Promoting a website showing dealers offering at a Antique Mall

[Lindsay Percival]

A few months ago we started a website for the dealers of Heritage Trail Antique Mall in Wilmette IL. The idea is to promote the mall and show what we have to offer. We are not selling from the website since we have all signed contracts that do not allow us to sell items without going through the mall. We have been told that younger clients like to view a website before coming in to buy but we are having a hard time promoting ourselves. Please visit our site and let me know what you think, do we need more words, content, prices, descriptions, photos? I'm interested in everyone's opinions.

[Vintage Rose Collectibles]

Can you put some pictures of some items on the home page, and are you allowed to blog where you can show items and possibly your own website etc. Blogging is a good tool as well as getting on facebook and twitter. Just a thought :)
Barbara

[Craig Phillips / B & C Emporium]

put the website address in EVERYthing you do it takes a while to get it known. press releases, adds, also get a face book page for the mall,as well as for yourself find friends for all the above it is a full time job

Craig Phillips
B & C Emporium antiques and original hardware
http://www.b-c-e.biz

[Duc (Paul) H. Tran]

Craig is absolutely right.

Also, have a way to collect leads on and offline.

[Duc (Paul) H. Tran]

what's the address?

[Lindsay Percival]

www.antiquedealers-htm.com

[Craig Phillips / B & C Emporium]

are you doing the website inhouse or is someone doing it for you??

seo??

why not sell items on the website or at least put prices on the items you are showing,?

I know everyone loves their booth shots to show what is available, but they are sometimes distracting when we do photo shoots I do them individually and against a contrasting backdrop,

ie years ago our showroom is a 28 X 70 with 2 lg front windows, we thought to put furniture up as a backdrop and they could see past that to see what was in the store, now we have solid walls up there, and the items show much much better,

so if each of you get 1 page to show your items, instead of 3-5 lg pictures of just shots of the booth, why not have 20-40 photos of individual items or sets ( bedroom, dinning, dish set) of items with descriptions and a price

just a thought,

Craig Phillips
B & C Emporium Antiques and original hardware
http://www.b-c-e.biz

[Lindsay Percival]

Thank you very much for the very good ideas. We have created the site ourselves and do have a company optomizing but I'm finding that very frustrating. Maybe I'm not giving it enough time.
I realize that the site is photo heavy and we maybe we should be having more content. I like the idea of the descriptions and prices.

[Michael Bathrick]

Typically the contract means that you can't sell anything at the mall through any other means except the mall. In other words, pulling a buyer aside and making a deal cutting out the mall. It doesn't stop you from selling other items that are not at the mall, nor does it keep you from removing the items from the mall and selling them in another manner.

If your contract keeps you from doing sales outside of the mall I am sure that it would not hold up in court, just like many non-compete agreements have been tossed. IANAL, YMMV

Mike

Check out my try at this at http://www.centrecountyantiques.com/ - I am trying to promote the antiques business in Centre County, PA. Comments are welcome!

[Lindsay Percival]

You bring up some good ideas, I wonder how much work it would entail to sell from the site. Maybe we should put links to dealers pages if they have them.

[Lindsay Percival]

I like your site, having a page for 'who's buying what' is a great idea.
Lindsay

[Chicago Retro]

not sure what kinds of ideas you might get from it but we are at www.outoftheatticantiques.biz maybe you could get some ideas from looking at our site - I know i just got agood one from looking at Mr. Bathrick's website (and thanks for posting it) Good luck all

[Keith Johnston]

I know that this post is a little old so I hope that my advice is timely, but one of the most important ways that you can promote the mall via the web is to integrate the site with facebook and twitter and add a blog to your site (you add blog content that feeds the facebook and twitter accounts).I know that some people mentioned that below and it is really the most important thing you can do.

 

Because you are a antique mall, you can rely on your vendors/booth holders to provide the blog content, ie they have new merchandise, it is becky's 5th year with you, new person came on board etc.

 

The trick to twitter is to go out and follow people who are interested in collecting/antiquing and with facebook you have to make sure that you build a "like" button into  your site. Social media is great if you work hard at it (it is not a build it and they will come type thing).

 

We just started our online antique store directory (we are actually in Glenview, I have been to your place) and you can list the mall with us (it is free if you use the code "betatest")....the site is www.antiquevintageguide.com.

 

Hope that helps.

Keith