Advertising: Laying Your Cards on the Table

Successful marketing is not really measured in how many customers you were able to sell today. To be really able to say that you have a great marketing strategy is to be able to know that your customers were happy and satisfied with their purchase and that they were able to get their money's worth.

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Do Free Classified Ads Make Sales?

by Dennis Watson

The quick answer is yes, if they are written properly. Many people think that the classified ad is where they will make the "Hard Sale". It has been proven time and again that the classified ad should be a part of a two-step process. The classified ad is the first part of the process, which should follow closely the professional marketer's strategy, which is known as AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire and Action.)

A - Attention: This is where it all starts. Your headline "Title" will determine the fate of the entire ad. Your classifieds ad should have an eye-catching title that grabs the potential buyers Attention. This can be accomplished by using words that might stir up emotion, urgency and excitement. A few good examples might be to use words like "Never Seen Before", "Limited Time Offer", or "You'll look Great."

I - Interest: With attention captured, quickly move to interest the potential buyer. Write with a casual, one-on-one voice and address the me?" question. Tell them about your offer. Do this as concisely as possible and don't beat around the bush. Don't over sell here or you risk them moving on to the next ad.

D - Desire: You must build a case and prove beyond reasonable doubt your offer is the best possible purchase alternative. You must explain in detail how customers benefit after accepting your offer. If you can pony-up a free trial or sample, do it. Your goal is to communicate how terrific life or work will be after accepting the offer.

A - Action: Use commands such as, click here, download this, subscribe to that, call today, and buy now. Encouraging visitors to take action works much better when coupled with "the right bait" or incentive.

Now let's get to the heart of the question. Do Free Classifieds make sales? They will if the site you choose gets decent traffic and the site offers photo uploads and hyper-linking to your website. Many of these sites use the same quality software that the pay for ads sites use. You may ask what's in it for them if my ads are free? Good question, many of these sites rely on you clicking on their paid advertisements and you visiting their affiliation sites, hoping you will place an order.

If you are a small operation with limited advertising resources than free classifieds are a great way for you to promote your product or services.

About the Author

Dennis Watson has been helping others promote their products or services for years through his Free Classifieds website => http://www.zeoh.com