Advertising on Craigs List

During the big Q & A, Cheryl Ferguson (www.bayareastars.com) asked:

"Hello John,

Craigs List is very popular here for a myriad of things. Advertising in the "events" section under "services" is a place where a lot of entertainers have their free ad. Your ad expires in a week, so you have to put it up again.

What are your thoughts on the content of the different ads? Does it really make a difference?

Happy Stars to You,

Cheryl Ferguson"

Here's your answer:

I don't personally advertise on Craigslist, but I know a number of entertainers that do. They seem to get mixed response. I've never heard anybody saying that it's the end all be all. But certainly, if you can book a few gigs with a free listing, by all means do it (as long as it's worth your time).

The Nuts and Bolts - First, you need to recognize the nature of the Craigslist beast. It's a place where people go to get DISCOUNTS AND DEALS. This is super important (In fact, I just bought a stand up piano for only $200). If you're a high end entertainer, Craigslist is not the place to be. If you do have prices that will work with this market, then it may work for you.

So with that in mind, the first thing you need to look at is the actual title of your listing. Treat the listing like a headline. Use all the standard marketing techniques to drive them to your listing (for headline writing techniques, refer to my Rebel Entertainer Success System)

Lots of folks will just say something like "Face Painting". I suggest something more enticing like "THE VERY BEST DEAL BY THE MOST EXCLUSIVE FACE PAINTERS IN TOWN".

Remember the nature of the beast.

Also, all caps seems to stand out.

Next, use the text and photo in the ad to drive them to your website. Don't try to sell your services on the ad itself. Entice them with a "Click here for your SPECIAL CRAIGSLIST DISCOUNT PRICING. Only available for Craigslist customers." or something like that.

Then direct them to your website for the exclusive offer.

That's it. By driving them to your website, you take them away from clicking into any other Craigslist ads.

Also, you have much more room and flexibility on your site than on that small ad.

Try that and tell me how it goes.

-John Abrams

Rebel Entertainer and Fan of Bay Area Stars
www.rebelentertainers.com
www.facebook.com/rebelentertainer
www.twitter.com/johnabrams1