Are Craigslist and Kijiji really worth my time?
The short and simple answer is, yes! It is important to take advantage of the popular free services that people regularly use, and in today’s day and age, those services are online-based.
A couple of years ago, the notion of advertising a garage sale online city-wide was, to say the least, a whimsical idea. However today, thanks to the growth and popularity of websites such as Craigslist and Kijiji, the thought of posting that same ad is commonplace and easy to do. Now, I know what you’re thinking… that’s great for garage sales, but how does that help me with selling a property? Well the same principles apply to advertising a property as to posting a garage sale. It is free and simple to do, can be viewed by millions, and can be re-posted daily with just a click of a few buttons.
Why do people use Craigslist and Kijiji? One of the main reasons is their look and feel. Simplified and easy to navigate with a straight-forward linking structure, they are not burdened with too many images or graphics that require special plug-ins to operate (Flash, Java etc), which can confuse and frustrate many people. This type of simplified layout creates a comforting feeling and makes it easy for people to navigate and to find the resources they are after.
Not a Member? Sign up to Craigslist and Kijiji today!
How can you benefit from using these services?
Unique Descriptions & Titles – Keep your ads creative and avoid using the exact same description for each listing, or re-posting the exact listing. Change up the title; edit at least a couple words or entire sentences in an effort to keep the ads fresh for viewers. Changing up your titles will also help reduce user-flagging, which can lead to your posts being deleted (if your posts as just seen as duplicates).
Posting Limits – You can only post 3 ads per day per IP Address so post from home, the office or wherever you can get an internet connection, whenever you have 5 minutes to spare.
Time Gap – Do not post more than 3 ads at a time. Ads are posted continuously throughout the day and night, so if you post all of your listings in the morning, ultimately they are going to be seen but also pushed several pages back from the first by the end of the day. If you spread out your listing posts and re-posts throughout the day and night, you can maximize their exposure.
FSBO – Although the FSBO doesn’t directly benefit you, you can contact the owner and offer your knowledge and services to them. Their FSBO might be going poorly, and the owner is just waiting for a good reason to list with an agent… Well now you can be that reason!
Hidden Gems – Exclusive listings appear daily. You never know what type of hidden gem you might find. You may just luck-out and find the property of your client’s dreams, or maybe even of your dreams!
Ad Posting Programs – Plain and simple, they save you time, headaches, money, and did I mention - time, thanks to less time spent dealing with your web-ads. The programs usually cost several hundred dollars, but are easy to install and use and often have only a couple of hours’ learning curve. Some popular programs are: Rainmaker Auto Poster, CLAD Geniusor Ad Master.
Craigslist Friendly Warning – Ads on Craigslist expire after 30 days – don’t forget to repost and/or remove any expired or sold listings!
Kijiji Promote My Ad – With premium services that allow you to distinguish your ads from competitors, you can maximize the presence of your advertisements. By using such promotional features such as Top Ad, Bump Up, Urgent Ad, Highlight Adand the Homepage Gallery, you are going the ‘extra mile’ for your client, and the cost for using any of these features will pay for itself when you have sold the property.
Authored By: Bryan Coughlin, Client Relations