Classifieds Advertising - Best Practices

07 Aug 2018 08:42
Tags

Back to list of posts

Online advertising is no longer a fad; it is here to stay. Not just that, internet promotion has branched out into a wide array of options. Search marketing (PPC), banner advertising, video marketing, social media and online classifieds advertising.

Classifieds sites make a different breed of marketing. Interestingly, they have gained their popularity not because they are casual online flea markets. But mainly because of their attraction as a form of social media. They have succeeded in building online communities around them where users like to engage socially. Few people realize that we check classifieds sites more out of curiosity than anything else. We enjoy them because we love to know what the neighbors are up to through their ad posting, selling and buying. Moving sales ads have become our local news of who is moving. Then there is the "deal" attraction part of it. We unconsciouly believe that any purchase from an online classifieds site is a "deal". And many times, it is. But even if we pay the "Sears" price for it, we will still be convinced we snatched a deal.

Online classifieds advertising is gradually becoming the leading wagon in web marketing. It is expected to be even more popular as the rate of human interaction over the internet is breaking an all-time record. But for classifieds advertising to work, certain steps must be followed. First Things First.

Have a plan

It is important to lay down a plan before you get started. It could be as basic as a list of goals you want to accomplish. For example, driving an extra 100 visitors to your website per month from classifieds sites or a particular classified site. Such plan will allow you to review and evaluate what has been accomplished, what worked and what did not. The results of such evaluation will enable you to adjust your advertising strategy going forward.

Make a list

You will need this both to avoid random ad posting and to track your campaign's performance. Some sites are worthy of your time and some aren't. Here are some tips:

Exclude spam-ridden sites that allow cheap ads and postings from outside the country.

Only select local sites that have built an online community around them. These are usually dominated by local listings. Local is best. If you're targeting visitors from the US, there is no point posting ads in a classifieds site in India.

If the site contains business listings in your industry, it is a good enough place to have yours listed there, too. Do not dwell too much on the site's popularity or number of listings. Smaller sites have their advantages, too. One of them, your ad will enjoy longer visibility. After all, even one or two clients can be a valuable acquisition to your business.

Follow site rules

Reading the Terms of Service(TOS) and the Frequently asked questions (FAQ) is a good time investment. You may inadvertently find yourself violating them. Some common rules to bear in mind:

Do not cross post. Always post to the right category and local demographics.

Do not overpost. Two ads per day is a safe bet.

Do marktplatz over and over (or with a slight variation).

Comments: 0

Add a New Comment

Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License