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.

So, let us talk about some of the circumstances when free ads can be beneficial. First, however, we need to talk about what an ad needs to do. Simply put, there is only one reason to place an ad.

What is that reason? To garner interest, of course! People place ads in the classifieds because they want other people to be intrigued. They want other people to be interested enough to ask for more information. If you do not interest someone, your ad is not worth anything, no matter what it is actually advertising.

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.

As well, you should never do what is considered a "one shot" ad, meaning that you should not put it in the paper or on the web site for only one week. That is why free ads are so beneficial. You can keep an ad up - or put up a new one - week after week. You will thus be able to attract more people. That is the key to getting answers to your classified, no matter what you are advertising.

And what can you do with classifieds? The only limits pertain to you. There is no end to the possibilities. Perhaps you want to direct new traffic to your web site or blog. Classifieds give you a great opportunity to do that. The same holds true if you have something to sell. Maybe you have an actual product. Perhaps you want to sell your own talents. For example, freelance writers and designers, tutors, contractors, carpenters, and other people who are self employed can do quite well with classifieds.

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.

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