Using the QL for non-QL-related purposes...

[Sparrowhawk]

My current contract is to write an affiliate network search web-services platform for a well known magazine publisher (obviously for their online magazines rather than the print versions! ). This interfaces to the Google, eBay etc shopping APIs and then it processes the results for use by the magazine sites.

As part of my test data, I regularly include "Sinclair QL" as a search term. Rich's RWAP sales at Sell My Retro come up regularly on the Google search

My previous contract (at the same client) was a meta-searching web-services platform that queried all their various sites's databases. Again, the QL was the first term I searched on. Alas, almost no hits there, although "Sinclair" returned lots of magazine articles referencing Sir Clive or the Spectrum.

[vanpeebles]

Hehehe, years ago I had a job where I recorded on screen tutorials on how to use stuff like Office, Flash, Visual Basic etc. For the examples I had to make up fake spreadsheets, documents etc for all the people and place names I used spectrum game authors or referenced certain games in street names etc. No one noticed and they all made it past the final cut

I'd have stuff like Matthew Smith living at Horace Terrace, or the bin man from Trashman Fred Scrunge living at Montague Road which was the 1st level.

[RWAP]

Glad to see that my marketing strategy for SellMyRetro is paying off - we get around 1/2 million hits a month.

[dilwyn]

Glad to see that my marketing strategy for SellMyRetro is paying off - we get around 1/2 million hits a month.

Great stuff! Which presumably means you're a multi-millionaire by now?
How do you promote it? Give us a clue as to your successful marketing!

Dilwyn

[RWAP]

Word of mouth, good customer service, keeping people updated and delivering on promises.

Surely all marketing is the same, it is just that there are more methods which can be used nowadays.

Actually from a QL point of view, the following has helped spread the word about the QL and drive more traffic to my various websites:
- Twitter - https://twitter.com/#!/SellMyRetro
- The QL Wiki - http://www.rwapadventures.com/ql_wiki/
- Facebook groups - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sinclair-QL/32408594350 , http://www.facebook.com/SellMyRetro , http://www.facebook.com/groups/27527162456/
- Submitting my product feed to Google Base and theFind.co.uk
- The QL Forums
- Adding interesting content and answering queries about the QL on various other forums

Ermm... That's about it that I can think of - it's certainly enough to keep things going.

The main problem I have with SellMyRetro.com is persuading other sellers to try it out - it amazes me how many are willing to relist items at 99p several times on eBay, paying 10p each time for the pleasure - it's no wonder they have to keep putting their starting prices up !

Actually, has anyone else noticed that there is less interest at the moment on ebay in the Sinclair QL - maybe sellers putting too high starting prices on items, or maybe it is the impact of SellMyRetro !

[dilwyn]

Word of mouth, good customer service, keeping people updated and delivering on promises.

Surely all marketing is the same, it is just that there are more methods which can be used nowadays.

Actually from a QL point of view, the following has helped spread the word about the QL and drive more traffic to my various websites:
- Twitter - https://twitter.com/#!/SellMyRetro
- The QL Wiki - http://www.rwapadventures.com/ql_wiki/
- Facebook groups - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sinclair-QL/32408594350 , http://www.facebook.com/SellMyRetro , http://www.facebook.com/groups/27527162456/
- Submitting my product feed to Google Base and theFind.co.uk
- The QL Forums
- Adding interesting content and answering queries about the QL on various other forums

Ermm... That's about it that I can think of - it's certainly enough to keep things going.

The main problem I have with SellMyRetro.com is persuading other sellers to try it out - it amazes me how many are willing to relist items at 99p several times on eBay, paying 10p each time for the pleasure - it's no wonder they have to keep putting their starting prices up !

Actually, has anyone else noticed that there is less interest at the moment on ebay in the Sinclair QL - maybe sellers putting too high starting prices on items, or maybe it is the impact of SellMyRetro !

Largely what I expected. Persuading other sellers to try out something smaller and new is always going to be an uphill struggle - that's human nature I guess. Everyone knows eBay exists, but "other auction sites are available". I actually didn't know about www.theFind.co.uk so that might come in useful.

"Surely all marketing is the same..." - to some extent yes, but there's always something new to learn. Anyway, you seem to be doing a great job - keep it up!

Dilwyn