Read on to learn how to write classified ads that sell.
A sale is completed through four different stages ? awareness, interest, desire and action. Some marketers boil this down to a single word formula called AIDA formula
Awareness ? awareness that you have something to sell that the prospective customer may be benefited.
Interest ? the prospective customer gets interested in your product.
Desire ? the prospective customer feels like buying your product.
Action ? actually ordering the product and writing the check.
The third and fourth steps really are not in your control, but doing the first two steps ? awareness and interest ? correct can motivate the customer buy from you.
Thus with the little number of words, you have to create awareness and interest in the minds of your customers, on your product.
If your classified ad creates awareness and interest in the minds of your customers and he or she rings you up, your ad is a success.
Keep in mind that classified ads are not sales letters. Sales letters are aimed at closing the sale now and here. A classified ad is like an invitation to fix an appointment. Your prospective customer interested in buying the product (your house, car, vacuum) and is willing to explore the chances of buying the product from you. There will be more communication between you and your customer and a sale is reached on mutual understanding.
Five Quick Tips on Writing Classified Ads 1.Clearly describe in a few words what your product is. Use numbers and facts to tell things like colour, model, etc. 2.Don't go on to tell the whole story about your product. Just tell its present condition and location. Believe only people interested in specific products will be reading classified ads for that products. 3.Avoid exaggerated claims. Strange but true, you will not get the right customers with exaggerated claims. 4.Write a minimum of ten ads before you send one for the publication. You will see how beneficial it is to have an ad that actually captures the interest of people who are actively looking for products similar to yours. 5.Clearly tell readers what action to take. Ask readers to call a telephone number or visit a website for more information. Include the telephone number or website URL along the ad.
1. Gather the important basic information about your product. Describe your item as in depth as possible. Include make, model number, etc. The more you can tell the buyer about your items, the more they will understand which items they are purchasing. You will also save yourself a lot of time by not having to answer numerous emails about your product. Sometimes a buyer might be looking for an item because of a specific feature. Even if your item has this feature, but you didn’t include it in your posting, they might pass up buying it. They will probably just assume your item doesn’t have that feature and then move on to the next item.
2. Use quality Photos of your Item Take time to get nice looking photographs of your items. Most people will first look at a picture before they read the ad. If they see dark or out of focus pictures, they will close your ad and just continue to the next ad. If you take nice looking pictures, you will give yourself a better chance to sell your item.
3. Price your item right When it comes down to it, price matters. We all think our stuff is worth more than it may really be worth. Take time and research your item and see what the going price is for your item. If you want to get rid of it fast price it 10% to 15% lower than the going price. If you don’t care if you sell it or not, you can always price it 5% to 10% more and see what happens. Again if your going to price it a little higher, have documentation or something of value that justifies the price increase.
4. Provide documentation If you have manuals or warranty information, make sure you include that with the sale. Also let the buyer know you have this when you post your item. If you are selling an automobile, make sure you include all the documentation about service done to your vehicle. Believe it or not documentation can be a huge selling point, even for a simple small item.
5. Show a link If you have the ability to post more pictures on a personal server to show even greater detail, you let the buyer see everything. If you want to post more pictures please contact www.chicagolandtrader.com and they will help you for free. Also if you know of a site that has reviews of your item, use that link. A lot of times reviews help potential buyers make a buying decision in your favor.
6. Use Keywords Use strong keywords. If you have an item that has little wear and tear on it, instead of saying “used" say “Like New" Try to describe and use action words to help sell your item. Again, make sure your ad is truthful.
7. Be honest This should actually be number one on the list. Never try to pass junk along as something nice. If there is damage to the item, let the buyers know. In the long run you will have a much better reputation and cause less stress to yourself. People expect to get exactly what your selling. If they see damage or something else that was not described, they will probably not want to buy the item; therefore you will have to repost the items and go through the whole process again. When you make a posting, ask yourself if you were to buy this item, what would your first impressions be.
Both Sam Jose & Eric Sotus are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Sam Jose has sinced written about articles on various topics from Home Improvement, Fitness and Recreation and Sports. and from world's local classifieds.Vis. Sam Jose's top article generates over 368000 views. to your Favourites.
Eric Sotus has sinced written about articles on various topics from Shopping, Home Businesses. Eric has been selling online since 1997. Visit to read more selling tips. Eric Sotus's top article generates over 1000 views. to your Favourites.