Truly great marketers understand the importance of diversifying their efforts. At the very least, real estate is a numbers game; one that is typically won by those with the ability to increase their exposure in the most efficient and inexpensive manner as possible. That said, there is one marketing funnel with a particularly attractive return on investment (ROI): Craigslist real estate ads. To truly get the best out of online ads, investors need to optimize their Craigslist marketing efforts. Instead of reinventing the wheel, however, take a page from Craigslist real estate ad templates that already work.
How To Post Real Estate On Craigslist
Posting Craigslist real estate ads is as simple as activating an account and following these steps:
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Locate the Craigslist dedicated to your particular city.
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At the top left of the screen, click “post to classifieds.”
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Select the “housing wanted” option, and it’ll automatically take you to the next screen.
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Select the “real estate wanted” option.
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Choose from the list of locations that best fits your needs.
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Fill out the provided template, making sure to fill in all the green fields (which are required). For a better idea of what to include in the template, feel free to use the example we proved further down this page. Click continue at the bottom right to proceed.
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You will be given the option to include a map with the post, which I highly recommend doing.
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The next screen will allow you to add up to eight photos, so choose wisely—this will make or break your impression.
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Once you submit the information, Craigslist will send you an email to confirm whether or not you want to confirm the post.
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Click “continue” and proceed to confirm your post in the aforementioned email.
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Craigslist Real Estate Ads That Work: 5 Tips For Success
Creating Craigslist real estate ads is a great way to generate seller leads, but there’s no doubt that it’s easy to get in over year head if you don’t know what you are doing. That said, it pays to educate yourself on the process—literally. Only those that know how to navigate the Craigslist page and cater to a specific audience will realize success.
Fortunately, you won’t have to learn through trial and error. In fact, there are several tips we can recommend to get the ball rolling for you right off the bat. My colleagues and I have been running real estate ads on Craigslist for years and have already tested what works and—perhaps more importantly—what doesn’t. If you want to post ads on Craigslist with a higher degree of success, here are five tips you need to consider:
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Create an attention-grabbing title
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Include A Call To Action
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Use Quality Images
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Remain Persistent
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Track Results
Attention-Grabber Title
Regardless of how great the content in your post is, it’ll never get read if the title doesn’t bring in prospects. You need to write a title that people will want to click on. When posting ads, nothing is more important than a captivating title. I recommend hitting on “pain points,” or those topics that elicit an emotional response from the reader. Try something along the lines of “Having A Hard Time Selling Your Property?” Whatever you decide to title your post, make sure it triggers an emotional response while simultaneously driving your point home.
Call To Action
As its name suggests, a “call to action” is a sentence or two requesting the reader to act. Your call to action should prompt the reader to get a hold of you either by phone, email or website, and should tell the reader directly what to do. “Pick up the phone and call now” is a perfect example, but be sure to leave your contact information.
Quality Images
Nothing grabs someone’s attention on Craigslist quite like a good image (or map). Consequently, a bad image can divert traffic away in the blink of an eye. Make sure the images you post upload correctly and are of the highest quality. You may even want to consider hiring a professional photographer to appeal to a wider viewership. It’s true what they say: a picture really is worth 1,000 words—if not more.
Persistence
Most classified ads will run for about a week until they are taken down. As a result, you will need to click the option to repost and renew (which is made available after the first few days pass). If you don’t repost and renew, your post will disappear without letting you know.
Results Oriented
Tracking your results is just as important as the post itself; it’s the only way you will be able to determine a post’s effectiveness. Once you know what works and what doesn’t, it’s safe to assume your results will increase while your time investment decreases.
3 Craigslist Real Estate Ad Templates
Creating a Craigslist real estate ad isn’t all that difficult. The whole thing shouldn’t be more than a few sentences with your contact information and some quality pictures. However, if you aren’t exactly sure of what to do, don’t worry; you aren’t alone. There are plenty of investors that have yet to use Craigslist to their advantage. That said, how about we provide you with a Craigslist real estate ad template to make things easier. Here’s three examples of what a good Craigslist ad will look like:
Craigslist Real Estate Ad Template 1
Having A Hard Time Selling Your Property?
We buy houses no matter what the shape, size or condition is. We are the premier real estate buying company in (Your Area), and we can make you a cash offer for your home immediately!
Call (Your Name) @ (Your Number)
Or visit my website at (Your Website)
Craigslist Real Estate Ad Template 2
Local Investor Buyer Seeking Local Wholesaler w/ Discounted Properties
If you are currently wholesaling discounted properties in (Your Area), we would appreciate the opportunity to connect with you. To learn more about the types of properties we are looking for, please contact us and leave your contact information. We look forward to hearing from you.
Thanks in advance!
Call (Your Name) @ (Your Number)
Or visit my website at (Your Website)
Craigslist Real Estate Ad Template 3
Local Rent-To-Own Homes Available (See Our Available Properties)
If you are interested in buying a great property in (Your Area), but you don’t have the credit profile banks are looking for, you should look at our available homes. We have just the property you are looking for in our inventory. Please take a look at the stock on (Your Website), here.
Call (Your Name) @ (Your Number)
Or visit my website at (Your Website)
Of course, these are just templates. Feel free to make any adjustments you deem necessary, but know this: less is more on Craigslist. You don’t want to say too much.
Pros And Cons Of Craigslist Real Estate Advertising
Craigslist real estate advertising is a great way to increase brand awareness, and either buy or sell properties. There are certainly benefits to using Craigslist to generate a successful ad campaign, but it is by no means the only advertising investors should do. As a result, it’s important to have an idea of what Craigslist real estate ads can (and can’t) do for a real estate investor. In gaining a better understanding of Craigslist real estate ads, let’s first look at the pros and cons of this particular strategy.
Pros Of Craigslist Real Estate Advertising
To be perfectly clear, investors should be using Craigslist because it’s free. Craigslist has the power to increase ad exposure by the thousands if done correctly, and it won’t cost a penny—only a moment of your time. In other words, there’s really no reason not to use it. Those who ignore Craigslist real estate ads simply aren’t optimizing their marketing efforts. Beyond that, Craigslist ads are simple to create and flexible. Investors can express themselves any way they like (as long as its within Craigslist guidelines). What’s more, Craigslist even works when your not posting ads. Simply browsing ads will put you in contact with similar investors in the industry. At the very least it’s a valuable marketing tool, too.
Cons Of Craigslist Real Estate Advertising
Craigslist is a free tool, which means it isn’t the most optimal lead-generating source. That said, the leads you generate on Craigslist may vary in their quality. While it is entirely possible to generate high-quality leads on Craigslist, it’s also likely you’ll generate a lot of poor leads. As a result, investors will need to tailor their ads to the clients they desire the most. Additionally, it can be hard to track leads on this particular platform. Since they aren’t linked to landing pages or CRMs, Craigslist posts can be hard to track. While that’s not the end of the world (and a lead is a lead), it would be nice to know which outlets are generating the best leads.
Summary
As I already alluded to, real estate is a numbers game. The more leads you can bring in, the better of you’ll be. That said, Craigslist real estate ad templates aren’t your only option, but rather a small piece of a larger strategy. It just so happens that these marketing vehicles coincide with a great return on investment. While they are free and require very little of your time, they have the potential to reach thousands of people.
- Learning how to post real estate ads on Craigslist isn’t hard, nor is it time consuming, but it can result in huge dividends.
- Real estate Craigslist ads are an inexpensive way to reach a broad audience of sellers and buyers; you just need to know how to speak to them.
- Craigslist lead generation is a system every investors needs to utilize.
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