by Vince Villegas
“Vince, Do you REALLY use those crazy headlines?!”
This was the first sentence of an actual email I recently received. It was from someone who had just received a copy of my Craigslist “swipe file” and had seen what kind of headlines I use in my own Craigslist ads.
If you have seen the average Craigslist ad posted by real estate agents, then mine would look . . . well, a little different!
My answer to that agent’s email?
“Yes, I do use those crazy headlines!”
Here is what I went on to explain to her . . .
There are two main reasons that both my headlines and the content of my ads on Craigslist are “crazy” (translation: different than most of the other ads on there).
For one, it is VERY important to stand out from the competition when you are advertising on Craigslist.
It sounds simple, but the truth is that standing out from the sea of other similar looking ads is a huge piece of the puzzle. A lot of Craigslist ads get passed right over and never get read. So this piece of the puzzle should not be underestimated.
If your headlines aren’t getting people to click, then no one will ever read your ads, let alone take the action you want them to take after reading them.
Now, I’m not talking about putting something truly outrageous or crazy that has nothing to do with what is in your ad — no, no, no! You will get into all sorts of trouble on Craigslist that way:-)
You DO, however, want them to grab people’s attention so that YOUR ad is the one people will click on and read.
Another side effect of doing your ads — and your headlines — differently is that you will position yourself as not the typical agent. You can (and should), in fact, use your Craigslist ads to position yourself as a market leader.
So standing out from the competition — and even beyond that, becoming a market leader — should be of top priority when you are crafting your Craigslist ads.
Why?
That question segues perfectly into the second reason why I use “crazy” headlines in my Craigslist ads…
The second reason is that I have a different objective than most when I place Craigslist ads. I am not trying to make sales.
Wait, did the needle just skip there?!
Did I miss a word?
Nope . . . you read it correctly the first time.
I am NOT trying to make sales from my Craigslist ads!
(which is actually why I end up making a LOT of sales from my Craigslist ads)
The name of the game with Craigslist ads is one thing: LEAD GENERATION.
Why would my main focus be on that versus trying to get immediate sales?
Because, simply put, LEADS = $$$
If you do nothing else, you want to change your focus from wanting to sell on Craigslist, to wanting to generate leads on Craigslist. What you will see once you do this is not only MORE leads, but better leads (which will equal more sales).
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