Free Classified Ads - A "How-To" Tutorial - Part 3 of 4

Some classified ad sites limit body copy from 125 to 255 characters; others are unlimited. Each classified ad site will tell you the limits.

As a general rule: shorter is better. Let the "curiosity factor" work for you. You want to send people into your Web site where you can answer their questions.

It should be written in third-person, objective case, not first-person -- unless that is called for. A lot of Web sites are written in first-person case "I have this great new product for you." and this usually gives the sense of a scam. Customers don't know you, why are you being so personal with them? On the other hand, a true "personal ad" where you are looking for a date or companion, would obviously require the use of first-person, because you are not an object.

Your classified ad body copy has three targets for your readers: Benefit-Emotion-Action (BEA). This applies to any type of ad, personals or otherwise.

Benefit -- Offer a real benefit that is "what's in it for me".
Emotion -- Stimulate an emotion to get them to want to go further.
Action -- Tell them what to do next.

Benefit:

If your classified ad readers feel there is something of value for them in your site, they will go there.

Benefits range in effectiveness. FREE is weak; it is overdone and often used as a trick. Offer them a REAL benefit such as 24-hour shipping, secure ordering from a known vendor such as PayPal, etc. Whatever the benefit you offer, it must be real. If you use a benefit as a trick (i.e. something is free, when it isn't, or there is a catch) you will generate anger and resentment. This will not work to YOUR benefit. So be honest!

Emotion:

You must stimulate an emotion. People often purchase by "gut feeling". Words like "exciting", "fun", "intriguing" are emotional hooks. NEW and UNIQUE can work, if it is true. Think and find an emotional appeal that really does exist in what you have to offer.

Action:

Tell people what you want them to do. Use the word "Buy", if that is what you want customers to do. Otherwise, you will confuse them. However if you are trying to build up interest in addition to sales, the word "Visit" can also work for you. People may go to your site out of curiosity. They can bookmark the site and come back later in case they are not in the market at the moment.

Urgency terms can backfire, so use them with caution. "Now" is a common urgency term. It can be effective, but it is almost understood. "Hurry", Limited Time" are other common urgency terms. Their effectiveness is also limited. If people feel TRUE urgency, it is because they are excited about what you have to offer, not because you tell them to hurry. Obviously, if your product or service genuinely is limited in time (i.e. tickets to a show or concert) then an urgency term would be appropriate.

Be careful in your choice of words. If you are selling books, don't say "Read". If you sell music, don't say "Listen". People will go to your site thinking there is something to read or listen to, and will not like it when they have to buy. If you are selling something, the ONLY customers you want are those who will buy from you. On the other hand if you are giving away articles or music, then the words "read" and "listen" are appropriate.

While many classified ad sites have a provision for your URL somewhere in the ad submission process, not all will allow it. Yet it really helps to include it.

To get around the problem, you can tell readers to visit your Web site by name.

Visit: My Wonder Dog Biz

Here are two examples of a classified ad body copy for the 125 and 255 character limits:

One-stop shop for happy dogs. Food, toys, more. Free shipping, 24 hrs. PayPal. Post dog pics! Visit: My Wonder Dog Biz now.
(123 characters with spaces.)

One-stop shop for a healthy, happy dog. Get your special dog the best supplies, food, toys, more. Exciting new products and free shipping within 24 hours! Secure PayPal on-line order. Special! - post your dog pictures! Buy at: My Wonder Dog Biz.
(245 characters with spaces.)

(These ads were processed with the Count My Text! utility.)

It's always a good idea to read your ad after an hour or so and analyze it to make sure it meets the BEA recommendation. In our fictional ads we can find:

Benefits: one-stop shop, free shipping, secure ordering via PayPal, 24-hour shipping

Emotions: special dog, happy, best, exciting, new, post pictures (the "aw-gee" factor)

Action: Visit: My Wonder Dog Biz now, Buy at: My Wonder Dog Biz

Since people will do a search for: My Wonder Dog Biz, it needs to have good search engine placement. In some case, you could post a URL, but this will take up more characters. If "My Wonder Dog Biz" has multiple listings in search engines, it will add credibility because people will see it a lot.

