Should You Advertise With
Craigslist?
Nearly any business that wants to sell more
services or products
will find Craigslist a useful tool for advertising. It makes no
difference if these are currently being sold online or in a
physical location. Adding Craigslist to an advertising budget adds
another source of potential profits.
One of the major appeals of Craigslist, compared
to other
advertising, is the low risk associated with posting. This is
because it's free to post on Craigslist (real estate and job
listings are the exceptions). When you post ads you have to follow
the proper guidelines. Because listing on Craigslist is free, the
business owner doesn't have to worry about the return on their
investment. Any sales can be considered pure profit.
Finding Your Customers on
Craigslist
One other fact why posting ads on Craigslist is
such a good idea
is the existence of numerous potential customers. According to its
own reports Craigslist pages have around four billion views on a
monthly basis. The estimates are ten million monthly visitors. It's
obvious that ads shown on Craigslist are going to get some notice
from potential buyers.
With such a big amount of people visiting
Craigslist every month
the possibilities for advertising are virtually unlimited. Of
course, this doesn't guarantee that the visitors will automatically
consider what you have to offer. The rules of effective marketing
still apply on Craigslist. Your ads have to create curiosity,
convey the right information and be in the right place for your
prospective customers to see it.
Connect With Your Target on
Craigslist
As mentioned, their are millions of visitors to
Craigslist every
month. But you have to use targeted advertising to make the most of
those numbers. If you use a scattershot approach your results will
suffer. In simple terms, anyone who has an interest in what you're
offering is your target.
One of the main features of Craigslist is the fact
that it has
different categories for posting. Think of it as a super-powered
version of the newspaper's classified section. After determining
the people who would most likely have an interest in your product
you need to find the corresponding category on Craigslist. If you
are offering guitar lessons post in the music area, as opposed to
automobiles. There may be times when posting in more than one
category makes sense, as long as they are relevant, you should be
okay. If you overdo it, it could be considered spamming.
It's possible that your offer will not fit into a
specific
section. If that happens you can post in the small business ads
section. And you can hope it will be spotted by anyone searching
the same category. Another option is to suggest new categories by
contacting Craigslist. This isn't a sure bet, but if they see value
in it they may add a category.
Advertising vs. Spamming
You may be thinking it would be a good idea to
place your offer
on every regional Craigslist page to reach as many people as you
can. This is not a good idea. Placing ads in too many categories or
many different cities can get you in trouble for spamming. Follow
the terms of service carefully and you'll have very few problems.
Keep in mind that spamming not only can get you banned from
Craigslist, but it can also alienate potential customers.
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