51 replies to this topic

[Chris Miller]

Simple poll. Do you have a website? It can be one you sell from or a simple information page. Im just curious what percentage of the members have one.

[ArdeoTech_Admin]

I'm glad to see that everyone so far has products listed on their site. In order to help generate ideas for our clients it is important that they be able to see the types of thins that we can do.

[Larry911]

You left out Shorty's. We've been using their free website for over a year.

Larry

[DBeavers]

Yes,
I have my own original website. I have been selling to some very loyal online clients over the past 5 years. I have a link to DistributorCentral for custom product searches, as well as my own product link to a cross section of items and short term specials

Dennis

[rickyboy]

I also have a website which was custom designed and features product searches from about 60 of our preferred suppliers. We also have it enabled for clients to search via product catagories and specific events such as trade shows. You can browse my site at www.rickgreene.leewaynecatalog.com. We feature a 'special' which changes every few months.

[COOPERSTEPP]

We have a website with specific pages and those pages have individual custom website catalogs per supplier, we offer specials on our home page, works for now, but I see where we are going to have to expand with a shopping cart feature. I have been shopping that for 6 months.

[gil levitch]

I have a website (loudisplay.com) that not only has 60,000 products listed on it, but anyone on it can buy online or inquire about a profuct and price. Either way I receive an immediate email which I can answer or not answer if I feel it is just somebody shopping and not interested in buying. I also have links to other suppliers (wih my identity on them) which allow purchasing or inquiring. Again I receive an immediate email. I use SAGE as the host for this lsite. As they update SAGE online they also update the products on my site. Cost is 395 per year which is dirt inexpensive for what they give me. Any of you are welcome to look at see what I have.

[DonsPromo]

We are just in the process of setting up our own website. My question to all of you is: we seen to prefer linking up to suppliers that DO NOT SHOW PRICING, as our pricing is very dependent upon who the client is, what the history is with us, what the budget is, etc. We do not want them to see any pricing, including ASI coded prices. What is your feeling on this, and also, we find that most supplier sites do have pricing on it. We would appreciate feedback on this issue.
Donna S.
Diamond Star Promotions

[bdadco]

DonsPromo said:

We are just in the process of setting up our own website. My question to all of you is: we seen to prefer linking up to suppliers that DO NOT SHOW PRICING, as our pricing is very dependent upon who the client is, what the history is with us, what the budget is, etc. We do not want them to see any pricing, including ASI coded prices. What is your feeling on this, and also, we find that most supplier sites do have pricing on it. We would appreciate feedback on this issue.
Donna S.
Diamond Star Promotions

the only suppliers we will link to our website are them that do not have a phone number or a e mail address on their site. The only reason any honest supplier would ever post a phone number or an e mail address is if they were wanting our customer to contact them directly so they could steal our customer!! I refuse to do free advertising for that kind of supplier!! :mad:

[DonsPromo]

Bill, we linked up to a pen suppllier (well known, top supplier), and when we followed the links on their site, it actually led the people to OTHER distributors with names and phone numbers - and not mine!!!

[bdadco]

DonsPromo said:

Bill, we linked up to a pen suppllier (well known, top supplier), and when we followed the links on their site, it actually led the people to OTHER distributors with names and phone numbers - and not mine!!!

Hummmmm,,, have to wonder did this company start another company with a different name so it could selll direct and no one would know?? as time goes on we are finding that there are lots of Bastard children hidden in our business.. Indeed I would give the origional company a call and find out why it wasn't my phone number that comes up?? If you will, please e mail me the company name so I can visit the website for myself. Thanks

Bill

[DonsPromo]

Bill, give me your e-mail address, and let me know what you think of this site.

[bdadco]

DonsPromo said:

Bill, give me your e-mail address, and let me know what you think of this site.

lol, whats a little more spam mail, bdadvertising@gmail.com or bill@bdadvertising.com

[Floydkjett]

We also have a Sage hosted site. Easy to update specials, and I can change things myself as I see fit. www.mopromo.com

[quixote77]

Another way to do a website is a blog. They are free and may attract customers who won't go to a purely commercial site. You can import content from other site or blogs if you aren't a great writer. Use fun content to keep interest up as well. Then if you have another site, use links to that site and ocassionally use the posts on your blog to sell stuff. For an example see my blog at http://advertisingsp...ty.blogspot.com

From there, you can actually set up a free site with blogger. I don't make anything from this. Just an idea.

Randy Kirk
California Springs Line
800-245-3737 ext 223
Great bicycle bottles.

[PerfectImp]

quixote77 said:

Another way to do a website is a blog. They are free and may attract customers who won't go to a purely commercial site. You can import content from other site or blogs if you aren't a great writer. Use fun content to keep interest up as well. Then if you have another site, use links to that site and ocassionally use the posts on your blog to sell stuff. For an example see my blog at http://advertisingspecialty.blogspot.com

From there, you can actually set up a free site with blogger. I don't make anything from this. Just an idea.

Randy:

This is a great idea, but a few questions (I'm sure others may be asking themselves...but that may just be my hyperextended ego talking)

1) In a commercial blog, would it be appropriate to suggest an idea, and then have a link to the product page on the manufacturuer's website?

2) How do you find out if anyone else is doing a promotional products/ ad specialty blog?

Anywho, I've started my blog as suggested. I figure it to be a learning experience. To view it, see http://PIPromotions.blogspot.com

Don Speirs
Perfect Impressions Promotions
Lake Stevens, WA

[quixote77]

There is no way to do a blog wrong. It is personal by its very nature. So play around with it. For the California Springs line blog http://advertisingsp...es.blogspot.com I try to keep it about 85% non commercial. But that's just me.

The only way to see how many others are doing it is to google it. That is an imperfect way at best. I don't worry to much about the competition in the blog world. It is too new.

Your blog is off to a great start. The real key is posting often. Try to post daily. You may want to come up with a bunch of articles all at once and put them in the "drafts." Then you can transfer them daily.

Also, you don't have to write all of the stuff yourself. The cool part about blogs is borrowing from others and having links to their sites. It helps to build your status on Google. Some of the articles (posts) on my site are perfectly legit for your site.

Good luck with it.

[1st-Internet]

World's FIRST Promotional Product Internet source - since 1992, but it isn't a "site". Our site is our offices here in WV.

In a Marketing industry I'm amazed how nearly nonexistent self-marketing is in the industry.

Does anyone want a to be anything as pedestrian as a "site" which runs from pre-school diaper set to XXXX porn and every boring, mundane worthless concept in-between?

Regards,
Earle Miller, Creative Director

World's 1st Internet Promotional Merchandise source for sales, service and information!
Before AOL, Before Yahoo, Before Amazon, Before MSN, Before eBay..
Before the Ad Specialty Industry !
The Studio online sales & service since 1992
CELEBRATING 27YEARS 1978-2005

[DBeavers]

While I do have a website, most of my online customers call or fax their orders. A few will use my site to research products, but contact me direct to order. The site only serves as a catalog/search engine. The order form has grown cobwebs, which is the way I prefer it. I don't mind getting online orders, but like having a better connection to my customers.

Dennis

[sdmillar]

Has anyone looked into this company http://mydistributorwebsite.com/ that offers distributor websites? They have an excellent vitual sample tool that comes free. Our company is always looking at participating in sites that have the database driven product for distributors and this one looks like it has a lot to offer to the distributor. It is not free to distributors like Distributor Central, but the virtual tool is something I would think distributors would find invaluable. Our company participates right now with Distributor Central, ASI's ESP, Sage, and we are looking at this company as well.