You can, of course, play with this body copy and come up with different text. This was just one example to show how it can be done.

Use language and grammar to your advantage to maximize your message in limited space.

Replace and with commas.

"best supplies, food, toys, more."
instead of "best supplies, food, toys, and more."

Use action verbs instead of adverbs.

shop
instead of shopping. It's shorter and active.

Rearrange word order to tighten.

Secure PayPal on-line order.
instead of Secure on-line ordering with PayPal.

Typography issues:

Avoid special quotes and characters! Some of these do NOT display correctly. "&" for "and" doesn't always work. "Smart" or "curly" quotes often don't display correctly. Use the "inch and feet marks" (dumb quotes) instead. Be very careful of the "em" or "en" dash. Word processors often place these in text and they don't translate. Use the simple "minus sign" instead.

(The Count My Text! utility - can find these codes and mark them for you!)

Now that the classified ad -- headline and body copy -- are created, take a break, walk away for an hour or two, then come back and look at the complete ad.

If possible, have someone else read it. If this is not possible, read it backwards. This helps you find errors that "scanning" - the way we normally read - will miss.

A poorly worded ad will jump out at the reader immediately. Be especially careful of common mistakes that spell checkers can't flag, such as "you" for "your", "their" for "there", "to" for "too" or "two", etc.

Review this sample:

Dog People Love My Wonder Dog Biz - The Fun Place To Get Dog Supplies!

One-stop shop for a healthy, happy dog. Get your special dog the best supplies, food, toys, more. Exciting new products and free shipping within 24 hours! Secure PayPal on-line ordering. Special! - post your dog pictures! Search: My Wonder Dog Biz now.

There are a few things that can be done to tighten the classified ad body copy. Can you find them? Here's a hint...

Look at sentence 3 of the body copy:

"Exciting new products and free shipping within 24 hours!"

Using the suggestions in TIP #6, the character count can be reduced from 56 to 42.

Your quiz: How would you accomplish this?

Take a moment before scrolling further to think about it. You'll find it is worth it.

Do you have the answer, or are you cheating? ;>)

Really, try to figure it out. You'll gain a lot from the exercise! ;>)

Okay, here's the answer.
Three little changes are all that are needed.


One:

"Exciting new products and free shipping within 24 hours"
replace the word AND with a comma
"Exciting new products, free shipping within 24 hours"

Two:

"Exciting new products, free shipping within 24 hours"
change the words FREE SHIPPING WITHIN to SHIP FREE IN
"Exciting new products, ship free in 24 hours"

Three:

"Exciting new products, ship free in 24 hours"
change the words 24 HOURS to 24-HRS
"Exciting new products, ship free in 24-hrs"

And there you have it!

If your confused by trying to count characters yourself, remember that spaces -- anything typed and even hidden codes -- count as characters! The Count My Text! utility is really handy!

So... how'd you do?

Writing a good classified ad takes time and practice. Do your best and try it for a few weeks. If necessary, review and change it. Ask others about your ad, what it says to them, if it motivates them. The most important thing is to THINK like the reader of the ad, not you as a seller!

"A Marketing Feast" is a fascinating and fun e-book that can teach you how to change your thinking for better marketing. It uses a unique how-to recipe format (with real food recipes!) that will change your thought process from that of a vendor, producer, or seller to that of a customer. When you think like they do, you tell them what they want to hear. Remember, you're a customer too!
http://www.clydesight.com/CUCMS/

The author of this tutorial does not express or imply any particular measure of success with free or paid classified advertising. All advertising is risky. The purpose of the tutorial is to teach readers how to prepare classified ad copy and properly submit it. What the reader creates and implements is entirely up to him/her. It is up to the reader to decide if classified advertising is a reasonable advertising venue.