7 Ways to Improve Your Craigslist Ad – Zen Den Web Design
MARKETING & BRANDING
By: Chad Bell
Craigslist can be a great source for new customers once you learn to create and manage your ads effectively. Zen Den’s Craigslist ads prompt at least 25 calls each week and the majority of these calls become solid leads.
So how can you generate a solid stream of leads from your CL ads? This article outlines what we do here at Zen Den to create effective ads.
1. Look at Other Ads – and Take Notes
Pay special attention to those ads that are offering similar products or services to yours. This will help you generate ideas for your ads as you learn what to do and, more importantly, what not to do. There is a lot of poor marketing and advertising out there. If you pay attention, you can avoid becoming a contributor.
2. Gain Ad Presence – Create as Many Craigslist Accounts as You Can
The frequency at which you are able to post your ads increases with the number of accounts you accumulate. Keep them at the top of the daily posts. In order to post an ad in the services section of CL, you must create an account and verify it with a phone number. The problem is you can only have one account associated with each number, so you will have to get creative here if you want to have more than one.
3. Create Many Unique Ads
CL prevents you from posting identical ads. But don’t consider this as a drawback, as it allows you to experiment with your ad copy. Take advantage of this feature by taking different approaches to pitch your products or services and then post these ads in separate categories. Alternatively, if you have little time or resources, you can still create several ads for each of your CL accounts by slightly tweaking the copy of your original.
4. Know Your Audience
Create a great title for your ad by including words that Craigslist users use in their search. Don’t use all caps, I know its tempting, but I feel that it is more effective to only capitalize the first letter of each word. And avoid unnecessary use of keyboard characters.
We’ve all seen this before: “!!!!!!! THE BEST COMPUTER REPAIR!!!!!! ”
Now compare that to: “Quality and Reliable Computer Repair Service”
One of these communicates professionalism – I’ll let you decide which.
5. Give Your Ad a Make-Over
Utilize the images and HTML options for your ads. You can easily give your ads more pop by changing the font size, type, and color. More importantly, including your business logo and other relevant images from your website will strengthen your brand recognition and identity.
6. Go Old-School
If you want serious inquiries, then you have to encourage them to call, not just send an email. We learned this the hard way from the 50+ emails/day we used to receive inquiring only “how much for a website”. We found that it was almost always a total waste of time to respond to this type of inquiry, so why not eliminate it if you can?
Here’s how:
Check HIDE in the ‘reply to’ field when creating ads. Then, prominently display your phone number in the ad. You can also include a clickable image that links to your website, and create a contact form that requires a name and phone number. So, if a visitor wants to contact you they have 2 options: call or fill out the contact form on your site. These tactics serve to weed out non-serious inquiries. Remember, it’s about quality, not quantity.
7. Include Keywords in the Footer
When creating our ads, we first brainstormed a bank of keywords using tools such as the Google Keyword Tool and Wonder Wheel. After determining which words CL users are likely to use when searching for web services, we reduced the font size and then placed them in the footer of our ad. By incorporating these tags, our ads will get caught in a much wider search net than it would have otherwise.
One of the huge upsides to Craigslist is that it doesn’t cost you anything. But along with that comes the downside; greater user-volume. In other words, you’ve got competition. So, whether you are selling cars, offering massage, or teaching music, your ads need to stand out from the crowd. Take the extra time to create better ads and the effort will pay off. As always, if you have anything to add, agree or disagree with anything we write here at Zen News, leave us a comment!
How to Get Maximum Views on Craigslist Ads – Small …
Craigslist is a website that provides a variety of services to individuals, businesses and employers. Many organizations use Craigslist to promote their business due to its low cost and the potential exposure it provides. The website’s ease of use is efficient, but it can also make your ad get lost among the many other businesses that take advantage of all available features. Through some creativity, you can help maximize your ad’s exposure by optimizing its presence. Find similar ads within your target category. Depending on what your ad is about, you may be able to compete with others by making your post more intriguing. If selling an item, for example, search competing products and analyze the overall prices listed. If possible, lower your item’s price by at least $1. In some cases, customers may prefer to view a $99 item rather than one for $100. If your ad is not related to a product, insert a unique or catchy phrase to encourage potential customers. Post your Craigslist ad during the day. Craigslist is generally designed to target local areas, so this enables you to place your post while most people are actively online. Ideally, publish your post in the morning or during early afternoon hours. Additionally, place the ad on the weekend to increase the ad’s overall exposure. Post your ad in its rightful category. Craigslist offers a wide variety of labels to help maintain relevancy. However, some ads may fit more than one category depending on its main subject. If selling a video game, ensure your ad is published under the “Video Gaming” section rather than the “Games+Toys” section. If selling an old desk, post it under “Furniture” as opposed to the “Household” or “General” category. Overall, selecting the correct sections helps maximize the ad’s views among interested customers. Insert the main item, product or subject in the title field. Customers generally know exactly what they wish to buy; therefore, ensure your title delivers what they are looking for. Refrain from using vague titles such as “Kitchenware in Good Conditions;” instead, specify which items are available for sale. Include at least one image to attract more viewers. Customers typically like to see the conditions or status of your offering, because this eliminates the need to contact you requesting further details. Additionally, many users prefer to search only for ads that contain images. If your post lacks such a feature, it may not be exposed to all potential customers. Renew your existing ad two days after initially published. Craigslist allows users to repost the same ad 48 hours after going live, effectively placing it toward the top of the category you had selected. This enables both new and existing users to view your post in the event anyone missed it the first time. Promote your listing on related discussion boards and community websites. Visit your favorite search engine and find open discussions or questions created within the past day. If selling a computer sound card, for example, perform a search for “Used” or “Affordable” sound cards on such websites. Introduce your listing to any and all interested parties and negotiate a plan of action. References Resources Writer Bio Elvis Michael has been writing professionally since 2007, contributing technology articles to various online outlets. He is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in information technology at Northeastern University.
How to Keep Your Craigslist Listing at the Top of the Search …
Craigslist displays search results in reverse chronological order, so if you’re selling a popular item you can quickly fall further and further in the listings. If you want to keep your item up top, you need to frequently repost. Here’s an easy way to minimize the tediousness of reposting your ad to move it to the top of the search video above, by Terry P. Carter, will walk you through the whole process, but here’s the gist:Create a Craigslist account if you don’t already have one and log your ad, wait until it falls in the listings, and then right-click the ad you want to repost (on your account page) and open it in a new the new tab, you’ll have an option to edit your ad. Right-click the option to edit and open it in a new right click your category and open that in a new tab. Create a new ad in that category, then navigate between the tabs you already have open and copy and paste the information from the existing ad into the new you’ve copy-and-pasted all the information into the new ad, delete the old one from your account page and post the new one. Now your ad will be back up may seem like it’s just as tedious as redoing the ad from scratch, but I do this for pretty much every Craigslist listing I post and I can promise it does save quite a bit of time. As a Craigslist seller, it’s a handy trick, but as any buyer knows, little is more annoying than having to weed through the same ad popping up at the top of your results every single day, so re-post responsibly, and please, don’t spam. For more online selling tips, check out our comprehensive guide to selling online. G/O Media may get a commission How To Repost A Craigslist Ad Before It Expires | YouTube via Wise ead