Classified Advertising is an excellent way of selling any unwanted goods, business products or even posting houses for sale. If you want to learn how to maximise profits when buying or selling, continue reading, as we explain the simple ways of getting your advertising viewed time and time again, and therefore watching your sales figures skyrocket.

Traditional classified ads were a great resource in local newspapers and magazines but these have been overtaken by the ease and speed of posting on internet websites. You can now get your message out to the world in seconds by posting free classified ads.

The origins of classified ads were from the printed media where postings were grouped into categories or classes. They were paid for by the letter so were usually short and sweet to maximise the cost effectiveness.

Regardless of the actual content, the sole purpose of a classified advert is to sell. Even if you are posting a wanted ad or trying to get a date you need to motivate the reader to perform an action. Make it as effective as possible by doing the following:

1. The headline is the most important part of the ad. If it doesn’t attract a user to click it, the ad has failed already. Your ad copy may contain literary works to rival Shakespeare, but if the headline does not grab the attention it is worthless.

Use motivating phrases like Secrets Revealed, Limited Offer, Don’t Miss Out etc. Try using formatting different to the rest of the ads, perhaps uppercase or with symbols, just try not to make it look like spam.

2. Sell the benefits. People react to benefits, they want to know ‘what’s in it for me?’ they want ways of improving their life in some way. We all want to get thinner, be better looking, make more money etc. Your listing should give them promise of fulfilling their human emotions, not a list of features.

3. Don’t lie, be honest and get to the point quickly. Classified ads are expected to be short, the point is to make somebody want to find out more by clicking your link or picking up the phone. Include personal details and be truthful to allay fears that you might rip them off.

4. Add pictures and/or video and audio to accompany the listing. People like to see what they are getting so photos and videos are fantastic at getting your message across quickly. Reading a whole bunch of text on the screen can turn people off.

5. End with a call to action. Instruct people what you want them to do and they are more likely to do it, eg Call Today, Find Out More Now etc

6. Check everything looks ok. Always proof read and check links as errors just make you look unprofessional. Test different combinations of headlines, wording, photos etc to see what works best and then use that combination on other sites.

Remember, with the sheer number of classified ads on the internet, it is really a numbers game to promote your business. Reduce the time and effort you need to spend advertising your business. Find a quality website that has relevant traffic, offers photographs and video and use the tips above to really supercharge your sales today!