WHAT ARE CLASSIFIED ADS?
Classified ads are advertising platforms where people sell, rent, buy, or promote products and services in South Africa. Classified Ad marketing is often overlooked, but it is an effective and affordable way of driving traffic to your website. Most classified ads provide free advertising, where you can construct an advert and add your business website link. Businesses use classified ads to find customers and promote sales.
HOW DOES THE PROCESS WORK
Once your free advert has been created, it will be placed on the top of other free adverts in your select category. The next advert will be placed on top of your advert. As time passes more adverts will be created and your advert will have been pushed off the first page. Once your advert drops off the first page, it will no longer be visible and receive traffic.
HOW TO CREATE AN ADVERT ON THE CLASSIFIEDS
We recommend Signing up for the top classified ad sites in South Africa. Use your business email to sign up and don’t forget to verify your account by email.
TOP 10 CLASSIFIED AD SITES IN SOUTH AFRICA
• gumtree.co.za (5 million Active Users)
• olx.co.za
• junkmail.co.za
• locanto.co.za
• za.afribaba.com
• ananzi.co.za
• adsafrica.co.za
HOW TO CREATE A WINNING ADVERT
WRITE AN EYE CATCHING TITLE
The title is the biggest part of your advert and should include eye-catching phrases to grab your audience’s attention.
ENCOURAGE URGENCY
Encouraging urgency pushes thinkers into buyers by providing an offer that may never appear again.
EXAMPLE
– Limited Time Offer
– 80% Discount ONLY Today
PROMOTES VALUE
Including valuable bonuses or gifts gives buyers more incentive to purchase the product and receive the extra benefits.
EXAMPLES
– Buy 1 Get 1 Free
– 1st time shopper gifts
ACTIVATES EMOTION AND DESIRE
Activating positive emotions in your buyers will make them feel special and will promote your sales and offers.
EXAMPLE
– Exclusive deals just for YOU
– VIP Access Rights
WRITE A GREAT DESCRIPTION
STRAIGHTFORWARD CONTENT
Be clear and honest about your business and offers. The first sentence of your description should include key selling points to promote your products. Your description should be 100-150 words.
EXAMPLE
– Specialists at ranking your website on Page 1 of Google so you can attract more customers to your business
IMPORTANT KEYWORD PLACEMENT
Include important keywords in the description. Adding the right keywords will drive more people to your advert when searching for your specific products and services. Popular adverts can make their way to Page 1 of Google too.
EXAMPLE
– Custom SEO services for all your Google Marketing Requirements
LIST ADVANTAGES
Highlight what makes your product unique and what makes your company stand out from your competitors. List in bullet points what makes your product the preferred choice in the market.
EXAMPLE
– We work on a month-to-month contract
– Custom-made Solutions for your business requirements
CALL-TO-ACTION
Call-to-action encourages users to take a specific action on their adverts. Call-to-action encourages users to visit their website, submit an inquiry, or call for more information.
EXAMPLE
– Call us now!
– Get a Free Quote Today!
– Browse our Daily Specials Now!
ADD CONTACT DETAILS
Add your contact details at the end of your description. Include your phone numbers, email addresses, and website links. Check the classified ads policy on website links, as many don’t allow them in the description section, without a small payment fee.
EXAMPLE
– Contact us today on 072 380 8196
– email us for any inquiries on info@prorank.co.za
CHECK PERFORMANCE WITH ANALYTICS
Classified ads provide their posters with analytics. This helps marketers test the effectiveness of their adverts.
WHEN TO POST THE ADVERT
Place your advert at different times of the day and determine which time drives the most clicks and calls. You can only place one advert per day, so bump up your advert every hour (for a small fee) and determine which time works best for you.
A-B TESTING
You must test which combination of titles, descriptions, and images delivers the most interactions. Change the title of your advert and wait one week. Compare the changed title with the previous title and determine which one worked better. Do the same for your images and descriptions until you find the winning combination.
PAID ADVERTISING
Many businesses in South Africa take advantage of classified Ads’ low advertising costs. Compared with other marketing platforms, classified ads are extremely affordable. You can even pay a small fee (R20) to bump up your advert to the top of the category again. Here are your marketing options:
TOP PLACEMENT
You will be required to pay separately to appear on the top positions of the classifieds in these different sections:
• Category
• Search Results
• Home Page
The time you want your advert to be displayed will impact your advertising cost. You can market your advert for a few days, weeks, and even months.
AD FEATURES
Classified Ads provide options to make their adverts stand out. Specific parts of your advert will have extensions to promote higher clickthrough rates. These extensions include:
• Background Colours
• Highlighted Titles
• Bold Texts and
• Additional photos.
CLASSIFIED AD RESTRICTIONS
Popular classified adverts are closely monitored to help protect both the buyers and sellers. Here are several tips to avoid getting your adverts and accounts banned from the classified ads:
- WEAPONS AND DRUGS
Attempting to sell weapons or drugs will lead to an immediate BAN on your account. Some platforms will only allow alcohol and tobacco advertising.
- STOLEN GOODS
Selling products at low rates can appear as Stolen or fake goods. If users report your account for suspicious activity, it will be investigated and banned if found guilty.
- OFFENSIVE LANGUAGE
The classified ads algorithms are set up to detect and remove foul language, racist remarks, and hate speech presented in adverts.
- NUDITY OR ADULT FILMS
The classified ads prohibit any advertising of nudes and pornographic material from their platform. Some classifieds allow certain products from sex stores to be marketed, such as lingerie.
- UNLICENSED SERVICES
Classified ads do not allow unlicensed services, especially in the medical and pet industry. If you fail to send the right documents and certifications, your advert will not appear on the classifieds.
TRICKS TO POST MORE THAN ONE ADVERT IN THE SAME CATEGORY
Here are some tricks to bypass the restrictions on the Classified Ads:
IP ADDRESS
Classified Ads track the IP addresses of the people who post ads. This prevents their channels from being flooded with the same advert. Adding more than one advert in the same category will alert their systems and prevent your Advert from being displayed.
- VPN
VPN protects the identity of a computer making it more secure against hackers and cyber-attacks. VPN does this by hiding your computer’s IP address and providing you with a new IP address. The VPN IP address will be picked up by the classifieds as a new IP address. This will allow you to post more adverts, however, you must consider the following:
- NEW EMAIL ADDRESS
If you wish to add more than one advert, you will need a new email address. If you forget to change your email address and use a different IP address, it may be picked up that you are manipulating their systems and raise Red Flags.
- NEW INFORMATION
Do not use the same information as your last advert, and do not include the same names, website links, or contact details. Many classifieds ask you to verify your account with a phone number. You will need to use a new phone number in this instance.
- ADVANCED SYSTEMS
Classified ads are becoming aware of the VPN tricks and VPN websites. We recommend using https://nordvpn.com. However, you may need to experiment with other VPNs to bypass the classified ads systems.