Classified Ads – What Works and What Doesn’t

Classified ads

The traditional world of print media has long since lost its dominion over the world of classified ads anymore. Over the years it has increasingly given way to the online classified ads.

Posting free online classified ads is a great way of maximizing your business with least amount of expenditure and investment.

The trick here is to master the skill so that when you post your free classified ad online it stands out and grabs attention. There are a number of free classified websites that allow you to host your ads, but, it is only the skillfully crafted and placed classified ads that attract the user’s attention.

Keeping certain dos and don’ts related to the classified ads world can help you achieve your goal to a great extent.

Dos

  • The most basic thing to take care of is – Language. So, it would be best to check and recheck your classified ad for any kind of language related errors.
  • Provide a good description of your product or service and make sure to cover the five Ws – Who, what, when, where and why.
  • Use a cleverly crafted headline and give clear contact details.
  • Placing a photo in the ad is always a good idea as it creates the visual appeal.
  • It is best to start out with a small budget and to test numerous ad messages. You can also attempt sending users to different landing pages in order to create the desired impact.
  • You will obviously need to make your ad stand out; if you are to make money out of it by generating more and more business. Keywords are a great way of promoting your product in the most effective manner. Make sure to spice up your ad with profitable keywords.
  • Post your free classified ads in India on sites that are related to your product or service; so you can draw out targeted buyers.
  • Place your classified ad on as many ad sites as possible. The objective is to make the maximum use of the free classified websites and let more and more people see your ad online.
  • It is always good to place a short link that connects the user directly to your offer.

Don’ts

  • The biggest mantra is don’t overhype, overprice or over promise and do not put on offer what you cannot provide.
  • Do not waste money on extra or add on services that promise to make your add look pretty.
  • Don’t forget the key to posting free classified ads online in India – M.E.D.I.C.S. – Motivation, Enthusiasm, Desire, Image, Creativity and Success.
  • Don’t start out unless you have a very clear picture in your mind. Know what you want the first time around.
  • At the same time don’t lose heart if it does not come up with a fair deal of exposure. Try to rewrite and rephrase. Make changes.
  • Do not give vague or ambiguous instructions and avoid font changes. The more consistent the ad looks the better will be the results.
  • Do not use fancy and angular fonts as they are often hard to read.

Writing classified ads is an art. It is an art that can be explored, learned and perfected and that too in a comparatively short time. A free online classified ad that is well crafted and well placed can bring in a good amount of business and sales.

Just as it is with any other business and marketing tool; this also has to be used effectively and with a clear understanding of the underlying dynamics. Once you clearly understand what works and what doesn’t, there is a pretty good chance of success.

Priyanka is a web content developer, professional blogger and an internet marketing stagiest. She help online marketers to generate popularity and sales through free classified websites. Currently working with wohho.com – a free classified site in India where you can search and post free classified ads for promoting your business to larger scale.

14 thoughts on “Classified Ads – What Works and What Doesn’t”

  1. Very nicely written about the classified ads. Am a blogger and I used to promote my blogs with free classifieds with good PR. I am getting huge traffic from it. I used to describe my blog about 4-5 lines in the description and will post the ads with the picture.
    Here I learned more about classifieds ads. Thanks to Jane for sharing this quality post!

    Reply
  2. They are really nice and effective tips for classified copy. I’m much impressed specifically with the DON’Ts. Each point are worthy to follow.

    I guess it would be much more valuable of you provided a few classified sites that your recommend along with these tips.

    Anyway, thanks for the great tips.

    Reply
  3. Yes..classifieds are always good for increasing traffic to your website. But many people are not aware of that how classifieds can improve traffic and can raise the marketing leads. You have to be very careful and should be aware of proper methods while placing a classified ad.

    Reply
  4. Yes Classifieds are an excellent source of buyer traffic but you have to know what you are doing,i use professional classified ad packages from myclassifiedadcentraldotcom they are
    top notch

    Reply
  5. Hi

    You can increase traffic through classifieds easily. Just put an add in proper category, with proper details and post a picture along with your ads. You can Even use the Craigslist- they place No limit on the space you can use for your ad, so get creative, get your text rich and compelling and get people forced to click your link and find out more about you.

    Reply
  6. Well written article, this is.

    Classifieds, even today, have their own place in the advertising field. We can also use them for blogs and websites to get better exposure. I really love the line about over-promising in the DO-NOT’s.

    Thanks for the share.

    Reply
  7. As an SEO you cant depend only on directory submissions or social bookmarking. To popularize a site you have to use different and new techniques like guest posting, classifieds, forums etc. Classifieds give us the platform wher we can add a websaite as well as can explain the details too with a snapshot of a website.

    Reply
  8. Thank you for posting these great guidelines for posting classified ads online and in print. I mean, you really have to try harder and be more specific when it comes to posting ads. Your article is very easy to understand and easier to follow too.

    Reply
  9. I’ve never tried using classified ads for my company but this article of yours will sure help me in making things work out for the best. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  10. Hi Jane
    Never used classifieds ads for anything so far paid or free just by reading through your comments though people use them to great effect. So I think it is another string that has to be added to the bow.

    So for that thanks lee

    Reply
  11. This is a great tip for companies and small businesses out there. When posting ads online, you need to bear in mind that you ads has to be attention grabbing and conveys professionalism.

    Reply
  12. Here is no doubt that classified advertising can increase online sell significantly! Today classified sites are ruling over the search engines. So, it is also a good idea to post your ads using some effective keywords.

    Reply

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