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Craigslist Marketing
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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 is 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 are
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.
It 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 will 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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