The Cybergenica Blog

How to Use Craigslist to Promote My Business

Craigslist can prove to be an excellent avenue for business promotion. Whether an individual owning a small business which they operate on a part time basis or even a thriving business which could use more exposure, Craigslist can be used to help businesses of all sizes increase web driven revenue. The two main components to successfully promoting a business on Craigslist include reaching your target audience and running a marketing campaign which will appeal to this target audience. This post will discuss these two components in detail in an effort to help yourr realize how Craigslist can be used to grow your business.

Reaching Your Target Audience on Craigslist

Promoting a business on Craigslist doesn’t have to be a difficult process. However, it is not necessarily automatically easier than promoting offline either. Promoting your business through Craigslist does have some similarities to the process of promoting your business offline. The main similarity is that anyone looking to capitalize on a particular market musts do their research to find out who is included in their target audience.

Even the most well thought out and innovative marketing campaign will falter if it is not reaching the intended audience. This is why it is critical for those who are trying to promote their business on Craigslist to be sure they categorize their advertisement correctly to ensure their intended audience will receive the intended message. The majority of posts on Craigslist are available free of charge with the exception of job listings in larger metropolitan areas. Therefore small business owners can take advantage of the free posting on Craigslist to reach their target audience in a great number of locations throughout the United-Stated and Canada, where Craigslist is a popular portal.

Consider for example a company offering moving services in Portland, Oregon. A small moving company that is relatively new might want to take advantage of the free advertising available on Craigslist. To reach the largest target audience, the moving company should place a services offered posting under the labor and moving category within the counties in which the services are offered. Placing ads according to this method is far more likely to reach an audience of people who are planning a move to or from the desired county.  Our same moving company, since its services are localized would not benefit as much from ads placed in New York or Florida.

Besides free classified postings, Craigslist offers additional benefits. The most significant benefit is a large audience. Craigslist receives over 4 billion page views per month. Such a large audience makes it possible for those who post on Craigslist to capitalize on the web’s most significant free classified portal. However, as previously mentioned, care should be taken when placing ads making certain to categorize the advertisement correctly thereby ensuring the ads are reaching the target audience.

Effectively Marketing on Craigslist

Marketing effectively on Craigslist is not very different from marketing effectively in other forms of media. One of the most important elements of an effective marketing campaign on Craigslist is professionally written copy that appeals directly to the target audience. Hiring a freelance writer skilled in writing sales copy is an excellent idea in this situation. The business owner might be quite knowledgeable about their business but they do not likely have the skills necessary to convey the purpose of the business while also effectively convincing those who read the posting to perform a specific action. The specific action may include visiting a website and making a purchase, requesting additional information about the products or services or performing some other desired action such as visiting a traditional store or place of business.

The other component to marketing effectively, as previously mentioned, is placing the advertisement in the correct section of Craigslist. Categorizing the advertisement correctly is essential to maximize revenue, but more importantly correct placement will prevent from having ads flagged and removed due to mis-categorizing.

Products and services which are only offered in a limited area such as a particular city or county should be advertised in these exact locations. However, businesses that offer products or services via a website might consider placing their advertisement in all of the sections AND  locations where items can be shipped or services rendered.

Share Button

6 thoughts on “How to Use Craigslist to Promote My Business

  1. Would Craigslist be a good place to find an agent to publicize and sell my new superhero book, FOG MAN? I am looking for someone to approach comic book dealers, movie people, etc. FOG MAN is unique and would make a good movie. I call it my superhero for all ages.
    I am working on FOG MANII, which will talk more about marketable items connected with FOG MAN. I hold all rights to FOG MAN, as he is my creation.
    Janet

    1. Janet, yes, the Small Business Ads or Services sections of Craigslist might yield prospects for you to consider in your search for an agent. But remember, Craigslist ads are often free and not necessarily your best solution. I also recommend checking each agent’s reputation before committing… :)

  2. Hi, can a indian company post a ad in craiglist US, is it in compliance with the Craiglist T&C we offer web development services and wish to target US clients.

    1. Of course you can! As long as you have a verified Craiglist account, you can do business anywhere. That’s the beauty of Craigaliat, as they do not discriminate based on location. They do however black spam so be certain to adhere by their T&C and only post ads accordingly.

Leave a Reply to Doris E. Lanham Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Skip to toolbar