As I discussed in Part 1 of generating leads from Craigslist, there are a number of elements that should be included in your ad post that will significantly improve your chances of success. Some of those are repost regularly, be creative with your offers, use catchy headlines, and use a real e-mails address and phone number. Each of those elements done properly will improve your ability to generate leads.
Here are a few more techniques that should be used with your Craigslist ad posts:
Sprinkle in Keywords – Since the design Craigslist is strictly chronological with a rather simple search function, one way to increase the number of users that view your ad is to use targeted keywords throughout your post. For instance, you should not just have “Car for sale.” What you should be selling is a “2007 BMW 530i that has amazing horsepower and excellent condition. This model is slightly smaller than the BMW 700 series and in industry tests performs better than Mercedez, Audi, Lexus, and Volkswagon. This car has premium Bose speakers and GPS navigation system. Sirius Satellite radio is an additional feature that has two years remaining at no additional charge.” Writing your ads with targeted keywords will draw in visitors who may not have been searching for your product specifically, but a related product and now you get to make your pitch. It is easy to get carried away with this method which will cause your ad to get flagged. Be creative when writing your ad copy so that it does not appear that you are simply stuffing your ad with keywords.
Attach an Image – Every ad that you post should have an image. I repeat – every ad that you post should have an image. The statistic that I have seen says that Craigslist ads that have an image get viewed 55% more than ads without an image. Use an image of yourself, or an employee, or the company logo. The actual image is not as important as simply using an image. The main reason is that when your ad appears in the search results, it will have the orange text next to the title that states this ad has an image. People love to look at images which causes your ad to get more views. It is a bit of a waste to use an image unrelated to your business or service. It adds no value, so use an image that in some way relates to your business.
Choose multiple categories – Since most of your ads will be posted in the “services” section, don’t always choose the same category, mix it up. Some people do not use the search function on Craigslist, but rather scroll to the section that they are interested in, click on the category, and then scroll through each of the results. By posting your ad in multiple categories(on different days), you can get your ad positioned in front of prospects who do not search on craigslist. Refer to Part 1 for details on how often you can post to Craigslist and the best method for multiple postings.
Post in other cities close by – If you offer a service where some travel is not out of the question, then posting in multiple cities is a must. Many times, the service or product that the user is looking for is not available in their city, they will try search the next city over to determine if they can find what they need there. For example, if your ad is originally posted in Columbus, Ohio, you should also consider posting in Dayton, Cleveland, Columbus, and Wheeling, West Virginia. All of these cities are within 2 hours driving distance and could be well worth the drive for the value that you can provide.
Since there is no cost to post your ad to Craigslist, every business owner should give it a try. If only a handful of clients are gained from the postings, the postings pay for themselves many times over. The postings should become a part of a daily routine that keeps your ads in front of prospects searching on Craigslist.
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