Resale Stores & the Web

I was doing some reading online the other day and I came across this story… It demonstrates the success (for a business) and the service (for the consumer) that Twitter can  bring a business.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) –

Kogi, a duo of Korean BBQ-inspired taco trucks in Los Angeles, has “Tweeted” its way to international stardom and is inspiring restaurateurs seeking new ways to tempt diners during a deep recession. (read the rest of the story here)

Another way to market your business is to join a twitter group.  @tweva (The White Elephant)  just began consignshop twitter group right here! Recently she listed pictures of new arrivals using twitpic - so the photo link goes right in her tweet.  With the click of a mouse and the great use of overlay (in tweetdeck) – tempting photos of products she’d described in her tweet were on my screen.

Remember, Twitter is socially based, people are drawn to things which interest them and joining a group based upon consignment shopping might just land you some new business.

Imagine what you can do for your customers while building your business ….

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If it sounds too good to be true, then it really is. Just as with many other things, if you want your business to be taken seriously you’ll want to avoid free web hosting. Free hosting comes with banner ads for other businesses and many times you’ll find those businesses to be competing business as it’s your keywords in your website that drive those ads.

As you can see, almost 25% of the right side of the page space is taken up with competing ads. You don’t want this and your customers/suppliers don’t want to see it either. And, yes, this is a real resale store website. I’ve limited the size of the photo in order to keep the identity anonymous because it’s not my wish to put down, but rather enlighten.

Business owners and potential business owners need to keep in mind that for less than $5 per month they can get reputable and reliable hosting to meet most if not all their needs and it’s important to invest properly into your business.

Hosting services are widespreadbut reliable web hosting is crucial and not all companies are equal. If you are having a difficult time determining which hosting company to sign up with I have personally worked with 2 hosting companies which I have been VERY happy with and both fall under the $5/month rate. They are: GoDaddy.com and for multiple domains on one account 1and1.com

Customer service I have found to be exemplary with both companies.

Additionally, if you have a website designer and they have a service they prefer to work with and it’s in the cost range described above then by all means you should go with their preference as they are the one who will be interacting on a regular basis with the hosting company. IF the cost is a lot more than that, then ask them what makes it more expensive. If there’s a legitimate reason – for example you’re setting your site up for e-commerce that’s fine. If you don’t receive an appropriate response then I think I’d be looking for a new designer to support my site and my needs. Certainly everyone is entitled to profit but profit on the services you actually perform rather than profiting off the hosting or domain name purchase. As you might ascertain, I don’t agree with this practice. :-/

Do you have a web host you’ve worked with and would like to recommend? Let me know and I’ll check them out.

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Domains are your piece of real estate on the internet. Just like that computer you own, or the racks your clothing hangs on, it’s a piece of property. It’s just a bit intangible until it’s put to use.

Addtionally, your domain name is an extension of your business, it’s a part of your branding, it’s your internet identifier.

So, you worked hard to put your business together, you’ve opened your doors and your website is on your “to do” list. Keep in mind that it would behoove you to purchase your domain name now rather than later. This aspect is a really small segment of getting your website up and could save you in the long run. Chances are though, that if you don’t snag that name, it could be gone when you’ve reached that part of your “to do” list.

What to do? Purchase your domain name now! Ensure your future website has your business domain name. You can purchase your domain name for as little as $8.95/year. Yea, $8.95 and park it (think of that as a place holder for your website) until you are ready to get your website up and running. Most all website registrars will park your domain for free.

Not sure how to do it? Which registrar to go with? There are a ton of registrars on the internet and you can easily google “domain name registrar” and get hundreds of thousands results. I know, I had to learn all this myself years ago. I personally recommend godaddy.com. I’ve used their services for years and have purchased for myself and others more domain names than you care to know.

Is your name available? go to godaddy and type in your business name and do a search. If the exact name is not available in the .com suffix try .net or .biz or .us – these are all common domain names.

Another way to get a domain name which is close to your business name is to add the word “shop” or “consignment” or “resale” to the end of your business name.

As an example a recent client of mine, Smarty Pants – a resale store in Roselawn, IN was unable to purchase smartypants.com, so instead she chose smartypantsresaleshop.com But she could have chosen shopsmartypants.com or smartypantsresale.com All of these names are acceptable and do not diminish the brand but rather enhance because the website is right inline with her business name and further defines the fact that it’s a resale shop.

Don’t become discouraged if your domain is not available – become creative.

And, if you would like assistance with this, I’ll be happy to guide you through the process.

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