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Classified Ad Marketing

There are both free and paid type of classified sites. If you use paid classified ads, make sure to keep track of how many hits you get from them by using a special email address, url or a code for your visitors to type in. You don't want to pay $40/month and only make $20/month in sales.

1.) Get your information together

Putting all of the information in a word processor first [like MS Word] will help speed up the process, by allowing you to cut and paste the information as you submit. The following is a list of information you'll need:

  • Headline [see below for help with these].
  • Price of item/service [if applicable]
  • Item/service [if applicable]
  • Possible categories to be placed under.
  • Contact name, email address, postal address, phone number, fax number and toll free (if applicable)
  • Description of site- use this space to be your advertisement and keep it brief, most classified sites don't allow but 50 characters.
  • Site title and address
  • 2.) Placing the ads choose either method A or B: A.)
  • Utilize free classified directories. Such as the Free 123 Classifieds located here, then go into Yahoo! or one of the other search engines and type in 'classifieds' and you'll find all the classified web sites you'll ever need.
  • Posting to 8 classified ads a day will be a great start [also to keep your sanity from posting overload].
  • Keep record of where you've posted and what you've posted. Copy the URL of the site's submission form and the information you posted, email the information to yourself and save the email in a specified folder. When it's time to renew ads all you have to do is go to the folder, click the URL and copy/paste the information.
  • Adding a special code [i.e. #1234] to the classified will help to determine which email came from the classified web sites. Using a different number for each of the different classified sites [keep record of which code goes to which classified] will determine which one pulled in the most visitors.
  • If you utilize your URL in the classified, add a site tracker that determines where your visitors are coming from [see Site Tracking for more information].

    B.)

  • Purchase submission software specifically for classified ads. I use Classify Pro and love it. You can download the trial version here.
  • The Canny Link is a great place to start looking for submission services, software and sites.
  • **Keep in mind that submitting to classified web sites will increase the spam mail in your mailbox. Spammers obtain names from classified submissions [classified owners can sell the names/email addresses for profit]. If you are marketing for a client, you will want to inform them before submitting.

    "Your headline is the ad for your ad" --Mark Hendricks Online Marketing Magic!
    The following are keywords that work for catching attention:
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  • Want to know more about classified ad marketing?
  • A Misleading Ad - The Guy Who Got Rich Quick
  • Creating Killer Headlines
  • Innovative Subject Lines, or Are They?
  • Introduction To The AIDA Formula
  • The Magic Keywords
  •  Marketing Strategies
  • Affiliate Programs
  • Awards
  • Banner Advertising
  • Barter
  • Budget
  • Classifieds
  • Email Marketing
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  • Marketing Plan
  • Networking
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  • Offline Marketing
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  • Search Engines
  • Sponsorship
  • Web Rings
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  • Web Site Monitoring
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