subject: Classified Ads - Getting The Word Out On What You Are Selling [print this page] Classified ads have been around for quite a while and have been the backbone of the newspaper industry as their main source of revenue. They differ from typical advertisements one would find from big companies and corporations, as they are often advertising for an individual person. They allow someone to advertise something they are selling, like a product or service, and they allow them to do this at a much cheaper and more affordable price than one would find in the corporate advertising world. They may not reach as many people as corporate advertising would on a national level.
They may not reach that big of an audience, but they get the message out to those in the local market, and that is really what matters in the case of classified ads. Most commonly, they are found in a section of a newspaper that is devoted strictly to classified advertisements. These types of ads make up the bulk of revenue earned by a newspaper, as advertising usually brings in as much as 80% of revenue for the newspaper industry, while sales of a newspaper only make up the other 20%. As more and more personal advertising moves online, the newspaper industry has been hit with a huge decline in revenue.
Classified ads typically only feature text and often tell what product or service is being sold, a price, a description, and a phone number to contact for those who are interested. Most newspapers feature a "Classifieds" section which is devoted to these types of ads. The section usually just has a few columns full of these kinds of ads. In order to save money as well as space, each ad in this section of the newspaper often uses many abbreviations. Typically no graphics or pictures are used, but sometimes if it is a small business that is selling something, their ad may feature a small logo.
As is the case with other things associated with printed media, classified ads have been making a bigger and bigger presence online. Classified advertisements found on the internet do not have a pricing model like they do in newspapers, which charges on a per-line basis, so ads on the internet are usually longer than ones found in print. The ones online also have the added benefit of being searchable, whereas printed versions are not. Many sites exist that allow users to post online classified ads free of charge, and it is best to find one that allows users to search using a zip code to find stuff that is local to them.
