Sunday, December 14, 2008

What Free Classifieds Can Do for You

By Alex Wu

People have been using free classifieds for more than three decades. In a world where new trends are born and disappear over night, that should tell you how popular and successful they are. They are used for a variety of things. People turn to classified ads when they want to buy things, sell things, and even find things. There is virtually no end to the possibilities. People might use them to advertise their own inventions, to rent an apartment, or even to sell a house. The benefits are as wide and varied as the possibilities. It all depends on exactly what you need.

That being said, simply placing an ad does not guarantee success. You need to follow a few fundamental rules. Some ads are more successful than others. That is simply fact. What separates the successes from the failures is usually the ad itself rather than what it is advertising. There is one key thing to remember when placing a classified ad. You need to remember that your sole reason for placing it is to get people interested.

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.

People are not going to contact you if they are not interested. Therefore, you have to catch their eye. In some ways, it is often better to avoid actively selling something in your ad. It is far better to pique someone's intrigue and then try to sell what you are advertising when they contact you.

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.

Buying and selling is often done in the classifieds. People sell household items, they try to rent rooms, or they advertise private sales. Similarly, people place ads when they are looking for things - like household items and rooms to rent!

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