Online classified ads

Why online classifieds are important

The search engines are not the only place where Internet surfers look for things. Classified ads are also a popular resource to find great deals on products. Online classifieds are similar to the classified ads you would find in regular newspapers. On the Internet, however, these classified ads are listed in more specific categories so that it is easier to find what you are looking for.

Steps to a successful online classified ad campaign

There are three main steps in putting together a successful online classified ad campaign:
Write the headline
Write the rest of the classified ad
Post the ad

1. Write the headline
The key to writing a good classified ad is in the headline. Make it short and to the point – about 6-12 words long. You don't want to try to sell anything in the headline, just create enough interest for a lead.

Use headlines that are packed with keyword phrases and action words that would appeal to consumers. If possible, offer something for free or at a discounted price.

Some tips on writing good headlines are the following (adapted from Bill Guting’s Marketing System for the Internet):
Make your headline newsworthy. For example, do you have a new product? Or a new use for an existing product? People want to hear about what's new, what's improved, what's different, etc. Begin your headline with the word "Announcing". One thing your customers and/or prospects are always asking is "what's new?" Well, this one word opening answers that question and gets a lot of people's attention. For example: "Announcing Amazing New Phone Tool That…" or "Announcing a Great New Way to Make a Living From Your Home…”
Create curiosity in your headline. Curiosity should be part of your headline and not a stand-alone element, this happens way too frequently. Look into any major magazine, newspaper or banner ads and you'll see advertisement after advertisement, which use nothing but curiosity in their headlines to try and get a response. Remember, if you use curiosity, make sure to combine it with a major benefit or newsworthy announcement.
Keep your headline positive. Avoid negative words, or the dark, gloomy side of the picture. For example, Dale Carnegie's first headline to his famous book was "How to Ruin a Good Marriage" and it bombed! His second attempt at a book title was "How to Win Friends and Influence People." This simple change of a title helped sell millions and millions of copies of his famous book.
Feature a free offer. Free is and probably will always be the most powerful 4-letter word in marketing. Giving something away to prove your worth is probably the most "sure-fire" strategy that leads to future sales or sign-ups. Use it in as many applications as you can.
Address your headline to a specific person or group. This type of headline does two important things: 1st it targets and hits your prospects like a laser beam and 2nd it allows you to offer up a solution that is close to your prospect's heart.

2. Write the rest of the classified ad
The rest of the ad will be just 2-3 short sentences focusing on the main benefits of your products or services. Include a link back to your homepage in your classified ads (some classified ad places do not allow this, but if they do, take advantage of it). Promote link exchanges in your classified ad. Use these networks to advertise your desire to trade links.

3. Post the ad
In posting your classified ad, the key is to get your ad circulated in as many categories as you can. For example, an ad in 10 categories running for 1 week will be much more effective than an ad in 1 category for 10 weeks.

You might place 6-10 ads in different classified categories and rotate those ads each week to build the most effective classified ad campaign. Or you can keep the same ad and just rotate the headline occasionally.

The best place to post your classifieds are at Yahoo. Yahoo has more people that look at their classified ad network than any other site out there. To register to Yahoo’s classified ad network, go to www.classifieds.yahoo.com. Other good sites are the following:
www.freeclassifieds.com
www.classifiedsforfree.com
www.uran.net/imall/mother.html

There are also many classified ad submission services that will offer to post your ad in multiple classified ad areas automatically. Once you find an ad that is bringing a lot of traffic to your site, you can submit your ad to a submission service.

Submitting to several different classified ad networks can be a lengthy process; therefore, utilizing a submission service will allow you to post your ad in large number of ad networks for a small fee. Be sure to test your ad on a free classified ad network prior to posting the ad with the submission service.

A method of finding submission services is to go to the search engines and type in "classified ad submission services.” This will pull up a list of websites that can assist you in this process.

Online websites and resources

www.classifieds.yahoo.com
www.freeclassifieds.com
www.classifiedsforfree.com
www.uran.net/imall/mother.html