Now you probrably won't make a fortune doing this type of market testing. The main benefit of using Ebay in this manner is that it will show if there is an interest in what you are offering.

If you are getting a decent amount of views to ad, bids and even inquiring emails. Then it is a good indicator that your product or service will sell and have a higher ROI when using higher cost advertising.

This is especially true if you have a new product or a better version of whats already out there. But you can try this technique on any product or service you have.

Trying this with new offers saves you money. If new item or service etc. does not seem to be bringing any interest. Then you can save all that time and money in producing it, packaging etc. This is a great way to get your new offer off ground without spending a dime on production before hand.

I have found that Ebay buyers are most hesitant of internet customers. So, if THEY are willing to buy what you offer, general internet community will be even more apt to be interested in your offer.

As a side note - by using My Ebay page on Ebay, you do get to place a link to your site which is an inbound link and to some extent will help your site popularity with search engines.

Accurate Billing: We all know mistakes happen. But when you make a billing error or you overcharge, you immediately lose credibility. Add to that time is takes for a customer to contact you to complain or get you to adjust bill, and you may well have lost a future sale – and potential sales of friends and family they’ve complained to.

Hassle-free refunds: We’ve all been there. For some reason we change our minds about a product, or it doesn’t work properly, or it’s not quite what we expected. And we want our money back. Make sure your customers know this is an easy process, up front.

2. Obtain Customer Information

If you want your loyalty program to succeed you must obtain background information from your customers. A program that only requires a name, address, and proofs of purchase isn’t building a long-term knowledgeable relationship with them. And it makes sense that a customer who will take time to complete an enrollment form is going to be more interested in product than a casual purchaser. When designing your enrollment form make sure you get information on product usage, purchasing habits, attitudes etc. That way you can tailor your products and services to your customer’s specific needs. And build a database of customers who actually want a long-term relationship with your company.

Keep Communicating

One of easiest ways to keep customers loyal is to establish on going communication. This can be in form of emails promoting special offers, letters announcing new products, electronic or print newsletters or even offering educational materials. Another good way of continuing communication is to send them something useful with your company name on it. These simple, inexpensive gifts keep your name in front of a customer, and help to keep them loyal.

Need some help thinking up a loyalty program for your business? Here are some suggestions.

 Gift certificates: Offer your customers a gift certificate when they spend a certain amount of money. For example, if they buy $200 worth of goods during a six-month period offer them a $25 gift certificate.  Offer point programs: Give your customers points for every $10 or so they spend. When they’ve acquired a certain amount of points they can exchange them for selected goods or services.  Free Shipping: This incentive is a sure-fire winner for mail order and online companies. Offer free shipping on orders over a certain amount or on future orders.  Communications: Newsletters, pamphlets, direct mailings, postcards, magazines, white papers etc. All these can be used to increase customer loyalty. They don’t need to include a special offer or discount, but it will help.

Properly implemented loyalty programs are a long-term marketing strategy that take a lot of work and commitment. But, getting new customers takes a lot of work too. So, it makes sense to do everything you can to make sure that every one of those customers keeps coming back time and time again, and recommends you to others.

Julia is an independent copywriter and consultant specializing in advertising, search engine optimization and search engine marketing services. To learn more about how Julia can help boost your company's profits visit her site at www.juliahyde.com. You may also like to sign up for Marketing Works! Julia's monthly ezine. Visit www.juliahyde.com/form.html to sign up or email Julia at mailto:info@juliahyde.com for details.