When it comes to classified ads on the internet, Craigslist is the top name in the industry. Its extensive reach in different continents makes it the largest classified website today. But because of its size, the site also attracts millions of ads a day. So if you want to use Craigslist to promote your products or services, how can you stand out? In this article, we’ll discuss the strategies you should implement to create Craigslist ads that convert:

Use Attention-Grabbing Titles
Think creatively when it comes to posting ads. With the amount of competition out there, being imaginative is what matters. Whether you are trying to rent out an apartment, sell a used laptop, or advertise a web design service, there should be something about your ad that encourages viewers to click. Interesting and attention-grabbing titles increase your chances of getting the ad to convert.

Strong Reference to the Local Audience
Ads on Craigslist are divided into countries, states, and cities for a reason. Most products and services offered on the website tend to be relevant only to the local audience. It is also important to note that the website’s visitors tend to stick with their own geographical location when looking for products or services. So even if your offers are applicable throughout the country, it is still better to use a title that grabs local attention.

Visually Attractive Advertisements
While the site is mostly programmed to show unformatted text, it is still possible to upload pictures, logos, and other graphics. Take advantage of Craigslist capability to show images by using HTML. Visually attractive advertisement has a psychological impact that simple text ads can never have. For one, it attracts the readers’ eyes so they actually get an overview of what your company is all about. On the other hand, it can also be used as a tool for promotion. For instance, if you are advertising rental apartments, having actual photos of the property is very important.

Include Testimonials
There are a lot of scams and hoaxes on the internet so you certainly want to establish credibility for your company. It is possible to develop a certain level of trust by posting testimonials on Craigslist. This tells the reader that you take the job seriously. Testimonials are useful whether you are selling a weight loss product, advertising your design services, or promoting a rental property.

Put a Link
To further establish your credibility, it is important to include your company’s website link on the ads. That way, readers can visit your website and view what you have to offer for themselves. Even individuals with no websites yet don’t have an excuse. You can create a Facebook fan page and post this or otherwise include a link to your blog instead.

Creating a Craigslist ad that convert may seem challenging at first glance. But by following the advice above, you can emphasize your unique selling point. The reader can then make a choice as to whether they want to buy from you or not.

If you are not familiar with this service, read Craigslist reviews to learn more.

Classified ad sites have a number of purposes. Websites use them as part of their SEO strategy. Smaller, more humble businesses just want these free ads to generate a little bit of publicity. Individuals use them to sell goods and offer services. Cars are bought and sold on the strength of classified ads. Jobs are gained and money is earned because of them. New relationships also form as ads are placed by lonely people seeking some company. Regardless of why they are used, classified ads and the sites that hold them are incredibly popular. Here is a look at some of the most popular sites on the web.

Craigslist
This is the granddaddy of all classified ad websites. It was founded by Craig Newmark in 1995 and has grown into one of the most popular sites in the world. It carries a .org address instead of .com, apparently as a means of showing Craigslist to be a non-corporate operation. However, it is certainly a money making machine with more than 50 million classified ads on the site. It generates approximately 2 billion page views a month with 8 million new viewers in this timeframe. The number one reason why people use Craigslist is to look for employment. However, it can be a frustrating experience promoting your website on here as a big percentage of this type of advertising gets flagged.

US Free Ads
While Craigslist is free, US Free Ads charges $10 per year. Members who pay this fee are allowed post adverts specifically for the purpose of advertising. This gives it a major advantage over Craigslist as the popular free site flags ads of this nature. This site enjoys a lofty status on Google which makes it the ideal location for promoting a business. When you pay the $10 a year membership, you are allowed to post up to 25 ads simultaneously. This is more than enough for the vast majority of companies. However, if you fancy placing unlimited ads, there is a premium membership option on offer at $9.99 a month. Post as many ads has you have time to create for this price.

Highland Classifieds
This is another site that offers free adverts, but only for the first four weeks. Your free adverts will be seen by some 10,000 people a month. Once the free trial option is up, you will have to pay $10 for six months to continue. However, your ads will open up to approximately 300,000 viewers a month.

Free Viral
This is another free advertising system that is gaining a legion of followers. Chris Masterson created it and it now enjoys more than 1 million viewers a month. It uses a viral marketing system designed to work around the clock to enable websites to enjoy a massive increase in their current traffic. You should be able to set up the site within 5 minutes.

Classified ads are used for a variety of reasons but utilizing them to promote your website is the best way to increase your revenue. Chris Masterson made an interesting point about the fact that one penny becomes tens of millions of dollars when doubled every day for a month. Although your site will not grow that fast, it is an excellent way to suggest that patience is a virtue with online marketing. Classified ads can help increase website traffic at a steady rate until it becomes enormous and makes the site owner a tidy profit.

Classified ads are a great way to find used items, goods and services in your local community. Before the Internet people found classifieds in their local newspaper, but there is now a better way. You can browse classified listings on one of many great classified listing sites like Backpage. They offer free classified ad postings that can be seen by your friends, neighbors and even the world. This makes it much easier to find the things that you need and to find buyers for the things that you don’t need any more.

