Sunday, December 14, 2008

Using Free Classifieds to Your Advantage

By Alex Wu

Given the fact that folks have been using free classifieds to find, sell, and by items for more than thirty years, they are practically an institution. They have endured where many other trends have not. Part of the reason they are so popular is because they are so versatile. They can be used for just about anything. You can find practically any item, product, or service you might want by browsing the classifieds. You really never know what you are going to come across.

Therefore, it is definitely worth it to talk about why the classifieds are so advantageous. Before getting to that point, though, you need to know how to write the perfect ad. After all, an ad is only worth the response it gets. For that matter, there is only one single reason to advertise something.

You place it because, for whatever reason, you want people to read it and contact you to get more information. You have to interest and intrigue your readers. It does not matter if you are trying to give away free puppies or to sell a private product or service.

In fact, if you are indeed selling something, you might not even mention that in your ad. You first need to intrigue your readers so that they will come to you. You want them to want to know more. So, it is better to start out by making sure your ad is a real attention grabber.

You see, when you try too hard, people usually turn the other way - even in print. It is essential to make someone contact you. You have to pull them in instead of pushing something onto them. You can get to the selling point after they have contacted you.

One of the ways you can do this is by staying away from ads which only run a week or so. These are considered one shot ads and they rarely do any good. You should either let your ad run for a few weeks at least, or place a subtly different ad every week. That way, you can keep catching the readers' eyes. This is also the reason so many people prefer free classified ads.

As for what you can advertise, well, just about anything is up for grabs. Some people use the classifieds to increase the traffic driven to their web sites and blogs, especially when they are for profit. Others try to sell their own abilities. For instance, writers and graphic designers can advertise their services. Similarly, if you are trying to sell something, be it a product or an item you no longer need, the classifieds are ideal.

Naturally, free ads are a wonderful place to buy and sell things as well. Perhaps you are looking to buy a washer and dryer, a stove, a futon, or any number of other things. Perhaps you are even looking for a roommate! Then, too, perhaps you have something other than a private product you want to sell. People who are having garage sales and yards sales can even benefit from advertising. - 16738

About the Author: