Classified ads are a unique and innovative way to advertise, as opposed to conventional advertising, and are an essential medium for those who cannot afford the astronomical costs of more traditional forms of advertising. You can see classified advertising in newspapers, online and other periodicals, where often, pages are devoted just for the purpose of these ads. The greatest advantage of classified ads is that anyone is allowed to advertise via this medium, as opposed to the other types of advertising, where only companies or business can advertise. That means that anyone wanting to sell even a household item like a used car, beanbag or electronics can do so at minimum expense.
To combat the unaffordable costs of traditional advertising, newspapers developed a cheaper and easier way to put out the word. Classifieds are often small ads containing a few lines of text and contact details for more information about the product on sale. No space is wasted on illustrations, and abbreviations are commonly used to save space.
These ads are labeled as classifieds, because they appear in newspapers or online classified under different categories. This makes finding what you are looking for much easier, as you don’t have to sift through pages of tiny, cramped writing. It is also possible to advertise for free, by taking advantage of free classifieds. Papers like the Penny Saver are excellent ways to advertise at no cost.
Obviously, with the advent of the internet, classifieds have also found their way onto cyberspace. You can find millions of classified ads on the internet at the click of a button, and with the added convenience of a search engine, no product is unsearchable. Another great advantage of internet classifieds is that they are usually free, with the costs of running such websites offset by sponsors and paid advertising. Because they are free, and newspaper inches are not at a premium online, free online classifieds are longer and more informative than their printed counterparts. With this new phenomenon, websites like Craigslist and Kijiji have quickly expanded and list millions of classifieds from all over the world. Such websites get over 10 million hits daily. For more specified local classified ads, there are a multitude of smaller websites that advertise based on certain geographical areas.
Advertising online with free classifieds gives much greater exposure to the advertiser, and also makes life much easier for the consumers. Online free classifieds are quickly outrunning their print media counterparts, capturing a large chunk of the market share. As early as 2003, with online advertising in its infancy, newspaper classifieds had a market of around $15 billion, while online classifieds logged around $14.1 billion as per the findings of Classified Intelligence, a market researcher.
If any proof was required to the importance free classifieds play in our lives, the revenue from this industry should put all doubts to rest. From generic items to niche markets and even social and matrimonial classifieds, the $100 billion plus industry is only set to grow with each passing year.
Alex Wu operates a free classifieds website that lets people advertise, build groups, and connect. He hopes to create an active environment for businesses to place their jobs.
