Lesson 8: Hogging the Spotlight—Creating Compelling Titles

Hey HammerTap Executive,

By now you truly are an executive. What has made you that way, you wonder? The difference is that now you know how to ask the right questions and then find the right answers based on facts.

Although I have taught you how to think like an executive and make executive decisions, it´s time for acting lessons. Acting lessons? Yes, it´s time to learn how to hog the spotlight with your listings. Let me "set the stage."

I get on eBay, and I type in the search bar what it is I am looking for. Of course this searches the keywords contained within the listing titles. The problem is, if your title doesn´t match what the customer is looking for, they will never even see your item, even though it might be exactly what they are looking for. That´s where HammerTap´s exclusive keyword analysis comes in, and that´s exactly what today´s lesson is all about.

Today you will learn how to create a compelling listing title that allows you to hog the spotlight. Every time someone searches for a product similar to yours, you will always come up in the search results because of your listing title.

Introducing the Keywords Window!

What is this mysterious last window that we know nothing about? Well, in truth, I think I saved the best for last. This window contains the results that will give you that final competitive edge for your auctions. Let´s take a look at it together.

Go ahead and open our iPod 30GB filtered report. Click on .

As you will see, this window looks similar to the Listings window. Just like in the Listings window, I want to move the data around a little bit.

Remember, you can move the data around any way you like it. Throughout these lessons I have been showing you how I like to look at things, but I´m not the executive of your business—you are! So, you can look at this information from whatever angle you like.

To do this:

1. Make sure the data is sorted in descending order for # of Auctions.
2. Scroll to the right of the screen until you find the Auction Success Rate column.
3. Left-click and hold on the Auction Success Rate column and drag it to the left of the window.
4. Drop the Auction Success Rate column next to the # of Auctions column. Green arrows will appear to show you where to drop it. Let go of the mouse button to drop the column.
5. Now drag and drop the ASP/Item column next to the Auction Success Rate column.

Building that Compelling Title

Now that we have the data sorted, we want to look at keywords that are both big money makers and have high success rates. If we can find a good combination of ASP and LSR then we are using keywords that shoppers are using when they search for an item. How do you know that this is the case? Because the items with the highest ASP and LSR have the highest demand, meaning the highest number of bidders bidding on a shortage of items.

In this case, the words IPOD, 30GB, NEW, VIDEO, APPLE, and SEALED are the keywords that make the most money. So as we are creating our title, we want to be sure we use these words. We may also want to include color, whether it´s included in a box, or any other defining features that customers are looking for. You can see whether or not these words increase our ASP or LSR or both.

For this example, I would choose a title that includes the most successful keywords—something like "New Sealed Apple iPod Video 30GB"

Using Keywords to Find What Sells

That brings me to my next point. Although I´m already interested in selling iPod 30GBs, what if I want to get into a more specific iPod market (say, black iPods versus white ones)? How can I find which iPod 30GB (black or white) is most sought after?

Through our research, we know that keywords are a large success factor on eBay. To find out which keywords (black vs. white) sell in this case, open up the iPod 30GB Category Search report you´ve saved. Go to the Keywords window and sort the data like you did above. Now look for which keyword has the highest ASP and LSR.

It looks like the black iPod 30GB is saturating the market far more than the white, and has the highest LSR and ASP. It appears as though black iPods are not only more sought after, but bring in a higher price and sell more consistently than white iPods. You can take this kind of information and see what kind of a profit you can expect to make based on what your products will cost you and how much you can sell them for. (It´s a good thing I haven´t invested in a whole truckload of white iPod 30GBs because they don´t sell as well as the black ones!)

Now you know how to look and see what the hot items are in your category, which brings you to the close of this lesson and to your new assignment.

Assignment #8: Building effective titles and finding what sells

You don´t think you are getting away without a homework assignment, do you?

For this assignment, please select a product you´re currently selling or thinking about selling and use the Keywords techniques you learned above to build an effective title. Which words bring in the most money? Which ones have the highest success rate? Answers to these questions will help you "set the stage" to hog the spotlight.

Next, research a category you want to get a foot into. In the last lesson you learned how to determine supply and demand for a specific item, as well as for a general category. Use those techniques combined with the techniques today to find what sells and start building your inventory.

Now that you are truly an executive for your business on eBay, it´s time to start building your inventory. This is when you can go check out our helpful resource center and find some products to sell. Check out our Seller´s Resource at this link.

CONGRATULATIONS! you´ve finished this session! As always, if you´ve got questions, send them my way.

Look for Lesson 9 in your inbox in a day or two. Or, if you can´t wait, move forward to Lesson 9 right now.

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