How to Use Classified Ads to Find Customers

Classified ads are NOT dead if that’s what you’re thinking. In fact, with the free classified ads offered on Craigslist and Kijiji now, the classified ads in your local paper are actually fewer and much easier to go through… easier to spot great offers too!

But… online advertising can be added to, edited and even deleted quickly, as opposed to ads in printed format, like your local newspaper.

For listing a free, online classified ad, you could write a advertisement for your free eBook or talk about those great articles you’re sharing on your website. Something like:

5 Reasons to Hire a Licensed Contractor visit: <shortened URL offered here> and get your FREE eReport

Or

Free beauty secrets you’ve always wanted to learn about visit: <shortened URL offered here>

So, now you need to understand what a shortened URL is.

Say your blog post is at the following address:

https://www.KarenKaspersNailSalon.ca/blog/
or
https://www.OshawaSnowRemoval.com/blog/

These addresses are VERY long and you really don’t need to clutter your ads with this many characters.

Here’s what you can do

Do an internet search for “URL shortener” (or better still, the Pretty Links plugin, for those of you using WordPress) and you’ll see a list of search results for you to choose one from. Right now, Google offers a REALLY short URL shortener of goo.gl.

Shortening the URL in your classified ad makes it easier for your potential customer to type into their browser address bar… and… a URL shortener will actually help you track the success of your classified ad campaign. Here’s what Google claims:

screen print of a paragraph

Your classified ads will be tax deductible because you will be using them to advertise your business. Local businesses are overlooking this great means of advertising and so, the “playing field” is wide open to you.

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Don’t believe me? Advice for job seekers now is to mail their résumé by regular post in order to gain an advantage and the attention they desire. What was “old hat” is new once again!

Oshawa This Week newspaper just informed me that for 25 words your classified ad can run in EVERY newspaper area they cover, for only $155. Let’s face it, you can easily attract your potential customers with THAT many words.

You could get creative too, use white space resourcefully to draw all eyes to your ad (Example: F R E E Beauty Secrets!).

Just be sure to use a phrase that will make readers want whatever it is you’re offering them for free. And, make sure what you’re offering for free is really worth having. In this way, you are creating targeted traffic for your website… and that type of traffic is like GOLD!

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Trish

Website Designer for Parr's Publishing. As a full certified Internet Specialist, I help business owners and organizations increase their profits by providing them with a fully managed, custom designed website as well as basic Search Engine Optimization.

4 thoughts on “How to Use Classified Ads to Find Customers”

  1. Classified websites have their own customer base and they are there because they want to buy certain things.If you can read their mind half of your work is done. You just need to know what the thing customers are looking for is.If you can put those factors in your ad then people will definitely get attracted towards your product and you will able to get leads from these sites.

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  2. It’s good to know that classified ads will be tax-deductible since you’re using them as advertising for your business. My boss has been looking for a new way to advertise, and this seems like exactly what he’s looking for. I’ll pass this information along to him for his consideration.

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