these can make a “want” turn into a desperate “need.”
Your photographs of the collectibles have to be as professional as the David Singer photographs I use throughout this blog. If you want someone to spend large dollars on a collector’s piece, they have to be able to see the piece every which way there is. Allow them to rotate the piece to look at it from all angles.
Now, let’s get into the actual brainstorming.
Let’s say that we have a collector’s Web site, and we’re selling memorabilia from old movie sets. We have autographed pictures of movie stars, posters, dresses and clothes worn by stars, jewelry worn by stars, props used on TV and movie sets, books on movie stars and movies, etc. We also have items from estate sales of the stars. We have anything and everything “Hollywood” in our little online store.
We’re all set when it comes to optimization and rankings, but we need more traffic. What can we do?
We’re all sitting at a round table with a bunch of Legos in front of us, and we’re brainstorming for ideas for things we can do to bring in more traffic to our Web site. What do our target audiences want to see on our site? What would keep them coming back over and over again?
I’ll start with one simple idea. We’re going to set up chat rooms where we host chats on all types of topics related to collecting movie memorabilia. We’ll post the dates and times of the chats on the main page of our site, and we’ll make sure people “join” (even though the chats are free). We’ll even see if we can invite in some old movie stars for guest appearances.
What are YOUR ideas?
Robin