Craigslist is not always the best advertising alternative but there are certain times in which a business cannot afford not to advertise on Craigslist. For this article we will examine two common scenarios where a business owner should consider advertising on Craigslist because failure to do so can be harmful to his business. These examples include small startup companies without a large advertising budget and existing companies whose direct competitors are advertising extensively on Craigslist.
Small Startup Companies Benefit from Advertising on Craigslist
Small startup companies often have much work ahead of them to begin competing with existing companies who are already thriving. These companies may already have established client bases and may have large funding budges for gaining new customers. Customer loyalty can be difficult to break and new companies either have to offer significantly better quality products or services, comparable products or services at reduced prices or a slick marketing campaign with consumer appeal.
However, smaller companies rarely have the advertising budget necessary to orchestrate an elaborate advertising campaign. This is when Craigslist becomes a necessity. Smaller companies can focus their energy on creating outstanding advertising copy without spending too much money to run these advertisements in other forms of media such as newspapers, magazines, television or radio.
It is important to note that while free advertising is appealing, the advertising should be just as sophisticated as it would in markets where the business owners would be required to pay a fee to run the advertisement. This will help the business to keep a professional image and will entice potential customer to try their products or services.
Don’t Let the Competition Corner the Market
Another scenario where a business cannot afford not to advertise on Craigslist is when direct competitors are making use of the advertising opportunities on Craigslist. This is important because businesses who do not advertise in the same locations as their competitors are essentially conceding potential customers who read those locations to the competitors.
Imagine you own a dog walking business in Portland, Oregon. If there are many members of that community using the local Craigslist website to find dog walkers, you will likely miss out on these business opportunities because these individuals will likely select one of the individuals advertising on Craigslist for their dog walking needs. If you were to place a well written advertisement in a suitable section of Craigslist you may find you are able to gain a market share of the available business.
There is, however, one caution to placing advertisements wherever your competitors are advertising. This practice is not considered worthwhile when the market is already saturated with competition. Consider the above example of a dog walker in Portland. If there are a few competitors competing for business on Craigslist it is worthwhile to place your own advertisement here. However, if literally hundreds of dog walkers are flooding the website with their advertisement it is not worthwhile to post an advertisement because your advertisement will likely be lost in the shuffle. It is much more worthwhile to advertise in other locations. Checking Craigslist periodically may still be a good idea because those advertising on Craigslist are likely to not see great gain from this advertising and may resort to other choices. When you notice a decline in competitor advertisements, it is a great opportunity to add your advertisement.
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