The internet has provided innumerable avenues for businesses to grow. Now thanks to concentrated sites like Craigslist, promoting a business is easier than ever and reaches more potential clients than ever before. This site, when correctly used, has the potential to help even the smallest businesses see their business grow exponentially, and it helps the larger business continue to compete with their big counterparts. But to effectively use Craigslist, marketing directors and business owners should consider two specific things: their target audience and their marketing strategy.

The Target Audience

Businesses should know who their clients are. They should have an idea in their mind of the ideal client, or in a word, their target audience. Then they should aim to reach that target audience by using the correct advertising category on Craigslist. Craigslist offers free postings to the majority of their clients except for those listing jobs in New York City, Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay area. Thus small business will find their best clients on Craigslist if they just pick the right advertising category.

Consider this: what if a moving company in Portland Oregon posted its advertisement for moving services for a county in Arizona. That just wouldn't make sense. Instead, the moving company should post their advertisement for the counties that they will serve. Thus if I am preparing to move and I check out Craigslist for possible movers, I can easily find this particular company that will serve my needs in my county.

Craigslist also has a plethora of benefits like a huge audience: they boast of over 4 billion hits a month. In the end, though, the number of views really doesn't matter if they're not finding your business in the right spot. So make sure to place your advertisement in the best possible category to reach your ideal customer.

Effective Marketing

A market engineer should use his skills for Craigslist much like he would in any other realm. Great marketing begins with a well written promotional copy, so spend the money and hire a freelance writer who can put together a solid promotion for your company. And then, as stated before, post it in the best possible place on Craigslist. The promotional copy should include information like how to reach your store, how to access your business website, and what specific services your business offers.

Ultimately, a person has all he needs for worldwide promotion the second that he logs onto Craigslist. This site has helped thousands of business not only get started but stay active in the business world, and with a well written promotional copy and correct advertising placement, you will see your business thrive with an investment on Craigslist today.