Classified Ads – Tips and Tricks

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.