Classified advertising - New Era of Advertising

June 11, 2012 - PRLog -- Classified advertising can trace its origins back to colonial times when the townspeople would post notices of town meetings or community events on a central board in the town square. In the 1800’s Classified advertising became common in newspapers as a way of generating revenue for the paper. During the twentieth century classified advertising became particularly common in newspapers, online and other particular periodicals which may be sold or distributed free of charge. Typically the advertisements are short and the person placing the ad is charged by the line. The advertisements are grouped into categories. Classified advertisements are usually placed by individuals with single items they wish to sell or buy. They usually are comprised of all text with no graphics, logos and usually there are no pictures of the item that’s for sale.

In recent years the classified advertising business has expanded on the internet. Internet classified ads do not typically use per line pricing models, so they tend to be longer. Usually the audience is of a wider scope. Craigslist.org was one of the first online classified advertising sites, and has grown to become the largest classified source on the internet today. Craigslist can boast of having over 14 million unique visitors to its site a month according to cdm Source Media Metrix. Craigslist has carved out a unique place for themselves on the World Wide Web. They cater to niche markets including boats, personals, furniture, electronics, and almost anything else you can think of all on one site. In 2003 the classified advertising market was estimated to be a 14.1 billion dollar industry for online advertising. Newspaper advertising is diminishing on a daily basis, while online advertising is increasing daily.

Online classified advertising isn’t just for the person who is looking to get rid of an old snow blower or the guy looking to sell his 12 year old car. Today everyone is getting into placing advertisements. If you log onto Craigslist today you will find many small business owners advertising their services as well as many corporations advertising job openings and even their products which may be over stock at greatly reduced prices. Even adult orientated personals and services can be found on Craigslist today. This is a huge shift in the market when compared to only ten years ago when these types of advertising were found in newspapers and periodicals. In these tough economic times companies are realizing that they can saturate the internet with advertising for free rather than paying for it in the traditional manner. Many companies and small business owners are starting to see the benefits of putting their services online. They are reaching consumers at home by putting forth very little effort. Even the United States Post Office has seen a vast reduction in junk mail and advertisements over the past 10 years.

The average American goes on the internet to find everything from directions to certain places to local repair shops and restaurants, and even classified advertising. There are even sites like adsoid.com which help people to learn how to place ads on Craigslist. There users can find articles on how to reach their intended market by creating advertisements that are eye catching and accurately describing the good or service being sold. Many people may find the articles on how to phrase your job search and the free Craigslist job search software extremely helpful. There are even articles about how to avoid scams and fraudulent advertisements on Craigslist. The articles on this website will help the novice to major corporations the load of marketing opportunities that are available on the internet through online classified advertising. As times change and technology changes the average American and big business must change with them. We can no longer cling to the old ways of doing business or selling our old car. We must look to the future and find new and inventive ways of marketing our products and the internet is the best way to move our used merchandise or advertise our business services. Online classified advertising is growing everyday and as it changes websites like http://www.craigslist-homepage.org will be showing us through tutorials how to expand our businesses and help sell our items through online classified advertising.