Localized Websites

Localized websites are online communities that cater to a specific geographical region. Among the most popular is Craigslist, with more than 200 city-specific websites.

The reason for this popularity almost certainly stems from ease of use, and the fact that posting and responding to advertisements is free.

If your company's service would benefit from local advertising as opposed to a national ad plan, Craigslist is an ideal resource. Even if you aren't limited to your city or geographical area, placing multiple ads on local Craigslist boards may be time consuming, but the advertising exposure can include hundreds of thousands of viewers or more.

Placing an ad for a product or service is very similar to the ad we placed for a designer in the chapter on logos. Here is a recap of those instructions.

1) Near the top of the left-hand column, select the link that says: "Post to Classifieds. This will take you to a new page.

2) On the new page, you will be presented with several options. Select "Services Offered." This link will allow you to post to the "Services" section.

3) Read the guidelines and select the button at the bottom of the page that says: "I have read these guidelines and will abide by them - proceed with job posting."

4) From the resulting list, select the category that best fits the service you are offering.

5) Now fill in the required information. This is an advertisement, and so the persuasiveness of your prose will mean the difference between success and failure of the posting. Be sure to include all of the necessary information, including website, a brief price schedule, and any catchy copy that you may have written for other ads.

6) Enter a real email address in the field that says "Reply-to Email address for applicants." This is necessary to receive updates and responses.

7) Determine if you would like your address to be displayed or if you would like it to be "anonymized." If you select this last option, responses will go through a Craigslist server and make you anonymous to potential applicants.

8) Check the boxes pertaining to other information.

9) Click "continue."

This ad will be posted soon after the completion of this process. Check your email for responses, and your website for new hits on a regular basis to see if the posting was successful.