The Real Purpose of Classified Ads

By: Adbucket Click author's name for more of his/her articles

Your initial purpose for using a classified ad should not be to get a direct sale. Instead, use classified ads to test your advertisements. For example, AOL has a classified ad service for $6 per ad. You can reword your ad serveral times until you get one that really brings in responses. Then you can repeat that ad in 100's of other places, knowing that you are spending your money wisely.
If you do not test, you stand to lose quite a bit of money. The advantages of classified ads are as follows:
• Easily trackable with measureable results
• inexspensive
• Instant Response
• Easy setup
How to Get Free Classified Ads
Likely, you will be required to pay for all of your ads, however, it may be possible to place free ads if you are giving something away. One technique is to enter everyone that replies into a drawing. You may get hundreds of people that you now know want that item. You give away your promo item, and then follow up with everyone else and try to make a cash sale.
FFA Classified Ads
Free For All - means that anyone can post to their classified ads, and it is free. Unfortunately, these ads do nothing but spam your email address with marketing offers. We recommend that you stay away from ad services like these. They are ineffective, do not get read at all, and instead give you tons of junk mail.
Look for Real Free Classified Ad Sites! They will offer mostly Free general ads and also offer without pressure banner advertising as a competitive price on a voluntary basis.

Here are some ad writing tips especially for classified ads:
• Give out free information or guides to increase response ( not in the ad, but mention it )
• Use good words like "free, save, guarantee"
• Use multiple postings in various categories instead of longer posts in 1 category.
• Make it easy to respond
• Write a separate ad for each item, do not mix several items together.
• Put exactly what you are selling in the title, make, model, color, etc.
• Setup different versions of your ad for different categories
• Use short and complete messages, list why they want it, what you are offering as a benefit, not a fact. Say we can save you $100 per month on insurance, not we sell insurance.
• Focus 90% of your time on your title. Bad Titles do not get read at all. Classified Ad Titles are similar, but not exactly the same as Search Engine Titles
• Write short ads with the purpose of generating a lead, not making a sale
• Track your ads with promo codes or using other sales tracking methods
• Test out your competition, respond to their ad and see their offer
• Once you have a profitable ad, repeat it in 100's of other locations
• REPEAT: Your purpose is to generate interest and get them to respond, not make a sale.
• Don't say "I am the best" say why you are the best. What do you do to help them?
• Use the main service or benefit in the title
• If you are searching for someone or something, put that item in the title.
• DON'T USE ALL CAPS, many ad services will reject the ad, and it is hard to read. Instead use Title Case for Titles and normal case for everything else.

Using Classified Ads to Sort
If you place a long distance number in the ad instead of something easily responded to, you'll get fewer respondents, but they will be more qualified.
Auto responders and Classified Ads
A common classifieds technique is to give them an email with an auto responder. The auto responder can have a much more detailed letter that is sent automatically to anyone that emails. This is also a sorting method, because you won't have to deal with anyone until they have at least seen your ad, responded to it, and read your auto response message. If they contact you again, you can bet they are pretty qualified leads.

Article Source: ABC Article Directory

About The Author: Adbucket.ca provides Canadians with Free Canada classifieds listings to buy and sell merchandise, exchange services or browse Canada classifieds ads for jobs, real estate, items for sale, electronics and entertainment, farms and so on.