How to get the most out of a listings advert

25th May 2019 by Matthew in Advice.

Tagged: getting noticed, listings, selling.

Have you ever notice that some listings get a lot of attention while others seem to to get hardly any attention at all?

To really get the most out of a classifieds listing, you need to know what makes some adverts more successful than others.

Make the most of our headline

A good headline be it in a newspaper or an online advert needs to do two specific things.

First, it needs to get the right people interested. It needs to say to the people you are trying to reach “this is your kind of listing”. This tends to boil down to using the kind of language that seems natural to your audience. If you can do that, it will make the rest of its job a lot easier.

Second, a headline needs to answer a battery of questions: What? Where? How? When? Of all of these, “what?” is the most vital.

If you want to sell a lawn mower you could write “mower for sale”. It will get interested clicks but you could do so much more. Compare that with “Bosch Rotak Universal 650 Corded Lawnmower. Like new. £90.” Not only is that going to show up in more search results but it answers the questions. Anyone who knows their mowers will see right away that this is a good deal. I would expect that headline to sell its item much faster.

Use good pictures

Two mistakes people often use when you have the option to add images is to either not add any or, worse add stock images. Grab a phone or borrow a pocket camera and take actual photographs of the item. Do it outside, or in a very good light.

They say a picture tells a thousand words. What they don’t say is that those words might not be on topic. A good picture shows off the item’s best features. It should be free from background distractions – make sure people focus on the item and not whatever is going on arround it.

Write a solid description

If someone clicks your link, the chances are they did so to learn more. You hooked their interest with the headline but now you have to close the sale. That’s what your description is for.

If all you do is copy the headline, people will feel cheated. Some may even give up and look elsewhere.

Your description also serves another purpose. Your potential buyer is likely to have questions. Rather than wasting time answering thirty emails, try to answer all their questions in your description.

What? Where? How? When? And who?

You hinted at these with your headline, now you need to answer the questions fully.

“It is still in the box. I used it but only once. It is really good but I have another one and I don’t need a spare.” Not only have you reassured your buyer that it is a good item but you’ve answered the question, “if it is so good, why are you selling it?”

Answer questions and people are more likely to picture themselves making the purchase. Once they think of themselves as the owner of the item, the sale is made.

Add a video

If you have the know how, make a short video showing off the item. Kent Index allows you to put a youtube link as part of your listing. It will be shown just above the contact form.

A video can help you stand out from the crowd. If you don’t like writing too many words, speak them instead.

Keep it brief and to the point

Your listing does not need to include your life story. Stick to the facts that someone looking for your item will care about.

Some times less is more.

Use good english

If you want to be taken seriously try to avoid text speak. Remember you are aiming for maximum comprehension. In other words, you want to make sure everyone understands you. Complete sentences and a quick spell check can work wonders for your sales rate. No one is asking for Shakespeare but a reasonable effort to be readable goes a long way.

If you want calls, say so

For some people, the best enquirey is via phone call. In which case make a point of asking people to call you. Give them the best time of day to call too.

If, on the other hand, you want emails, do yourself a favour and do not put up a phone number. That said, when people have the choice of using the form or calling you directly, this can increase a sense of trust and make that sale more likely.

Please note: Only add an email address to your listing if you want the whole world to see it. As long as you have added an email address as part of your profile, clients can contact you through the listing without exposing your email address.

Share the link

This one is a bit sneaky but it does work. Share a link to your listing on social media. After all, your friends, family, and followers already trust you and trust goes a long way to making a sale.

More importantly, all those clicks will add up. Everyone can see how many people viewed your listing. A popular listing suggests to your buyer that other people might know something they don’t. A higher interest rate actively increases the chances of a sale.

The listings with the most interest also get promoted on the popular listings page. If people are just browsing they tend to head over to that page and take a look. Anyone who had the sense to share their link may find themselves getting attention others will miss out on.

Stand out from the crowd

Everything you can do to stand out from the crowd without putting people off is something that can give you an edge. That’s the difference between making a sale and losing out to a wiser advertiser.

Now you are ready to sell all your earthly possessions, or at least that stuff you have been meaning to get rid of. Time to put what you have learned to good use, and run some free adverts.