Wednesday 26 September 2012

Classified advertising- features and benefits

What is advertising? According to layman, it is any kind of interruption to his entertainment or some routine. As humans we come across multiple forms and manifestations of advertising in our daily life. Be it while reading the newspaper, watching television, listening to the radio, going out with family and friends to restaurant, travelling by trains, buses or any other public transport advertising has not left any stone unturned in using everything possible in our environment for showcasing creative work. Again when I say that advertising is there everywhere that means it has to be so unique that it attracts the attention of the viewer, conveys the message intended to be communicated, trickles the human senses which is then transformed into a buying behavioural action. Amongst the various forms of advertising is it print advertising, broadcast, digital and online advertising, classified advertising remains one of the oldest forms ever.

Another feature that distinguishes classified advertising from traditional advertising is that the classified ads usually appear in columns of newspapers and they are devoid of any visual stimulation which means that the reader has to specifically look for relevant ads suiting his needs so that he comes across the concerned ad of his interest. Classified advertising appears in columns that segregated according to their type and genre. For example, business ads are placed in one category, matrimonial ads in another and service ads in a different category. Also these ads are charged according to the total number of lines, length and the publication in which they appear. Sometimes Classified Ads may be as short as one line and can contain the logo of the company. Classified advertising is often used by companies to recruit professionals and also to sell their services which contain the contact details of the company.

Apart from traditional print classified advertising another form of advertising that has now emerged in the recent years is online advertising. Online advertising is one of the most convenient and cost effective forms of advertising. It can be used by big or small companies in order to promote and sell their products and services online. Just like classified sections in print media, there are free classified sites that offer product placement and service placement in different categories. In online advertising the ads can carry visuals and colourful illustrations in order to glorify the advertised product or service. Also since there is a plethora of websites that need to keep generating some revenue for generating traffic and therefore they encourage free advertising on their websites which attracts revenue and profit for the business being advertised. These free online ads can be placed on websites such as release my ad.com, classifieds@yahoo.com, biggestclassified.com, olx.com, economist.com which are some of the top sites usually recommended for online advertising. Sites such as olx.com are similar to eBay where customers can engage in buying and selling of commodities by displaying the product for sale.

Wednesday 19 September 2012

Classifieds–the underestimated precautionary measure

People make all sorts of mistakes, big and small, while promoting their brands and products. To avoid all that organizations should also take precautionary measures. Precautionary measure is an area that tends to get the least attention which is not right. A behavior as such only ends up hampering the business organization and the product promotion. And a situation like this is not at all acceptable. The tendency to commit a mistake can be avoided only by proper precautionary mistakes. Have you ever thought why there is such a boom in the Classifieds Online?

The biggest mistake that a company can commit to while promoting its brand and or product is the unwise and thoughtless expenditure of finances. A business organization adopts every possible means to promote its brand and while doing that sometimes, well quite often, exceeds the financial limits and also makes expenses that was not at all required in the first place.

The best way to avoid all sort of ill wastage of the hard earned money is to look for cheaper but extremely effective methods and means of promotion. The best way is to opt for the classified advertising but online. The online classifieds are not only absolutely free but also is extremely effective in promoting the businesses. A simple fact is that the most of the population young or middle-aged are most of the time are logged on internet. So the best way to reach millions is to go for the classified advertising that reaches millions.
But opting for the online medium does not mean that you stop your efforts made for the local classified ads. Yes the input towards the promotion should by all means be effective at all times but a steady flow of promotion round the year in the local and nearby areas is also out -mostly important. One should not forget about the power of the catching local attention as that build ones foundation and then carried the brand oversees with word of mouth and goodwill. Along with the other means of promotion there is another way of a cheap and effective method, that is Auto Classifieds.

Do not underestimate the power of the classifieds. Although the glitz and glamour involved with the digital methods of promotion do tend to steal the thunder these days but the classifieds of various kinds are still the most effective means of promotion as it reaches the wider distant distances. The shimmering digital methods do get their fair share of attention but also carries the potential of burning a hole in the pockets and also remains the chances of a flop show, as we have witnessed end number of times previously. So why not opt something that neither does demand a single penny nor carries a chance of the flop show and a plus is its potential of reaching more readers and audience than ever. More readers and audience means all the more customers which in turn means all the more profit.