Promoting Your Business on Craigslist

By: Randal Williams


If you have a web presence, you may have already heard about the powerful tool that is Craigslist, a network of online urban communities that feature not only classified ads about everything from jobs to pets to housing, but also forums for the discussion of current local events. Founded in 1995, thousands of people have found their way to their local Craigslist and promoted their services and goods or found services and goods that suited them. Currently Craigslists can be found for about 450 cities all over the world.

Craigslist is very important in terms getting your goods and services out there. Recognition is a very important thing to get, and because posting your ad is free, you'll find that this is a resource that you can't afford to miss. When you post on Craigslist, you are letting an entire community know that your services are available.

Before writing your ad, there are a few things to keep in mind. One of them is that you need to think about your audience. Who are you looking for in terms customers? Are they likely to to be on Craigslist? If so, where will they be browsing? Craigslist has a number of different categories and it can be hard to find someone to adopt your puppies if you put the ad in automotive. You will also want to get a free account on Craigslist. You can post without one, of course, but if you have one, you can repost your ad very easily with the same copy.

When you sit down to write your ad for Craigslist, you don't have to be a novelist, but there are a few things you should keep in mind. First, go check the other ads and see what they have to say. While you can't tell who responded to what, necessarily, you'll be able to see what you need to cover. For instance, if you are selling a lamp or some furniture, you should put in a small amount of description about the item in question, but if at all possible, you should include a picture. Ads with pictures get a lot more revenue. Remember to make your headline memorable, because at first, that's all that people will see. They'll only see the rest if they click on your ad, so make your headline catchy so it will grab the attention of the idle reader.

When you post your ad, remember that you should place it in the appropriate category or categories and that you should make sure there is a way for the people you are trying to reach to contact you. You can direct them to a webpage, or you can send them to a dummy e-mail account. Because so many people are on Craigslist, you will want to be careful about giving out your personal information, but there is a lot you can do to get the traffic flowing.

Remember that ads are updated every day and that if you want to draw new people to look at your add, remember to repost it every few days, or every day, depending on your preference. Craigslist will delete your ad automatically within seven days, but one thing you can do is delete the ad yourself and repost within two days. This will keep your ad in the front for your future customers.

Craigslist is an impressive internet tool that is being used by people to network and socialize. If you own your own business or are in charge of recruiting or marketing, this is not a resource you can afford to dismiss!