
"A classified ad should have only one purpose:
to be tightly focussed on getting just one goal accomplished."
Fundamental Rules of Marketing Communications
• Know your audience.
• Know what your audience wants.
• Make it clear that your audience will get what they want if they respond to your ad.
• Get your audience to act immediately on any offer
That’s what your classified ad needs to do. Unfortunately, most classified ads essentially just say, "here we are!" In advertising, you need to understand that no one reading your ad cares about you or your business. When people read ads, they only want to know "What’s in it for me?"
If people who read your classified ad do not immediately see a clear benefit, they will move on to the next person’s ad. They are only reading ads to fulfill a need or desire, not to get to know you or your company.
A typical, non-converting classified ad contains only…
• The name of the product, service or company.
• A short description about the product, service or company.
• A website address, mailing address or telephone number.
The single goal of a classified ad is to get readers to take immediate action on your offers. But, all of the information bulleted above fails to focus on the needs or desires of the reader.
Why would anyone respond to these ads? They contain no answer to the simple question, "What’s in it for me?" Nor do they urge for a response within a certain time frame. There is no immediate "call to action" to prompt the reader to respond ‘now’. The reader is likely to click away from the ad and forget that they ever saw it.
To create successful, high-converting classified ads, you must be willing to learn. Educate yourself on what it takes to create top-quality classified ads and convert your prospects into buyers.
If you cannot create your own high-converting classified ads, consider hiring a professional copywriter to write a classified ad for you (Find Writers on oDesk
), or use vFlyer to easily create stunning, professional ads that you can simply drag and drop into any classified ads website.
