Classified Advertising for Multiple Purposes

How many times have you wanted to find information on a particular product or service and turned to the classifieds? Have you ever had products or services to sell and included an ad in a newspaper or trade publication?

That was the beginning of classified advertising. But this type of advertising has evolved into a format that engages millions of Internet users every day. Today, classified advertising has become a major component of an online advertising campaign for many online marketers. It offers a unique opportunity to reach your target audience and promote your website, increasing brand awareness and contributing to lead generation for future sales and business expansion.

In the first half of 2008 alone, classified ad revenues were over $1.6 billion – and that’s just the first six months of the year! Projections for 2009 also look promising and classified advertising will be a strong player in the advertising arena.

Classified ads are most effective when they include an easy way to get to your website. Making it easy means including hyperlinks as well as your full URL. Being able to quickly click and be directed to your website keeps the reader engaged. Ads are meant to be ‘teasers’ to get visitors to your website so be sure they can get there easily.

One critical component of a classified ad is to ensure that your most unique benefits of your product are clarified. When people know the benefits of a product, they’ll look further to find more information. Make sure you use this unique selling opportunity by appealing to your potential customer’s emotions and desires.

There are a variety of classified advertising sites available on the Internet. Some of them are free and some come with a fee. When searching for the best advertising sites, consider the popularity of the site and the number of impressions they receive. You should also focus heavily on relevancy when promoting your website so be sure to position your ad on the most effective category of the classified listings for optimal exposure.

You don’t have a lot of time to get your message across so it’s important to leverage each and every word to convey what you want to say. Using words that attract attention and are intriguing to the readers of your advertisement are essential. With only seconds to capture a reader, you need to make every word count so be sure you know your customer and what they want.

Don’t simply look at classified ads as a way to sell your products. Look at them as a way to increase your brand exposure, contribute to lead generation, and add to your future mailing lists as prospects. Classifieds are more than just a one-time shot at a reader – they provide you with an opportunity to create a long-term relationship with people who may be paying customers in the future.

If you’re looking for a way to increase exposure of your website and your online business, check out classified advertising as a component of an overall marketing strategy.