Making A Living With
Craigslist
It is very possible, even if it sounds
unbelievable, for you to
earn a living using Craigslist as a resource. Increasingly,
those with the entrepreneurial spirit have been discovering that
there are several possibilities for success online. The will to
work hard at earning a living by learning about sites like
Craigslist is important. However, effective marketing of skills and
products to the people who are looking for them is equally important.
This is different from the set salaries, and ceiling on earnings,
of the conventional marketplace offering of skills and
products.
While there is no set cap for those offering services online, there
is still no guarantee of minimum income.
There are basically two methods that you can use
to earn
a living using
Craigslist. The first includes providing services in the capacity
of an independent contractor, per contract basis or offering
skills, products and services. This is the ideal situation for
small business owners and entrepreneurs. The second is using
Craigslist to find full-time permanent employment in the Jobs
category. This is a more traditional approach, but this article
will focus on the first method.
Independent Contractors On
Craigslist
People offering their skills and services per
contract basis, or
an independent contractor, are discovering how powerful Craigslist
can be. It's a great place for offering your products, skills and
services or responding to those posts that are looking for what you
provide. The growth in the quantity of outsourcing being done by
small businesses or large corporations is prompting many people to
capitalize on these opportunities in the marketplace. As mentioned,
the two main methods are posting to the appropriate category
requesting such opportunities or looking for clients who are
searching for what you offer.
Craigslist has a specific category for those
offering services.
There are several subcategories listed in the services offered
section. A contractor may submit a post to an appropriate category
for the purpose of connecting with the target audience. If no
appropriate category can be found, Craigslist has that covered with
the Small Business subcategory. The disadvantage is the lack of
specific targeting, but it is better than nothing.
People offering their products, skills and
services may also
augment their business success through responding to ads
seeking whatever it is they are offering.
Those seeking a contract position using Craigslist
should start
with a specific location; browsing through each of the different
job categories. One helpful trick is using the search function then
checking the contract box to make sure that results only include
contract positions
Small Business Owners
If you are a small business owner, you can use
Craigslist for
finding more potential customers and growing your business. The
same basic idea applies here, as well. You can generate more
business by either posting ads or by answering them. Posting ads is
a smart bet due to the massive amount of traffic Craigslist gets
every month. It's hard for a serious business owner to ignore this
fact.
One of the areas most overlooked by the small
business owner is
the discussion forum section of Craigslist. Even though the forums
can create a greater profit potential, you have to keep
your posts relevant and avoid the use of spamming techniques. If
your posts are informative and helpful you are likely safe. If however,
you're just posting ads to the forums that's considered spamming and
all of your
posts can be deleted. Your business could also develop a bad
reputation, wpuld be counterproductive to what you intended.
So,
word to the wise - when posting the the forum, be as informative as you
can when answering someones post. Don't make your post sound
like
a sales pitch but rather like good general information....leave them
wanting more!
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