As a small business owner, you want to make sure you are utilizing all of the resources available to you. Craigslist is a valuable tool to gain sales, especially in a service industry. There is no difference between a craigslist ad and any other advertisement your business is considering running. Except that Craigslist is free! Here are some tips to ensure you are creating an effective Craigslist ad.
Title | Price | Location. When creating your ad you will first be prompted to enter these fields of information. Think of the posting title as your advertisement headline. It needs to be direct and clear with what you are offering. The price will be posted next to the headline as well as your specific location.
Posting Description. Think of your description as the advertisement copy. You can use more descriptive and persuasive language to sell the item. Make sure you are using descriptive and engaging adjectives to describe your product. Don’t forget your call to action.
Images. Adding an image is an absolute necessity. Even if it’s just a company logo, adding an image will improve your response rate on the Craigslist advertisement.
Incentives. Add an incentive to respond to the ad. For example, free delivery. This will create an urgency within the prospect to respond immediately.
Think Outside the Box. Craigslist limits you to a number of posts you can make per day. Usually, you can post three advertisements daily without any issue. Post your advertisements in smaller areas throughout the country. A lot of times big metro areas will get flooded with listings and you won’t be seen.
Renew. Stay up to date on your listings. Make sure you are renewing the listings so that they are refreshed in the search results.
Negotiate. Craigslist is a negotiable marketplace oftentimes. Make sure you add some markup into your price to be able to negotiate down and still make the proper margin.
If you need advertising assistance or advice, feel free to contact us! We are happy to help.