Creating an Opt-in List with Craigslist

Advertising on Craigslist has become an easy decision for online marketers since it is an opportunity to promote your business and website for free. It’s a good way to promote your business in a particular community or to promote your website nationally or even internationally. Craigslist is listed in more than 500 cities and 50 countries worldwide. That is significant exposure for your website!

When you advertise on Craigslist, your ultimate goal is to drive traffic to your website. You aren’t really trying to sell on Craigslist – at least not selling products. You’re selling the value and appeal of your website. Influencing your readers to click on your pictures or URL to visit your website is the most important benefit of using Craigslist to grow your business.

But did you realize how critical Craigslist can be to building your opt-in list for your business for the long-term?

When a visitor to Craigslist clicks on your link and visits your website, you have a golden opportunity to turn them into a viable prospect and eventually convert them to a paying customer. You don’t necessarily need to sell them something today – you want to create a long-lasting relationship and demonstrate the value of your website to have them coming back time and time again. Enticing readers of your ad to click on your link is essential.

Making sure that your link from your classified ad on Craigslist lands on the page that is most likely to appeal to your visitor and answer their questions is key to success. Whether this is a squeeze page, your homepage, or some specially designed page for this purpose, the landing page is critical. This is also the page where they can opt-in to receive valuable newsletters, discount offers, and product introductions. Selling them on the value of your website is your primary concern with this first visit.

Once you receive their opt-in permission, you can start promoting your website and increasing the value you bring to your customer. This will greatly enhance your ability to retain them as a potential customer and they are likely to tell others about your website too. Long-term relationships are what make online marketing so successful. A one time sale is great – but a long-term loyal customer is even better.

Make it easy for potential customers to link to your website and then focus on answering their questions and provide them with rich, relevant content. Focus on their needs and desires and appeal to their emotions with your website content and make sure you keep it fresh and dynamic. Interactive content is also a good way to keep them engaged.

Craigslist is just the beginning of the marketing process, and it can be a very effective way to help you build your lists. Promoting your business and website through classified advertising is all about creating value and building a relationship. Don’t miss the opportunity to create a long-term loyal customer.