Craigslist isn't a lways t he best advertising option but there are certain situations in w hich a business cannot afford not to advertise on Craigslist. For t he purposes of t his article we will examine 2 common scenarios w here a business owner s hould definitely consider advertising on Craigslist because failure to do so can be detrimental to his business. T hese examples include small startup companies w ithout a large advertising budget a nd existing companies w hose direct competitors are advertising extensively on Craigslist.
Small Startup Companies Benefit from Advertising on Craigslist
Small startup companies often h ave a great deal of work ahead of t hem to start competing w ith existing companies w ho are already t hriving. T hese companies may already have established client bases a nd may h ave substantial funding budges for the purpose of obtaining new customers. Customer loyalty can be difficult to break a nd new companies either h ave to of fer significantly better quality products or services, comparable products or services at reduced prices or a slick marketing campaign with c onsumer a ppeal.
However, smaller companies rarely h ave t he advertising budget necessary to orchestrate an elaborate advertising campaign. T his is w hen Craigslist be comes a necessity. S maller companies can focus t heir energy on creating outstanding advertising copy w ithout spending exorbitant amounts of money to run t hese advertisements in other forms of media such as newspapers, magazines, television or radio.
It's important to not t hat w hile free advertising is appealing, t he advertising should be just as sophisticated as it would in markets w here t he business owners would be required to pay a fee to run t he advertisement. T his will help t he business to maintain a professional image a nd will entice potential customer to try their products or services.
Do not Let t he Competition Corner the Market
Another scenario w here a business can't afford not to advertise on Craigslist is w hen direct competitors are making use of t he advertising opportunities on Craigslist. T his is i mportant because businesses w ho don't advertise in t he same locations as t heir competitors a r e essentially conceding potential customer s who peruse those locations to t he competitors.
Imagine y ou own a dog walking business in Portland, Oregon. If t here are a large number of m embers of t hat community using t he local Craigslist website to find dog walkers, you'll likely miss out on t hese business opportunities b ecause t hese individuals will likely select one of t he individuals advertising on Craigslist for t heir dog walking needs. If y ou were to place a well written advertisement in an appropriate section of Craigslist y ou may find you are able to gain a market share of t he available business.
T here is, how ever, one caveat to placing advertisements wh erever y our competitors are advertising. T his practice isn't considered worthwhile w hen t he market is already saturated w ith competition. Consider t he above example of a dog walker in Portland. If t here are a small number of competitors competing for business on Craigslist it's worthwhile to place y our own advertisement here. However, if literally hundreds of dog walkers are flooding t he website w ith t heir advertisement it's not worthwhile to post an advertisement because y our advertisement will likely be lost in t he shuffle. It's muchmore worth while to advertise in o ther locations. Checking Craigslist periodically may still be a good idea b ecause t hose advertising on Craigslist are likely to not see great gain from t his advertising and may resort to other options. W hen y ou notice a decline in competitor advertisements, it's a great opportunity to add y our advertisement.
