Archive for April 2012

Free Online advertising with classified ads

Sunday 22 April 2012 by Digg-it - 1 Comment

Free Online advertising with classified ads is a relatively new form of online advertising. It is a cheaper alternative for starting and small businesses that cannot afford a competitive advertising budget. You could get thousands worth of profitable advertising with zero cost.

More people hang out, search and read online than on any other medium.Checking emails, facebook and twitter has become an integral part of our daily lives.

What does that mean for you as a business owner ?

It means, an opportunity to target more eyeballs online easily, instantly and cost-effecively with free classified ads.

Both print and internet ads aim at the same goal which is conveying a sales message. But posting and audience reception are different. Online classified adverts differ from newspaper ads that are traditionnally  shorter and expensive since advertisers are charged per line. Picture posting is also limited which can be crucial for house rental and real estate advertisements.

Online advert postings sites usually offer a search box where users perform their own search at their own pace and time. They also have the option to sort results based on their chosen criteria. All this happens instantly. Not to mention, searchers can share ads on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter potentially making the ad go viral within minutes.

What should I advertise on classifieds sites?

Everything. People advertise used cars, appliances, house rental, household services, pets, vehicles and automotive services, you name it.

Does classifieds advertising work ?

There is no reason to believe online classifieds advertising does not work. Free ads posting works. But there are some good practices that you should be aware of so you make the best out of it. Doing it smartly is the only reliable way you to Get More Free Advertising For Your Business. The most important one is to post and advertise without getting flagged or banned.

What does it take to run a successful classifieds advertising campaign?

Although online ads posting is nearly free, you will still invest time and effort crafting your advertisements.Of course,  you can outsource this activity but since your brand is on the line, it is your responsibility to make sure things are done correctly. An ad poster is not a copywriter. You should do the copywriting part yourself or hire a copywriter then just hand the advertisement material to the ad posting service.

See How to run a successful classifieds advertising campaign and Top Free Classified Sites List - Best sites to Post Free Classifieds.

How to Run a Successful Classifieds Advertising Campaign

by Digg-it - 1 Comment

Classifieds advertising strategies that work.


If you don't know where and how to start your classified ads marketing campaign, go take a look at what products and services are being sold at classifieds sites that are similar to yours. Just keep watching what  your competitors are posting and how they are building their ads. This alone should give you an idea of what packages to sell and how to craft the advertisements for them.

Abide by the Rules

Many don't give this due attention. And regardless how strongly classifieds sites keep emphasizing it, few pay attention or care (Yeah, whatever). This is actually the first step to success with classified advertising (and with search engine marketing for that matter). Everybody hates spam but spammers, so keep this in mind as you may end up spamming inadvertently. Both readers, site owners and search engines hate spam and will not tolerate it. You can be flagged, then blocked for violating their Terms of Service.

If you dont know what spam is, just think of it as repetition (repeating the same word or sentence multiple times). This is also sometimes referred to as over-optimization which is basically a milder term for spam. Over posting also falls under the spam category as it is simply the repetition of same ad(or nearly the same should I say ?). Over posting is a reflection of greed which can also manifests itself in deliberately posting under wrong categories(spamming them, that is).

It is for your own benefit to comply with classifieds sites's rules as they are free advertising' methods you don't want to miss out on.Well, if you don't abide by the rules, you run the risk of having your ads  removed or/and account disabled. If that does not deter you, just remember that spam itself is counter productive. Spammy activities do no convey the message of trust to propects and potential clients. Eventually hurting the sales message itself (your goal).


 Site Selection

Avoid spam-ridden sites that are unmonitored and unfiltered. Here are some signs of a low quality classifieds site.

1 - Postings are DOMINATED by junk ads like work at home and get rich quick scams.

2 - Many adverts are posted in wrong categories.

3 - Few or no ads in almost every category.

4 - Poor website design.

Signs of a decent classifieds website

A - Good design that speaks of professionalism..

B - Longer advert duration with renewal option.

C - Photo uploads.

D - Email protection (hides your email).

E - Links to your Website.

F - Syndicates your ads to Social media(facebook, twitter, others).


Copywriting

To get tons of targeted and converting visitors for free, you need great headlines for your adverts.
Just google for copywriting tips. Hopefully in the future I will include them here. As a rule of thumb, keep your ads short and to the point while still making them stand out.

Continuity

Post ads on a regular basis. Does not need to be daily, but quite often. You need this to increase visibility and exposure. Today's visitors are unlikely to see an ad you posted 2 months ago or even 2 days ago (depends on site'popularity). Even those who have already seen it need to be exposed to it again (and multiple times) before considering it. You must have already heard the saying "Buyers need to be exposed to the sales offer 7 times before they consider buying". That's just the way consumer psychology works.


How to filter classifieds sites and make a list of the best ones:




Below is a Top Free Classified Sites List 2013 to Place Adverts.


Online classifieds websites are just like discussion forums where the presence of an active community matters the most. Best classifieds websites should have built some user-base of sellers and buyers that come to check them and post regularly or at least every now and then.They should also have listings from others in your industry.


Ad posters time is limited and invaluable, so having your ads run for a longer period makes your online marketing with free ads posting a worthwhile time investment.
By creating a table like below with an expiry column, you will be able to repost your ads in a timely manner so they stay indexed by the search engine for a longer period of time. You may also be looking for sending traffic towards your site by having potential buyers following your link from the classifieds site.


Site


Sign up


Ad Duration(days)


Free Link


http://www.craigslist.org


Optional/Required


7,30,45


Yes


http://www.oodle.com


Required


30


Yes


http://www.nortad.com


Optional


45,60,90,180,365


Yes


http://www.isell.com


Required


360+


No


http://www.backpage.com


Optional


45


No


http://www.classifiedads.com


Optional


180


No


http://www.quikr.com


Optional


90


No


http://www.epage.com


Required


Not known


No


http://www.inetgiant.com


Optional


180


Yes


http://www.Ebayclassifieds.com


Optional


60


No


http://www.olx.com


Optional


60


No


http://www.classifiedads.com


Optional


30,60,90,180


No