7. Organize

To a great extent, we've been covering this all along. But it can't be
emphasized enough. Don't make me, the shopper, search high and low on
your site for a statue that perfectly matches my wizard logo. Combine
the wizard, sorcery, magical, knights of the roundtable products
together. Think of every way that someone like me - or any other
shopper - might go looking for them. And make them easy to find by
organizing.

8. Monopolize

Many merchants worry that this is a taboo form of marketing. Not at
all.

Would it have been taboo to sell flags on 9/11/01? Perhaps. But every
day since then they have been selling like hotcakes. And if you offer
American patriotism in the form of products on your gift site, then you
need to monopolize on the new American patriotism. For years merchants
have monopolized on Christmas, Mother's Day, and every other gift giving
occasion. Let's face it, Hallmark and American Greetings would go belly
up if this year we all decided to boycot our moms on Mother's Day.

So how do you do this? Jog your memory by looking at everything we've
covered. Specialization and categorization. Organization.
Preplanning. They all come into play.

You don't need a crystal ball to see what trends are coming along in
consumerism. And if you see them, you need to monopolize on them if you
want to run a successful gift sales business.

Look at what eToys.com, Walmart.com, BlueLight.com, etc. did this year.
A rather unstable economy kept people from spending quite as freely as
they have in years past. Rather than give up all together, merchants
increased their specials and discounts. And didn't we all buy at least
one thing this past holiday season not because we or our gift recipient
needed it, but rather because it was too inexpensive not to buy?

9. Design Your Site Carefully

This could be an entire article on its own. But let's look at the
general mechanics of a site that would rank high in the search engines.

Quality and quantity keywords and meta tags are imperative if you want
the right kind of traffic. Speed of loading and ease of navigation are
required to get visitors where you want them to end up - the order
page. Aesthetically pleasing visuals make shoppers happy and turn them
into buyers. And finally, the more payment methods you are able to
accept, the more buyers you will receive.

Invite a friend, preferably an internet newbie, to shop from your site.
Perhaps even offer a free gift as the incentive. See how long it takes
them to find what they are looking for and order it. Do they get
frustrated? Do they smile or frown? Re-think your gift site design
accordingly.

10. Market Every Day

What no holidays or Sundays off? That's right. You should always be
prepared to hand out a business card or zap off an email when you see a
marketing opportunity. And you can be marketing even when you aren't
marketing. Your signature text in your emails should ALWAYS contain a
link to your business site. Every thing you ship should have your URL
printed everywhere. When you leave a pen at the bank, it should have
your business contact printed on it. If you stop at a yard sale and see
that someone obviously likes Teddy Bears, you should tell them how to
get to your Teddy Bear Site.

What about getting other people to market for you?

Groups like http:/www.mompack.com are all about having other people help
promote your business for free. When you ship a product, always include
at least THREE of your business cards, one for the recipient to keep and
two to give away. Affiliate programs are a great way to get people to
sell for you. Don't overlook any option.

And when you are running a special, don't forget to advertise on sites
that compile savings information. My favorite is
http://www.clearancecrazy.com But there are tons of them.

11. Utilize Every Contact as a Potential Marketing Contact

One category of products that I sell is gourmet coffee, tea, and
snacks. It has absolutally nothing to do with my primary business,
http://www.SuccessPromotions.com. However, it is very successful in its
own right. Http://www.coffeeteaetc.com gets more hits regularly than
Success Promotions. Why? Because I tell everyone about it. For
example, every time I get a free cup of coffee somewhere, I leave a
couple business cards and web cards. (see www.mothersdayout.com/ for
web cards) I participate in marketing material exchanges through the
Mom Pack mentioned earlier. When I meet someone who sells any type of
home party product whether it be food/kitchen oriented like TupperWare
or completely different like PartyLite Candles or House of Lloyd, I tell
them about my business. It is easy to recruit for and easy to promote.
Almost everyone I know drinks coffee or tea. I give away samples. I
invite neighbors over for gourmet coffee. Everyone I talk to is a
suspected buyer or reseller until they prove themselves otherwise.

You should assume the same.

Wear the clothes that you sell or the jewelry. Drive the car that you
sell. Drink the coffee that you sell. And be prepared to share them
with anyone who even casually asks.

Along the same lines, encourage your own customers to do the same.

I have purchased many shirts from Sirr Max, http://www.sirrmax.com
Their positive logoed apparel fits my personality and I enjoy sharing
their messages of hope with anyone who takes the time to read my
clothing. At least twice a day, when wearing Sirr Max apparel, someone
will comment on how much they like my shirt or admire the message on my
tote bag. I'm always prepared to give a business card to them.
Ordering from this online giftwear site is easy. But potential
customers have to get to the site to order. So I help Pamela Jordan of
Sirr Max by advertising for her every time I wear her clothing.

If you sell anything besides underwear, then your customers' friends are
going to eventually see it. Make sure they are prepared to tell their
friends how they can get some too.

12. Network

The dreaded "N" word. This has nothing to do with multi level
marketing. It is all about who you know and what you know.

When you network, you invariably make potential business/client
contacts. So do it wholeheartedly. Don't just join a group like
Digital Women http://www.digital-woman.com or The Network for Women
http://www.thenetworkforwomen.com, but participate in them. Join the
email lists. Advertise. Donate time, products, services, etc. Make
yourself visible enough within the group that your networking is
accomplishing something. The contacts will be invaluable. And you neve
know who you will meet who either is just now looking for gifts like you
sell or knows someone who is.

Its a new year and all of is are ready for a fresh, new start. Make an
effort to utilize these suggestions in the way most appropriate for your
business. Sell more gifts by working to sell more gifts.

And remember, Success Promotions, http://www.successpromotions.com is
always just a quick browser surf away with tons more tips, tools, and
tricks.

About the Author
Shannan Hearne
President and Wizard
Success Promotions
http://www.successpromotions.com
Building Your E-Business Better