[PROGRESS THREAD] www.sneakercount.com

[dknise]

Wow its been almost a month since my last post. I have added the blog and whats up i just need to wait for my developer to link it to the main sneakercount website. I currently have 1300 followers on instagram and 130 on twitter. Slowly growing. I have added the blog but it doesnt bring in people like i hoped. Currently been stealing ads from craigslist to post on my site and writing blog articles. There are some "sneaker" conventions or trade shows coming up. Would it make a big difference for me to go to on? What should i do there?

I think so, it'd give you awareness.

You're in an uber niche market. MALE shoe collecting. How many guys out there do you think are even collecting shoes on the level your site is doing? I think I know one guy who will spend $300 for a pair of Jordan's, but that's a maybe. So your target US market may only be in the thousands of people. Since a business really requires either scale (the number of people) or magnitude (the size of the affect on each consumer), you need to be maximizing the magnitude and trying to get the entire consumer niche market onto your site. If there isn't an online forum for it... adding that community could also help.

A less niche market would be an ecommerce store for big brand shoes. You could use the same framework and become a distributer. Just food for thought.

 

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[Tom.V]

The problem, as my friend experienced, is there are already channels in which collectors can trade among each other and establish their personal reputations by word of mouth. Several large groups on Facebook, probably reaching every single person interested in such things where they can buy, trade, or sell their items. As I told my friend over a year ago, you gotta have a USP and a damned good one to even have these guys THINK about using your marketplace. He has completely given up on the idea after spending around $5k.

 

[Twiizlar]

Thanks for the replys. I understand why people think this is a small market but it really isn't. On the first page there is someone who links to an ABC video showing how big the market really is. Many people dont understand or grasp it but its really there. Also the USP thing. I understand and that is the reason my website was created! Why go through tons of facebook pages and craigslist scrolling up and down for a shoe you want when you can simply come to my website and search for the shoe by name, size, condition, price. These things you can do on facebok

 

[Oven]

Have you tried contacting any of the owners of Facebook pages where people are selling shoes? Maybe you could pay them to make a post about your site or something? Good luck.

 

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[Deleted20245]

Another thing to get into could be the market of artist-customized sneakers.

http://www.complex.com/art-design/2013/05/20-sneaker-customizers-you-need-to-know/#gallery

 

[Deleted20245]

I also think you might need to artificially seed some trades.

Like for example, the starters of reddit made a bunch of fake accounts and posted hundreds of cool links to ensure that the first people didn't post lame stuff.

I'm not sure how you could do this with shoes, because you need the actual, physical items.

 

[Tom.V]

Also the USP thing. I understand and that is the reason my website was created! Why go through tons of facebook pages and craigslist scrolling up and down for a shoe you want when you can simply come to my website and search for the shoe by name, size, condition, price. These things you can do on facebok

My point is, you need a better USP. They can already do that on their own via FB or CL. You need a really good angle to get them in, then comes the hard part of actually hooking them. Give them some type of value more than a simple website where they can use a search function.

 

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[Twiizlar]

My point is, you need a better USP. They can already do that on their own via FB or CL. You need a really good angle to get them in, then comes the hard part of actually hooking them. Give them some type of value more than a simple website where they can use a search function.

Hmmm. I thought a website where all this trading was localized on one site was enough. I guess your right. What could i do?

 

[Twiizlar]

UPDATE: I have been trying to get people to use my website. I have put multiple ads on craigslist, marketed on groups on facebook, used instagram and twitter, created a blog, but my website is not picking up steam. I currently only have ads in VA as i am trying to grow a user base there than expand. Its just that no one is signing up to make an account so i have to keep manually adding items. Now i am running out of options.

 

[Deleted20245]

It seems like the need isn't that big and/or the social proof isn't there.

There's got to be tons of stuff related to sneakers that you could do. E.g. get artists to design stuff you'd print on vans-like plain sneakers, produce it, and give the artists a cut. You could do something like Tom's where you make cheap sneakers that break down fast, but some of the profit goes to charity.

You could take the format of your current site, and expand it to stuff other than sneakers. Just sort of clone it for some other product.

 

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[Twiizlar]

Thanks for the reply Mead McLean. I believe there is a need. There are thousands of craigslist ads and facebook posts about sneakers. Also i dont plan to create my own product. That is not the aim of Sneaker Count. I want to provide a website where people can go to buy sneakers. Most of the sneakers are a limited run so you would have to buy second hand. The market is there. Also i have no other ideas for a classified ads website. I am fully passionate about the one i currently have and believe that the sneakers niche is where i need to be!

 

[pande]

Maybe instead of doing classifieds you should do auctions? I'm sure there is plenty of options for source code of auction websites available.

 

[Deleted20245]

Well, in that case, it's probably just the social proof angle. Like if you went on to an online dating site, and there is nobody signed up in your town, would you keep using it? Probably not. But if there were a bunch of people, you would.

Reddit.com got around this by making a whole bunch of fake accounts and posting interesting things before the site really caught on.

I'm not sure how you could do this with shoes...

 

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[Twiizlar]

Well, in that case, it's probably just the social proof angle. Like if you went on to an online dating site, and there is nobody signed up in your town, would you keep using it? Probably not. But if there were a bunch of people, you would.

Reddit.com got around this by making a whole bunch of fake accounts and posting interesting things before the site really caught on.

I'm not sure how you could do this with shoes...

I am currently doing something like this. I have multiple accounts that i copy ads off craigslist from. But i am limited to my time.

 

[Twiizlar]

Its been awhile since i posted. My website is still up. I average 35 page views a day and i cannot grow. Most of the visitors come from social media so it is not targeted based on location. I currently only have ads up for Virginia and New York. I dont know how to expand this to get more users. I currently just copy ads from craigslist onto the site and post on twitter/instagram.

 

[Rolfp2]

Have you tried outsourcing to online marketing companies?

 

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[Oven]

You should try running some paid ads on Facebook, target people that "like" sneakers in a specific area.

 

[SGBoise]

I would recommend changing your header. It looks pretty amateurish. That's the first thing that people see and may turn them off.

 

[Bigguns50]

@Twiizlar .... Join the 'INSIDERS'. there is tons of information there on ways and how-to drive traffic to your website.

Keep going !

 

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[pande]

You might want to listen to some business podcasts. I have found them to be very informative. Some examples are The Tropical MBA podcast, The Foolish Adventure, Entrepreneur Showdown, The Fizzle Show, Entrepreneurs on Fire, Online Marketing Made Easy w/ Amy Porterfield, Startups for the rest of us (personal favorite), and Smart Passive Income w/ Patt Flynn.

I also recommend joining a mastermind group. http://masterminds.meetup.com/ - I haven't joined one yet, but I have plans on it.

I would focus on how you can solve everyday problems. With regards to sneakers think about what problems sneaker fanatics have. It looks like your idea has already been done. http://solecollector.com/

So think about how you can differentiate yourself from Solecollector.com.

Maybe provide a way for people to showcase their collections? It seems like people collect them and stow them in the closet? My father who has been a photographer for decades has been passed up by technology. He has no website and has lost his motivation for taking pictures. Why? Because he doesn't have a format to showcase his work. There's no audience to appreciate his art. Maybe sneakerheads feel the same way?

Even if your first venture fails (which it hasn't yet!) you have gained invaluable experience to help you succeed in your second venture. So stay motivated and don't give up!

 

[rkmalo1]

Found an article you might be interested I found while doing my morning report:

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/young-traders-market-where-air-190434266.html