Free Internet Marketing Lessons

by Archie R. Lawhorne

Online classified ads are essentially just the 
Internet version of offline ads we see everyday 
in newspapers and magazines. Like any type of 
classified ad, the primary drawback is the limited 
amount of space available to present your promotional message. And since space is scarce, your ad must not only be brief, but attention-grabbing and packed with 
BENEFITS. 


Today there are literally thousands of places on 
the Web to post free classifieds. And there are 
numerous ways to find them. Simply go to Yahoo, 
HotBot, AltaVista, or any of the other search 
engines and type in "free classifieds." Hundreds 
of different sites will appear. Set an objective of
how many listings a day you're going to post. It 
can be time-consuming, mindless work, so plan this in your "idle" time. Most free classified ads expire after a certain amount of time, so keep track of which ones are most effective and keep returning to renew your ads. 


Listed below are links to a number of top free 
classified ad sites. Follow the instructions at each 
site and place your ads as time allows to expose your offer to millions of potential customers worldwide. 


a.. Malaysia Free Classified Ads
a.. OurWest.com Classifieds 
a.. U.S. Free Ads 
a.. U2Publish.com 
a.. 1 Stop Free Classifieds 
a.. 1ONE 
a.. Free Classified ADs 
a.. Kickads
a.. The Sunday Paper 
a.. 1 Stop LinkShop
a.. 1999 Classifieds 


a.. 1America Mall Free Classifieds 


a.. 2001AD Smart Picture Classified Ads
a.. 2BuySell Interactive 
a.. 4-1-1.com Free Classified Ads 
a.. 5StarAds 
a.. A World of Classifieds 
a.. A.B. Free Classifieds
a.. Access Classifieds 
a.. Access Free and pay Classifieds 
a.. Achieve USA Biz Op Ads
a.. Ad Net! Classifieds 
a.. Adfront.com Classifieds 


b.. The ZAP Directory


a.. Five Star Classified Ads 
a.. Classifieds 2000 


One of the most widely-read classified sites on the Internet is at Yahoo!. Though often referred to as a search engine, Yahoo is technically a directory, and it commands an astonishing 12 million visitors a day. While getting your Web site listed within Yahoo's directory can be a long, cumbersome process, you can place a classified ad with relative ease. 


Yahoo's free classified ads run for 30 days, but they will generate hits to your Web site for only about the first 2 to 4 days, after which your ad's position will be lowered and replaced by newer ads. The new ads that replace yours will also be dropped after 24 hours, being replaced by other new ones, as part of an ongoing process.


The technique described below will allow you to maximize the exposure of your Yahoo classified ads, keeping them highly visible to millions worldwide, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Here's the process: 


First, go to Yahoo's classified section and review the categories that relate to your business, or whatever product you are promoting on the Web. When placing an ad, you will be presented with two sets of sub-categories. The first has 12 sections. You can post 10 ads at Yahoo so choose 10 sub-categories out of the 12 that make the most sense. The second set of sub-categories is used for searches only. Don't worry too much about these.


Second, write out 10 ads and save them to a file so you can quickly go back and cut and paste them to the form. When writing your ad, make sure you change your headline and wording slightly to match each of the sections you have selected. For example, a "Help Wanted" ad should read like a help wanted ad. This will help ensure that your ads are accepted. 


Third, you need to follow the schedule below. It takes approximately 24 hours from the time you submit your ads until they are posted on Yahoo. On the first day after they are posted, they are positioned at the top of all ads in the categories selected and stay there for a few hours. Then they begin to drop in position, as newer ads take their places.


Follow the steps below to maximize your efforts.


1. Go to Yahoo 
2. Click on Classified link
3. Create an Account
4. Click on Submit Ad
5. Place your 10 ads and wait for three days. 
6. Repeat 1 and 2
7. Click on Edit Ad
8. Go in and make a simple change to your first ad
9. Click on Submit Ad
10. Repeat this for all 10 of your ads


Wait for three days and repeat the process again and again. You can also open additional Yahoo accounts and create 10 new ads for each account you open. So if you have five Yahoo accounts you can have 50 ads all running at the same time. Just make sure the number of ads you place is an amount that you can effectively manage and update on a regular basis.


Archie R. Lawhorne, APR, is an accredited public relations professional, marketing writer and owner of Crosspoint Publishing Company. For information on what is aptly described as "an affiliate program on steroids," visit his web site at: http://www.profitleader.com. For a free copy of his new e-book, "Fundamentals of Web Site Promotion," send an email to:
archielawh@getresponse.com.