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March 28, 2009
Tammy Kahn Fennell
 Okay, so maybe Mom won’t know all of this, but it really is
pretty simple, and you don’t need a huge command of the internet to make it happen. Since my
last post was pretty popular, I thought I’d stick with the list of 7 :-)
1. Provide free information.
I know, it’s tough to think it’s okay to provide something for free when everyones dying to turn a
profit, but it really does so much good. I mean, you’re reading this for free, right? And I bet you
are kinda happy with me for giving it to you for free. And i bet, if I was selling something you
wanted you’d probably buy it from me because I’m so nice for giving it to you. :-) Whatever your
niche, there’s something you know that someone else doesn’t. It can be an article on your web site
or blog. On my site, VintageRareStuff.com, we have a backstamp dating section where people can
figure out the year of the stamp on the back of their figurine. We have been consigned countless
collections for this reason. Wikipedia even linked to us at a point (wiki is funny about commercial
web sites).
2. Have multiple sites all pointing back to you.
This is what I call the ‘pincer move.’ If someone types into google and they find one site, and
they see it’s you, then they find another, and its you… and then, if you’re ambitious they find a
third, and its you, they are going to go with you. You’ve become omnipresent. You are THE only one
in the field, apparently. This works really work in conjunction with video, which brings me to
number 3.
3. Have a video.
I said it in my google adsense post and I’ll say it again because it’s that important. Nothing does
the pincer move more than having a multimedia approach. You’re showing up in articles, sites, and
video? How could anyone not go with you - You’re everywhere! I can help you with this -
GetMeVideo.com (and since I’m providing all this free information aren’t you happy to check out my
site? Kudos to way #1!). By the way, if you sell on eBay you can have great success with short
videos in your listings. There are rules about this. Please contact me at the aforementioned link
if you have any questions!
4. Lose the Fear.
I know, you’re thinking… me? an expert? But you must lose the fear and believe in yourself if you
want other people to believe in you. And all being an ‘expert’ means is that you know more than
most about a particular topic. Two examples… I wrote a price guide for M.I. Hummel figurines
because I was tired of the over-inflated price guides that were out there. At first I was petrified
- I mean, who am I to publish something in a field that is riddled with ‘experts.’ But I published
it, and I sold my first book, and then a second. I did a price guide for Royal Doultons, Co-Boy
Gnomes, and Hummels. I have sold over 100 since publishing in December and I have only had two
people ask for their money back. I was so scared someone was going to call me out and make me feel
like I was in over my head, but they didn’t, because the truth is I know more than most people
about the subjects I wrote about. Same with getmevideo.com. This is a new project for me, and I was
very scared that artsy video people would be on my case for not being “MGM” enough. I find that my
honesty really helps me here. “Hey, I’m not MGM, but I’m going to put together a video campaign for
$500 for you that will get you tons more traffic and will cost less than what you spend in a month
on adwords.” People are receptive to that kind of honesty, and will still consider me an expert
even if I won’t give Spielberg a run for his money ;-).
5. Criticism just means it’s working.
Will there be jerks out there who want to tear you down, regardless? Hell yes. There are people
in this world that live to criticize. But here’s the secret - they’re usually too scared to try
things themselves so they spend their time telling you how much better they could do it if they
‘cared to give it a try.’ Don’t even get me started on how annoying I find those people, but,
bottom line - they are never going to give it a try. Exploit this. You are a do-er. They are a
complainer. Just keep doing and ignore them. Plus, negative publicity is still publicity. If you
are responding to them in a blog or a linkedin group, do your best to take the high road and nicely
explain that you are going to continue with what you do because you believe in what you’re
doing.
6. Stay Ahead of the Competition.
There are tools out there like Google Alerts and Filtrbox. Both are free and will let you save
searches for specific phrases (put them in quotations or you’ll get a lot more mail than you
bargained for!). This helps you keep your finger on the pulse of your industry.
7. Keep it specific to start, expand later.
What I mean by this is start with something small…. I started with Hummels, then I launched
www.CollectiblesCornerTV.com which broadened
my expertise to the broader world of collectibles, from collectiblescornertv.com I’ve leveraged
my video and marketing skills to launch www.GetMeVideo.com, etc. So start small, build a base, and then
keep growing!
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