Classified ads are quickly becoming more and more popular for online promotion of websites and businesses. There’s no wonder it’s such a great way to promote your business since there are many online classified advertising sites and other options for classified advertising such as Ezines and newsletters.
Most websites that offer opportunities for classified advertising have rules that restrict the size and content for your ads. For example, most classified ads are less than 100 words. This isn’t a lot of content to showcase your website and your business so you must be very succinct and clear in what you have to say. Utilizing powerful words and phrases is key to engaging your readers to click further.
Graphics
Another aspect of classified advertising is related to the graphics and photos that you may or may not be allowed to use. For example, some ads don’t allow any graphics while others only allow one graphic. If possible, inserting a thumbnail of your products or other relevant graphic can help attract attention and engage your readers.
According to some studies, classified ads with an attached image will typically attract more attention from a target audience. Placing your graphic in the ad when you place your ad helps in your marketing efforts to entice readers to visit your website.
Headline
Classified ads do better when you avoid sensationalizing your headlines and making them seem ‘fake’. For example, avoid words such as:
“Must see”
“Sensational”
“Shaazam!”
“Must have”
“Get rich”
Words and phrases that are overdone and misleading will be quickly discounted by readers and they’ll fly right past your ad. Most readers aren’t interested in you creating ‘cutesy headlines’! It’s more important to use keywords that are relevant to your business and that people are most likely to use when searching for your products or services. Of course, keywords are always an important asset when it comes to search engine optimization (SEO) too.
Special categories
An additional way to increase your ad’s attraction to your target audience is to make it more visible by including it in special categories available on the ad site. For example, if the site offers a “What’s Hot Today” section, that’s a great place to include your ad. Some sites offer the option to include special symbols or pictures beside certain ads to bring more attention to them. Take advantage of these options to make your ad stand out from the rest.
Forget about ‘you’
When creating your ad, focus on your product and not your company. People are much more interested in what you have to offer rather than who you are . Keep your product as the primary focus and don’t go for the ‘hard sell’. Use the ad to communicate value and entice the visitor to come to the website for more information. You have plenty of time to sell once you have them on your site (if your website is dynamic and engaging!).
Take advantage of classified ads to communicate your products and website to your potential customers. Classified ads are not the place to boast about you, your company, or your personal interests. It’s all about the customer and your product when it comes to classifieds. You only have a small space to engage a potential customer so use it wisely.
The world of Internet marketing offers a variety of options for promoting your website and your products. You can’t expect to drive traffic to your site if you don’t take steps to make it visible to your target audience. Search engine optimization (SEO) and the use of keywords to attract an audience are great. But they’re not the only ways to bring traffic to your website.
Classified advertising has become more popular with online advertising as more and more website owners are seeking to find new audiences. Although classifieds may not bring in as much traffic as some of the other methods, it also does not carry the high cost of some other methods. That makes classified advertising a viable option for many small business owners who otherwise wouldn’t have the budget to get started with online advertising. There are also free classified advertising options in addition to paid ones.
One of the good things about free classified advertising sites is that they can be highly effective when it comes to attracting visitors. Paid or unpaid – classified sites are available in a hundreds of different niches and on a variety of subjects. This helps to ensure that they attract the audience for that particular niche and your classified ad is reaching the people you want to reach.
There are a few don’ts when it comes to using classified sites:
Don’t post multiple listings within a short period of time or the site may ban you from using their site.
Don’t include hyperlinks within the content of your ad unless the site specifically allows you to do so.
Don’t use profanity or inappropriate language that may be offensive to others. If in doubt, leave it out!
Don’t discriminate in your headlines and content or you will likely be banned from a site. At a minimum, you will turn away visitors and create a poor reputation for your website and your brand.
Don’t post ads on sites that are not relevant. Not only will you waste your time (and money if it is a paid site), but you will cause user dissatisfaction to that site.
Don’t ‘trick’ potential customers into visiting your website. Including claims, offers, and give-aways in ads that you can’t fulfill once they get to your site will only turn them away forever – and they’ll likely share this information with their friends!
Don’t include your ad in an inappropriate category. If you do, your ad is useless and ignored. Review the categories and sub-categories and take time to determine the best category for your ad.
If you’re planning to use classified advertising as part of your promotional strategy, be sure to adhere to the rules of the classified listing site. Don’t ignore the rules and take time to create ads that accurately communicate the benefits and value of your website and products.
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