How to Post a Small Business Ad on Craigslist
By Melissa King
Unlike many online services that charge fees for posting ads, Craigslist gives you the opportunity to advertise your business free. Over 60 million users in the United States visit the Craiglist website every month, the company reports. Placing an ad for your small business will allow you to advertise your products or services to Craigslist users locally and across the country. Craigslist asks that you only post your business ad in the site's "Service Offered" category.
Go to the "Cities" page on Craigslist.org (link in Resources) and click on the city where you want to post your business ad.
Click "Post to classifieds" on the left side of the page. Click "Log in to your account," then enter your email address and password. Click "Log In."
Choose "Service Offered" and click "Continue." Select "Small Biz Ad" as the ad type, then click "Continue" again.
Type a specific location for your business, such as a neighborhood or physical address. If your business is online only, you can leave this field blank.
Enter a title for your posting. For example, use your business name as the title, followed by a brief description of the product or service you sell.
Click "Anonymize" to mask your email address with a temporary Craigslist email address. This protects your address from being harvested by spammers while allowing Craigslist readers to contact you. If you are not concerned about privacy and you want readers to know your real email address, click "Show."
Type a detailed description of your product or service. Include your business phone number and hours of operation in the description, if desired. Providing a phone number makes you seem more trustworthy to potential customers. Click "Continue" when you are satisfied with your description.
Click "Browse" on the next page if you want to upload an image for your ad. Select an image on your computer and click "Open" to upload and insert it into the ad. Craigslist allows you to have up to eight pictures per ad. Click "Done with Images" when you are finished uploading pictures.
Click "Continue" on the verification page to confirm and post your ad. If you need to make changes, click "Edit Text" or "Edit Images."
Tips
When you post an ad, Craigslist sends you a confirmation email. Click the link in the email to go directly to your ad and make changes to it, if necessary.
Craigslist receives the most traffic between 4 and 9 p.m. each day, according to the National Federation of Independent Business. Try to post your ad between those hours to receive the most exposure.
Craigslist deletes business ads after seven days.
References
Resources
Writer Bio
Melissa King began writing in 2001. She spent three years writing for her local newspaper, "The Colt," writing editorials, news stories, product reviews and entertainment pieces. She is also the owner and operator of Howbert Freelance Writing. King holds an Associate of Arts in communications from Tarrant County College.