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Local Online Marketing
Increase Website Traffic, Sales and Leads with Craigslist Display Advertising
This email newsletter is the fourth in our series on local online marketing. In the previous issues we covered local search marketing and local social media using Twitter. This time we explore how small business can use Craigslist for local online display advertising.
Craigslist is a network of online communities offering small businesses an opportunity to create free of charge local search campaigns by posting ads for the purpose of promoting goods and services to a local audience. Craigslist features free online classified advertisements with sections devoted to jobs, housing, personals, for sale, services, community, gigs, résumés, discussion forums, events and more. Craigslist is locally focused with sites for 50 US states and major metro areas. For the most part, posting and viewing ads on Craigslist is free. In 18 major US cities, Craigslist charges recruiters $25.00 (in San Francisco, $75.00) to place a help wanted ad. In New York, it charges real estate brokers $10.00 to post individual listings for apartments and homes.
A recent study by the AIM Group unveiled that more than 80 percent of Craigslist revenue comes from recruitment ads, with most of the remainder coming from real-estate ads in New York. In March alone Craigslist served 42.2 million visitors. The site is projected to bring in $100 million in revenue in 2009.
Craigslist Advertising
Craigslist is a simple tool that can be used effectively for targeted marketing by cash- and time-strapped small businesses. Before people and companies can post an ad on Craigslist they need to establish a Craigslist account. After that they can post a pure text ad, a text ad with up to 4 images or a complete image display ad.
The main tool for locating ads on Craigslist is the search function. The search tool is using a relatively basic algorithm that ranks ads in chronological order first by the posting date, with newer ads appearing above older ones, and then by keyword relevancy. This means that advertisers must implement basic organic search engine optimization (SEO) techniques, like placing relevant, targeted keywords in the ad title and ad description to give the ad a better chance to rank high on the search results page.
Since people have the option to search ad titles only, it is critically important to compose an ad title that contains the most relevant keywords. Craigslist users will also have the option to search for image ads only.
Craigslist allows embedded hypertext links within an ad post so users can be directed to the business web site for more information or online purchase. Ads on Craigslist expire within 30 days and can be re-submitted for an additional period(s) of 30 days.
Image Display Ads
Professionally designed image display ads are most effective because they stand out among the crowd of predominantly text-based ads. Designing and uploading image display ads on Craigslist is a bit more time consuming than posting regular text ads, but once you have designed a variety of display ads, they can be rotated by simply deleting and reposting them as needed.
Posting an image display ad to a Craigslist account involves the following steps:
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Design an image display ad
If you do not have the design and copy writing skills to create a compelling display ad we recommend hiring a professional designer or design firm to compose a series of display ads. When you are on a tight budget and decide to take this task on yourself you can create a basic display ad in Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Paint, Microsoft Publisher and then save the ad as a JPEG file or you may also use an online image/design program or software suite to create the image ad.
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Create HTML code
Create an account at Photobucket or ImageShack and upload the image display ad to the Photobucket account. This way Photobucket or ImageShack creates the HTML code for the ad. Copy the newly created HTML code to your browser by selecting the text with your mouse, right clicking the highlighted code and selecting Copy.
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Post the display ad file to Craigslist
Post the ad the way you normally would with a text posting, but in the body where you usually add text, paste the html code. Preview your ad and Post.
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Speaking Engagements
Middlesex Savings Bank
Business Success Seminars
Thursday, June 18th, 2009 - 7:30 am
Crowne Plaza Hotel, 1360 Worcester Street (Rt 9), Natick, Massachusetts
"Using Internet Marketing to Build Your Business"
Presenter: Louise Rijk
Click here to sign up.
Past Presentations
Clark University
Thursday, May 14, 2009 - 8:45-12 noon
Grace Conference Room
Clark University, Worcester, Massachusetts
"Online Visibility and Advertising for Local Businesses"
Presenter: Louise Rijk
Click here to learn more.
WebmasterWorld PubCon 2008
Las Vegas
“Integrating Word of Mouth Marketing (WOMM) into the Advertising Mix”
Presenter: Louise Rijk, Vice President of Marketing and Sales
Click here to play the presentation
128 Business Expo 2008
The Westin Waltham-Boston Hotel
"Using Social Media to Connect with Prospects and Customers"
Presenter: Louise Rijk, Vice-President of Marketing and Sales
Click here to play the video.
495/MetroWest Business Expo
Sheraton Framingham Hotel
Pre-Expo Keynote Presentation
“A Strategic Approach to Integrated Marketing”
Presenter: Louise Rijk, Vice-President of Marketing and Sales
Click here to play the video.
Bentley College, 2008 - Waltham, MA
“Planning and Integrating a Targeted Internet Marketing Campaign”
Click here to play the video.
WebmasterWorld Pubcon 2007 - Las Vegas, NV
“Planning and Integrating a Word of Mouth Marketing (WOMM) Campaign”
Click here to play the video.
BizAction 2007 - Washington DC
"Email, Social Media and Search in the Overall Marketing Mix"
Click here to play the audio.
128 Business Expo 2007
"Blogging and Podcasting For Business"
Click here to play the video.
495/Metrowest Business Expo
Pre-Expo Keynote
"The Rise of the Internet as a Mass Advertising Medium"
Click here to play the video.
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If you would like more information on Internet Marketing, Consulting, Search Engine Marketing, Social Media Marketing and Email Marketing, please
click here.
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Copyright © 1996-2009. Advanced Media Productions, Inc.
Advanced Media Productions, Inc.
251 West Central St., Suite 28, Natick, Massachusetts 01760, USA
Tel: 508-647-5151 Fax: 508-647-5150
E-mail: info@advmediaproductions.com
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