What is Backpage?
Backpage is an online classified listing service. When they started several years ago they only offered listings in a couple of US cities. They have been expanding their offerings on a regular basis and now offer listings to many US cities and even in select cities in Mexico and Canada. Keep watching their site because more listing areas and countries will likely be coming soon.

How Do You Use Backpage?
Backpage is easy to use. Here are a few simple steps that you can follow to sign up for this site and to make use of their many services. If you don’t have a Backpage account yet, sign up now. It is free and easy.

Register for an Account
The first step to making use of Backpage’s wonderful services is to register for a free account. All you will need to do is provide a little personal information like your name and your email address.

Choose an Area for Posting
The next step to listing items for sale on Backpage is to choose the area where you would like to have your listing shown. You can choose to list items in your local area or you can list your product in another area if you think that the items that you are offering will appeal more to other areas.

Create Your Listing
Next you will create your listing and post it on their site. You will have a limited number of words and other regulations that you will have to follow but with a little creativity and skill you can write a great listing. Each ad can also include a photo of your item at no additional charge. They also offer paid listings if you really want your item to shine.

Wait for Buyers
When buyers see your listing they will email you with questions and comments about your posting. Learn to communicate with buyers effectively so that you can close the sale and make some money.

Make the Sale
Once you agree with a buyer on the price you can coordinate the exchange of the item for money. This can be done in any manner that works for you.Backpage is commission free so you won’t have to pay a dime to them even after your item is sold.

Try Again
Selling items in the online classifieds using sites like Backpage can be really fun, so odds are that after one successful sale you will want to doit again and again. Since its free you have nothing to lose.

Backpage is an easy way to sell items that you no longer want or need. Sign up and start selling today.

Save money with a Backpage promotional code!

Getting website traffic is vital to your online business’ success. After all, you can have the greatest looking website known to man, but if nobody sees it, how effective will it be?

There are many ways in which you can get a ton of website traffic with just a little bit of time and your imagination. Here are some great ways to draw more traffic to your website:

•    Writing Articles: If you like to write, then you can put those talents to work. You can write articles that are relevant to your website and then distribute those articles to article directories. How does this help your website traffic? If you articles are engaging and they leave the reader wanting more, then they will likely click the link at the bottom of the article, in what is known as the resource box, and then be taken directly to your website.
•    PPC Campaigning: Another great way to drive traffic to your website is by using pay-per-click, or PPC. When you use PPC you write small ads using specific keywords that are then posted on the side of the major search engines, such as Google and Yahoo.  If your keyword is cell phone, then when someone types that into the search engine there is a chance your ad will come up on the site. If it does and the surfer clicks it, you get charged a fee and the surfer is taken to your website. If they do nothing, you pay nothing. While PPC is an investment, it is a very quick way to get eyes on your website.
•    Using Your Favorite Social Media: There is little doubt that you are involved with social media at some level. While places like Facebook are wonderful tools to use for getting caught up with old friends, it is also a great place to market your website just a bit. Every once in awhile you can post a link to an article you wrote or simply talk about your website, just be sure you don’t go crazy with promotion or you will annoy people and they will likely ignore you after time.
•    Making Videos: You can make relevant how to videos and post the completed videos on places like YouTube to also help drive traffic to your website. These videos should be short, to the point, and also leave the viewer wanting more information. At the end of the video you can provide a link to your website which will lead the view to you.

Website promotion is all about website traffic generation. You can’t just build a pretty website and sit back while the traffic pours in. Your website is like a store that is just opening. You have to put signs out and let people know your store is open otherwise they will just pass you by, no matter how nice it may be inside. So, if you want lots of traffic, you have to be willing to work for it and let people know that your website is indeed open for business.

There are a number of free classified websites that can be taken advantage of.  Finding these types of websites normally isn’t the problem.  The problem is understanding how to leverage what they are offering for the best returns.  Advertising with free classifieds is not much different than using other mediums.  There are certain things that should always be done, and certain things that shouldn’t.  Here is a quick look at some of the most important do’s and don’ts of advertising with free classifieds. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s amazing to think that in this age of overwhelming technology, texting, and the internet that newspapers and classified ads haven’t become completely obsolete. There are lots of advanced ways to advertise these days, but if you’re looking to sell your sail boat or hire an assistant, you probably aren’t going to buy a banner ad on the web.

Believe it or not, the classifieds are still a great way to advertise small things and transactions. But so many classified ads are so poorly written that they’re a waste of everyone’s time, money, and ad space. Writing a successful classified ad isn’t rocket science, but there’s more to it than meets the eye. Read the rest of this entry »

If your business is relatively new and your advertising budget is relatively low then a great way to approach the need for advertising at no cost to you is through online classified ads that are free. Why do this? Besides the most obvious reason, that the ads are free, there a number reasons that you should be posting online ads about your business with free service such as Craiglist, Backpage, and even Kijiji.

Because there are so many places online now that let you place ads about your business for free you can accomplish a great many feats. Here are some of the reasons that you should be posting free ads online about your business: Read the rest of this entry »

When you need to post a classified ad, you may think that your only option is your local newspaper. It was once true that classified ads could cost an arm and a leg when you post them with newspapers or other specialized advertising venues. You could pay up to $100 or more for a week of advertising. Read the rest of this entry »