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Content and eCommerce, 2 questions that I need help answering!

by Jasper216
5 replies
  • SEO
    • |
Okay, well, I'd like to start with a quick hello to this amazing forum that I will most likely be utilizing heavily as I move forward with this project! So, Hello Warriors!

I have 2 questions that are very different pertaining to an eCommerce site that I am building. They are broad questions, and I wasn't exactly sure where to put them on this forum so go easy on me!

I am an authorized distributor of a popular worldwide brand that hasn't yet been fully established in the United States. It's pretty much free reign (for now). It has a promising future in the right hands. However, I would be doing a great deal with work with brand development.

This product is category specific, for example purposes.. lets say its "watches". Now, I want to start an eCommerce website focused around this ONE brand exclusively, because in my opinion, niche marketing is the only real advantage over bigger retailers like Amazon that have everything under the sun for sale in one place. But they lack focus caring uniquely over each brand and product page. Its like craigslist ads vs an outlet store. I can focus on the brand's image, rich media, and content specific to the brand which makes things far more straight-forward.

Anyways, Question #1: brand authority, and selling the brand as an authorize distributor. Can I make a site with the domain name [brandname]watches.com? Can I use the brand's logo or title art in promotions/advertising? Would it be common practice to ask the brand for these rights if not?

Question #2: I want to create a lot of great content for the brand specifically, videos, unwrappings, product reviews and comparisons vs other brands, you know.. just run-of-the-mill brand development and awareness. I can go about this 2 ways - make the eCommerce website a hybrid between selling the brand and a fansite for the brand with all of this content conveniently placed under one roof. The benefit being SEO, the disadvantage being the bias of sales on the same site. Or method 2, posting the content somewhere else (blog), youtube...whatever and redirecting to our site (or not linking at all). Customers trust the information more..ect.ect. Which way should I go? What's proven better for conversations aka sales revenue. As I go through learning about Google Authorship and such, it might be easier to go through Wordpress with the content?

Thanks ahead of time for your suggestions guys! Very appreciated!
#answering #content #ecommerce #questions
  • Profile picture of the author serpyre
    For 1) yes, you normally need approval however you can take the 'ask forgiveness' rather than 'ask permission' approach - it depends on risk. Most brands want to keep to strict quality control however that depends on brand size, how important the new market is, etc. As a sole distributor without the name in the domain you will basically be shooting yourself in the foot - but if you go too far they may cancel distribution rights.

    2) You need both, look at sites like Patek Philippe, Michael Kors, they will be similar to your situation. Tools such as Joomla or Drupal are ideal choices.
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    • Profile picture of the author Jasper216
      Originally Posted by serpyre View Post

      For 1) yes, you normally need approval however you can take the 'ask forgiveness' rather than 'ask permission' approach - it depends on risk. Most brands want to keep to strict quality control however that depends on brand size, how important the new market is, etc. As a sole distributor without the name in the domain you will basically be shooting yourself in the foot - but if you go too far they may cancel distribution rights.

      2) You need both, look at sites like Patek Philippe, Michael Kors, they will be similar to your situation. Tools such as Joomla or Drupal are ideal choices.
      Wow! Thanks! Super straight forward, super informative!
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  • Profile picture of the author SEO Power
    Discard the idea of building a website on a domain with a trademarked word in it. Most brands would demand you hand over the domain name to them regardless of whether you are exclusively promoting their products or not. If you like the idea very much, contact them and ask them if you are allowed to use their trademark.

    I don't quite understand what you are asking about in your second question so can't help you there.
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    ONE HOUR INDEXING - STOP WASTING MONEY ON LINKS GOOGLE NEVER FINDS
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  • Profile picture of the author SEMResource
    Question #1: brand authority, and selling the brand as an authorize distributor. Can I make a site with the domain name [brandname]watches.com? Can I use the brand's logo or title art in promotions/advertising? Would it be common practice to ask the brand for these rights if not?

    If you are an authorized distributor for the brand, you will likely have the right to use their logo and name in your advertising, along with a logo saying you are an authorized distributor. They should have a login for you to access your logos. If not, I recommend contacting your representative and asking them about it to make sure, and also ask where you can find digital copies of the logo and authorized rep logo you can use. They likely also allow you to use their brochures, and possibly digital content as well in your promos.

    Question #2: I want to create a lot of great content for the brand specifically, videos, unwrappings, product reviews and comparisons vs other brands, you know.. just run-of-the-mill brand development and awareness. I can go about this 2 ways - make the eCommerce website a hybrid between selling the brand and a fansite for the brand with all of this content conveniently placed under one roof. The benefit being SEO, the disadvantage being the bias of sales on the same site. Or method 2, posting the content somewhere else (blog), youtube...whatever and redirecting to our site (or not linking at all). Customers trust the information more..ect.ect. Which way should I go? What's proven better for conversations aka sales revenue. As I go through learning about Google Authorship and such, it might be easier to go through Wordpress with the content?

    I'd recommend doing both, posting on your site and offsite on YouTube, etc. You want the majority of the traffic to go to your site, especially for an ecommerce website so, yes, post on the site. You could always do a comparison review if you think the product you are representing is far superior than another product and show that on your videos. Or if you are doing unwrappings/unboxings, then this is relevant to the information your audience wants to know... and you're selling it, how convenient, not only for you, but for them also... that way, they don't have to leave the site. You've convinced them and they can buy it right there.

    But, you do want to also post on other sites as well to grab the attention of the people that are already there and haven't heard about your site yet, especially when YouTube has millions or billions of viewers each month. So, you're tapping into the audience on YouTube to drive them to your site. Add a link to your site or specific page where they can find out more about the item you're unwrapping.

    Hope this helps!
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    • Profile picture of the author Jasper216
      Thank you SEM Resource! I love this forum! How can I thank you both so it shows on your stats?
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