The Breyer SpotLight: Your Horse Model Market Resource

Hi <>

In this issue

1. Personal note from Bonnie
2. A Few of my Secrets for Great Ads
3. It's coming, New Book!

Personal note from Bonnie

If you read the last ezine, you know that my husband and I spent 4 days in Utah visiting our Grandson Everett. It was wonderful to be in such a warm climate and away from the blizzard that moved in just after we left home. I have to say, I did feel a bit worried for our son who stayed behind to take care of all the chores, however, he also encouraged us to go.

And we are so glad we did. Have you ever seen a seven week old baby flirt? It is the cutest thing and he has his Grandpa's crooked smile. You can see pictures of our trip and of course of Everett on Facebook. If you don't already have an account, I encourage you to get one, let me know you would like to be “friends” and that you are a Breyer SpotLight reader and you are all set. It is a good way to stay in touch.

A Few of My Secrets for Great Ads

Now for today's information; we have promised to give you useful information that will help you with your challenges of collecting Breyer models as well as the newest things that we can find happening with the industry.

Today I would like to focus on selling a bit and give you some secrets that I have used to bring in higher dollars than I ever thought possible when selling a model. Of course this is only a piece of the puzzle and you will have to put other pieces into place as well.

Starting with the title for your auction, whether it is on eBay or MH$P or another auction site because it is the Title of your ad that will be searched first. The key is that it is an auction format. And your title is vital to your success. This is because you need to think like the person wanting to buy your Breyer, Hartland, or Peter Stone model. You have to know what they are typing into the search area. Or at least make a really good guess.

The very first word that should be in every title is of course the word Breyer. That will bring it up into a generic search for Breyer; right along with over 3,000 - 4,000 others. It is a start, but only a start because it gets your ad out there. However, then you will need to add to your title in order to get the proper placing.

So looking at the model, you determine what mold and model it is, is it glossy, is it a Limited Edition (LE), is it Hard To Find (HTF) or very Rare. Use these words in the title description as well. Now because you have a limited amount of room for your title, you may need to abbreviate as I did above. This is fine because Model Horse Collectors know and understand those abbreviations and will use them in their search.

Let's give you an example: I have a Breyer Black Horse Ranch Semi Rearing Mustang Bay Appaloosa that I want to sell. The above title is too long and not really going to open up as many possibilities for people clicking on the ad as I would like. So instead, maybe I would use words in the title like this:

Breyer BHR Rearing Mustang Appy HTF or Breyer BHR Vintage Mustang Appy HTF.

Collectors that are looking for the Black Horse Ranch models will type in BHR, and other Collectors that are looking for any Hard to Find model may also use the abbreviation HTF. And of course if my model is truly a Vintage model, and knowing that Vintage Models are highly sought after, this term would also open up other doors as well. So by using the second description for the title, I am automatically advertising to six different areas of Collectors at the same time. Just make sure the terms you use are factual.

The next step is very very important: You must include the words from your title into the body of your ad at least twice. This helps the Google search engines pick up your ad if someone does a Google search. Then your ad reaches not only people on eBay, it also draws people in from beyond the auction site. And of course this will help increase your sales and your search rankings as well.

Some keywords for this time of the year that you may consider using are things like; Christmas Special (if you are presenting the model as a great gift), or Vintage (only if it applies and you may want to use the years it is made, such as 57-62) or Holiday Sale (if you are offering a discount). Each of these terms are big right now and who doesn't love a sale?

The point is to look for the Details of each model separately. Those details are what people are looking for when they type in the information into their search. Some Collectors are looking for Glossies; some are looking for Vintage, while others are looking for Eye Whites or Hard To Find models. Knowing your details of each model, and using those terms in both the title and the body of your ad will help you bring in additional visits from qualified Buyers.

Latest news! A New Book!

We just talked about how to write great copy for your ad. But an equally important component of the ad is Your Picture. The title of your Ad brings it up in the search; however, the Picture is what draws a person's eye in. Both of these elements are very important.

We are very excited to announce the coming release of our new eBook to help: Getting Great Pictures of Your Models. While we were visiting our Daughter in UT, she made a comment that pulls all of this together. “People are looking at photography as art now; they want something more than just a picture.” Yes, that is it exactly! Thank you Chenoa! And this book helps you create that “Art” with your photos of your models; even for your online ads. And this will help you stand out in the crowd of all the others wanting to sell Collectible Models. And this is a very important detail as well.

And YOU, as a Breyer SpotLight Subscriber are the very first to hear about this great information to move you to the front! How cool is that!

Collector of the month and our secret: SBI

Be sure to sign up for Collector Of The Month and increase your sales by allowing other Collectors get to know you. People bye from People they know, like and trust, as well as reading other Collectors stories. And with Collector of the Month you have the opportunity to tell them.

The current COM is Robyn Fox who runs a nonprofit rescue and the upcoming COM is Celia Tamker; Celia has a very impressive Collection and sells on eBay every now and then as well. I personally endorse and highly recommend both of these Collectors and anything they offer for sale.

Apply to be a Collector of the Month!

Site Build It! Or SBI! for short has been our little secret until now. If you are looking for a way to build a website without spending a great deal of money, but are afraid you do not have enough understanding or time, SBI! Is your answer. SBI offers loads of information as well as Coaching and tools that are not available anywhere else. And until November 9th, it is on SALE at $100 for the year! Knowing how good the system is and how much support you get, I may just start another site at that price.

Start building your site today

Keep Imagining!