Is Craigslist Dead? Tips On Using Craigslist For Your Business

When it comes to content marketing channels, businesses tend to use social media networks, blogs, and email campaigns. But there’s another website that not enough people take advantage of: craigslist.

Founded in 1995, craigslist features a collection of classified advertisements divided into sections, for jobs, personals, services, and even community discussions.

In this post, Arcalea explains why you shouldn’t discount craigslist from your 2018 marketing strategy, and a few tips on how to get the best results.

About Craigslist Marketing

So, just how big of a marketing opportunity is craigslist anyway? Consider these statistics from the craigslist fact sheet:

• Craigslist has at least 60 million monthly users in the United States alone
• Craigslist’s website drives 50 billion page views each month
• There are more than 700 local craigslist sites in 70 countries

So, is craigslist an outdated list of classified ads? Certainly not.

Although the website’s interface has changed little in thirteen years, its online reach has gone international. Businesses should consider finding ways to use the website and directory for finding new employees, attracting tenants and buyers, or advertising a product or service. In fact, businesses can advertise for free, as long they’re not housing or hiring ads.

Here are a few tips on how any business can make the most out of their marketing efforts on craigslist.

Tips For Craigslist Marketing

Research Your Product/Service

Try to find out as much information as you can regarding your product or service. It is best to look at what other similar websites and or businesses are saying so you will have an idea of what works and what doesn’t. Ask yourself: which product/service listings seem most attractive, or most professional?

As for creating your content, make sure it conveys the most important information. Text ads are great, but pictures are more eye-catching, so try to use photos whenever you can. When you’re done creating your content, make sure to post it on craigslist’s most relevant section.

Create a Great Title for your Post

The title is the first thing that will grab anyone’s attention. Keep it concise and descriptive as possible. You can also add the price and the most important details about your product or service. Avoid using caps whenever possible, and limit the use of exclamation points. Even if you see listings like these on craigslist, it makes your ad look spammy and unprofessional.

For more information on how you can develop an engaging headline, check out our post, The Science Behind A Captivating Headline. While it’s originally intended for blog posts, the same principles apply to craigslist as well.

Use Keywords Wisely

Users enter keywords to find what they’re looking for, so make sure to use the conduct keyword research, and use the keyword frequently but naturally. Websites like keywordtool.io help provide relevant keywords once fed an initial word. A combination of common keywords and more specific phrases can help your listing rise on the search results page. Check out keywordtool.io suggest for free keyword research, although there are some limitations on the data.

Post and Repost your Ad

Craigslist’s algorithm tends to favor newer listings over older ones, so it’s fairly common to see marketers and businesses repost their ad for more visibility. However, craigslist does employ a few measures to prevent spammers and bots from dominating the results pages. For example, you cannot repost a listing within 48 hours, otherwise, it may not show up on the results page. Ads also expire after 30 days, ensuring no ads stick around forever.

Thankfully there are a few workarounds. Some people only leave an ad up for a day, delete it, then repost it with a slightly altered copy the next day. This avoids the 48-hour limit while ensuring it receives additional traffic from the update. Consider using variations of an ad each time you repost it, to keep the content fresh and to avoid getting flagged.

Evaluate and Experiment

The best way to learn is to start a listing, analyze the performance, and then start again. Measure how well each listing or ad does- which elements stood out the most? Which aspects of the image or copy helped a user convert? The better you can answer these questions, the better the ads you can create. Try putting up a slightly modified version of an ad, at different days or times to conduct a few content experiments. You may be surprised to find that the minor changes can have the biggest impacts.

Help with Marketing on Craigslist

Craigslist is popular, simple to use, and cost-effective. The minimalist, slightly retro aesthetic may turn some people off, but for others, it remains the simplest way to find particular services and products. These are just a few tips to get higher engagement on your craigslist posts, but to have a more top-level overview, an agency consultation might be a better move.

For more information on craigslist, advertising, and digital marketing, please visit the Arcalea blog today.