30 Minute Promotion: Using Yahoo Classifieds

Have you ever posted ads to the FFA (Free For All) classified sites? I don't use them at all anymore because the results are just not what they once were. But, there are some places to post free classified ads and generate a modest amount of traffic. The Yahoo Classifieds is one of them. Here's a quick how-to and some tips: How To Post Ads on Yahoo 1) Go to http://www.yahoo.com and look for the "classifieds" link near the top of the page. Clicking on the link will take you to the classifieds home page. Now find the "My Ads" link and click on it. You will come to a registration/login page. If you aren't a Yahoo member you'll need to register as one. If you're already a member go ahead and login. 2) After registering find your way back to the classified section and browse the ad categories. You need to get a feel for the different categories and sub-categories. What you'll see in the listings are just the ad titles. You'll also see a "more information" button next to the titles. Click on a few to see how the full ads are displayed. Look to see what kind of ads are being posted. Take some time here because the categories and sub- categories can be a little confusing at first. Look for all the different places that you might want to advertise in and write them down. 3) Yahoo allows you to place up to 10 ads. You can place 10 different ads in one category, or the same ad in different categories. When you're ready, click on the "post ad" link and you'll be taken to the posting page. Just fill out the form to place your ad. When I first started placing ads with Yahoo I found the whole process a little confusing. Just go ahead and fill in the form as best you can. You will understand it better after you go through the process a few times. Tips For Getting Your Best Results 1) As with all of your advertising efforts, the better your ad copy the better your results. Since your ad title is what people will see first make it compelling to get the click on "more information". Here's an article that might help: www.netprofits4beginners.com/adv/killeradsarticle.html 2) Yahoo lists the newest ads first. You'll notice a date in the left column by each ad as you browse the classifieds. This is the date the add was posted. Your ads will run for thirty days after they are posted. But the older they get, the less likely they will be seen. To get around this problem you'll need to go back to Yahoo every two or three days and re post your ad. Just go back to the classifieds section, click on the "my ads" link. Unfortunately, the only way to do this is to delete your ad and post a new one. Takes about thirty minutes to do if you've taken the time to save your ad copy on your computer. Then it's just a matter of "copy and paste". 3) When you browse the ads you'll notice that hundreds of ads are posted on 2 or 3 dates, then many times fewer are posted on the next few dates. That's because most ads are placed on the weekend. I don't bother posting ads on the weekend because they just get buried. Post your ads on a Sunday night or Monday morning. Then renew them on Wednesday or Thursday. You might want to try to time your renewals so they get posted on a Friday evening or Saturday morning when the classifieds get the most hits. Remember that it takes 24 hours to get the listing up-dated. It's all luck when trying for a good weekend viewing, though. 4) Watch your ad's statistics. You'll find that feature in the "my ads" section. Each of your ads will have a "today's views" and a "total views". listing. You can also click on the "view ad statistics" link at the top right corner of your ad listing. These stats will tell you if your ad title is effective or not. Keep working with your ad copy and try different categories. A "good" ad in the right category might pull anywhere from 25-100 views before it gets old. Conclusion When you get good at ad copy and familiar with the Yahoo classified section this promotion strategy should only take 15-30 minutes per week to do. Results will vary, but long term it seems to be worth the effort. The trick is to make it part of your weekly activity and be consistent. Darrell Finkeldei publishes "The Start Advisor" newsletter. Discover how to succeed in your PERFECT homebased online business niche, with proven research, winning business ideas, and affordable resources. Subscribe free: http://netprofits4beginners.com/subscribe.html