Using Online Classifieds For Sales Leads

While searching classified ads should not make up your entire lead generation strategy , it is a straightforward way to generate sales leads . The idea is to find people within your target market, that is, those who express a desire for the product or service that you have. You can use classified websites such as Craigslist to find potential leads and then contact them to pursue the matter . Here are some of the ways to put this particular business lead generation strategy to work. First of all, search classifieds for the product or service you have for sale. If , for example, you sell exercise equipment , then search the classifieds for “exercise equipment .” But don ' t keep your searches unnecessarily narrow . Suppose someone is looking for a handyman to repair their treadmill . Why not contact them with a link to your website selling your exercise equipment ? There are many steps you can take to make your online classified searches more productive . For example, you can find search tools for classifieds that will let you search within a given radius of a particular city, rather than being limited to one city, as you are on Craigslist. There are also programs that will help you do nationwide searches on classifieds, which are beneficial if you are selling a service that is not limited by geography , such as SEO research or copywriting . Since you don ' t want to miss anything, and since online classified sites are updated constantly , you should check several times a day . That means you need to streamline your searching technique so that it doesn ' t use up an undue amount of time . With sites like Craigslist, you have the option to narrow searches using search filters . Whether you should take advantage of these is a matter of personal preference, and what it is you ' re trying to sell. If an unfiltered search yields up an unmanageable number of results , then you may want to narrow your search based on various factors such as price ranges. Of course , you can use free classified ad sites to advertise your business as well. Simply write about your products or services and include a tagline instructing people to reply back with their contact information. Those who do are new business leads for you . You can either get in touch with responders individually , or set up an email autoresponder to do so automatically. Don' t make your classified ad “scream ” by using all capital letters or an overabundance of exclamation points . Most people who see those skip right over them without even seeing what they are about. Classified ads may seem old -fashioned , but they can be another good source for finding interested parties and increasing your list of contacts , prospects , and MLM leads . They can be a great supplement to your other lead generating methods.