Craigslist
Craigslist is an online free classified ads website that’s been around since 1995. It was started by Craig Newmark, who wanted to help organize online posting in his city, San Francisco. This led to the growth of a community that later extended outside of Newman’s home city. Pretty soon, Craigslist boomed, with growing communities in several cities worldwide.
One of the important things that you have to understand when using Craigslist to market your product is that it is community-based. Members of the community are encouraged to purchase locally. This is somehow opposite the common practice in some auction sites where the market is global. In a sense, Craigslist is more focused and personal.
Transactions in Craigslist are often done by cash and in person. Of course, the parties in the exchange can always do online transactions. However, there is no safety net set up to protect either party from scams. With postings and transactions done locally, you automatically get a targeted market. Say, you are in Ontario and selling real estate properties. You can immediately zoom in on Ontario-based individuals who might be interested in the investment. You won’t have to needlessly sift through inquiries from unqualified parties. This saves you time and allows you to focus more on presentation and negotiation.
The advantage of Craigslist is that it has a ready target market. On the site, you have an organized community of buyers and sellers. At the same time, you get to post your products and services at practically no cost to you. All you need to do is take some time to craft your content, post, and then answer online inquiries.
