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Be clear about what you are selling
Too many people who first try out craigslist advertising try to be cute. They really do. They try to be witty. They try to be mysterious. Sadly, ad titles that have these qualities tend to fall flat on their faces. Seriously. The number one rule on Craigslist and websites like craigslist is clarity. You have to quickly and effectively communicate your value proposition. Otherwise, your target audience or would-be buyers would quickly move on to a clearer ad. You have to be clear about whatever it is you are offering. Mention model names. Mention crucial elements in the title. Don't leave anything to chance.Be descriptive
While chances are high that people who will be browsing your ads will know what you're offering based on the clarity of your headlines, this is not enough. This is enough to get your foot in the door, but if you want your craigslist advertising efforts to yield the most results, you need to be descriptive. Don't be lazy. Don't just assume that the reader will automatically get what you are trying to say. Spell it out. This advice applies to websites like craigslist as well. As much as possible, describe in bullet points all the key features of the items you are selling or the qualities of the services you are pushing. Don't leave anything to the imagination. Take control of the opportunity by drawing the reader in. Remember, it is your ad so you are in control of the conversation. Make it lead to where you want it to lead: a sale.Appeal to their needs
Most of the people who will be viewing your craigslist advertising will probably be on the fence. They will not be 100% sure they want to buy. You have to remind them why they are looking at your ad in the first place. In short, you have to remind them of their needs. Appeal to their needs by bringing up key features of the product or service you are promoting. You can't just list these. You have to frame it in such a way that it is clear that it meets key needs. For example, if you are selling a food processor, lay out its functions and expand on the functions by giving examples regarding the types of dishes that can be handled by each function of this product.Appeal to their emotions
Visitors to Craigslist and websites like craigslist are not immune from appeals to emotion. We are all, after all, emotional creatures. The secret is not to overplay your hand. Don't go overboard. Don't come off as cheesy or silly. Definitely don't come off as manipulative. Subtlety is the key. Choose your words carefully. Paint small pictures of the emotional benefits and impact the product or service you are promoting brings to the table. This is the difference between flat ads and effective ads. Remember, there are probably going to be many other ads like yours pushing the same thing or service. You need to stand out from the competition by having a clear dialogue with the reader. This is a crucial factor in craigslist advertising. In fact, it is so important that even stripped down websites like craigslist produce better results with emotionally-written ads.Call your reader to action
If you have reached this stage of the selling process at Craigslist but failed to call your reader to action, your ad will probably fail. I hate to break it to you but you need to get your readers off the fence. Sure, great descriptions got them interested. Sure, appeals to emotion got them excited. Don't leave them hanging. Tell them what to do next. You'd be surprised as to the huge amount of craigslist advertising out there with no clear and powerful call to action. If you want to succeed at Craigslist or websites like craigslist, you need to be clear, direct, and emphatic with your call to action. No-'contact me' is not a call to action. You have to pair it with the value the reader will get.Craigslist advertising yields powerful results. Not only is Craigslist free, it is also a great source of traffic. However, you have to play your cards right. You can't just market to this site like you would on websites like craigslist, social media sites, or other traffic sources. Keep the tips above in mind to step your marketing game up on the planet's most powerful classified ads site.
Cheers,
The Genius Online Marketing
