Can This Strategy Work on Craigslist?

by jbgal
16 replies
I just got an idea about Craigslist today and wanted to consult fellow warriors who are experienced with CL marketing. I'm totally ignorant where CL marketing is concerned but can this strategy work?

I have a blog about a "service" that people search for all day long on Craigslist. I'm talking thousands of people who are searching for this service every single day. I don't actually offer the service but I'm an affiliate of a site who has a database of people offering this service.

So, is it possible to reply to all these ads and just give them a link to my website where there's a search bar (from the merchant) and they can search for the service providers in their specific locations?

To put it simply, if the "service" is plumbing (just an example), I reply to all ads looking for plumbers in their specific areas, put a link to my website and when they go to my website (which is actually about plumbing), there's a search bar leading to a website with a database of plumbers.

I know it's not exactly whitehat but I figured this could actually help some people find what they're looking for. I wouldn't call it a desperate market but more of an urgent one sometimes for some folks.
#craigslist #strategy #work
  • Profile picture of the author traficmaster
    This works,but if you reply too many ppl your messages will get "ghosted" as Cl will see it as spam,so get a couple of proxies
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  • Profile picture of the author jbgal
    Thanks for the reply. So do you also need to reply from different email addresses? And how many is "too many"? 10, 100, 1000?
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    • Profile picture of the author AnniePot
      When someone posts on CL, at the foot of the text box they can click to select the option: "ok for others to contact you about other services, products or commercial interests."

      If this option has not been selected, you will quickly be reported by advertisers and CL will ban your account.
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      • Profile picture of the author jbgal
        From my impression, one doesn't actually need an account to reply to these wanted ads. When you click on "reply to" for the ad, it doesn't ask for you to log in.

        Originally Posted by AnniePot View Post

        When someone posts on CL, at the foot of the text box they can click to select the option: "ok for others to contact you about other services, products or commercial interests."

        If this option has not been selected, you will quickly be reported by advertisers and CL will ban your account.
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  • Profile picture of the author Tadresources
    Success on craiglists also depends on any competitors in your market and their ethics even when you are following the rules. Some markets are flooded with competitors that flag any and every post made. I would say to start small and just bump numbers over time until you feel like you are at a comfortable spot.
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    • Profile picture of the author jbgal
      I'm actually not making posts. I'm replying to posts of people who need a certain service. I'm looking for a semi-legit way to do this since they would be a very targeted market.

      Originally Posted by Tadresources View Post

      Success on craiglists also depends on any competitors in your market and their ethics even when you are following the rules. Some markets are flooded with competitors that flag any and every post made. I would say to start small and just bump numbers over time until you feel like you are at a comfortable spot.
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  • Profile picture of the author rodanglee
    Isn't this the same as hijacking one's post?
    Signature
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  • Profile picture of the author travlinguy
    Maybe I've misunderstood your post but if you're replying to people who are looking for a service and you have a database of service providers on your site you are doing absolutely nothing wrong. This is what CL is for.

    When I was writing for clients I'd sometimes go to the writing gigs section of each major city and answer ads I felt qualified for. I did pretty much what you're describing. I included a couple of links pointing to my work where an individual could see my stuff and make a decision.

    It appears you want to do something similar. Good luck.
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    • Profile picture of the author jbgal
      Thank you for your reply. Yes, it's more or less the same thing. The only difference is unlike you, I am NOT offering the service. I just have a blog about the service with a link to another website, who actually has the database of service providers.

      In order to make it less spammy, I plan to take a screenshot of the database (by town/city) , post it on my blog and show that particular page to people so that they can see the service providers. If they want more info, they'll just have to click the screenshot and they can go to the actual database site. If they like what they see, they pay a certain fee and they are given all info they need. I then get my commission. Everyone happy.

      Any opinions, Craigslist gurus in here?



      Originally Posted by travlinguy View Post

      Maybe I've misunderstood your post but if you're replying to people who are looking for a service and you have a database of service providers on your site you are doing absolutely nothing wrong. This is what CL is for.

      When I was writing for clients I'd sometimes go to the writing gigs section of each major city and answer ads I felt qualified for. I did pretty much what you're describing. I included a couple of links pointing to my work where an individual could see my stuff and make a decision.

      It appears you want to do something similar. Good luck.
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  • Profile picture of the author travlinguy
    There's nothing wrong being an agent for the actual service providers. Getting back to writing. Both individuals needing it done and agencies employing writers can advertise on CL. And if someone needs something written both individuals as well as agencies (which is your capacity) can answer the ad. It's not Spam and it's not against CL terms of service.
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    • Profile picture of the author jbgal
      Travlinguy, I think I like you very much hahaha

      I needed to hear that to boost my confidence that I'm actually not spamming people

      And if this strategy is successful, I will definitely get in touch with you to thank you properly.


      Originally Posted by travlinguy View Post

      There's nothing wrong being an agent for the actual service providers. Getting back to writing. Both individuals needing it done and agencies employing writers can advertise on CL. And if someone needs something written both individuals as well as agencies (which is your capacity) can answer the ad. It's not Spam and it's not against CL terms of service.
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  • Profile picture of the author ryanmilligan
    Banned
    Yeah it seems fine. But where are you actually monetizing? I mean you would need to reply to a huge amount of ads everyday to be getting decent traffic.

    Craiglist really isn't worth it unless you know exctly what you're doing.
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    • Profile picture of the author jbgal
      I'm an affiliate of the database site. And their search bar converts very well. I get monthly sales even from 3-5 daily visits to my website. Imagine if I can get even 50 daily visits. I can't do SEO for this because the top kws are too competitive. Also not too many google search terms for this one because people are using other means to search for this service provider. I actually thought of this method because I was brainstorming for ways to get to the market sans SEO.

      Forum marketing would be a great strategy for this market but I just don't have the stomach for it. I'm looking into outsourcing this one though if I find the right service providers.

      Originally Posted by ryanmilligan View Post

      Yeah it seems fine. But where are you actually monetizing? I mean you would need to reply to a huge amount of ads everyday to be getting decent traffic.

      Craiglist really isn't worth it unless you know exctly what you're doing.
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  • Profile picture of the author Scott Skinner
    Run your own ad! Preferably in a large metropolitan area in the "small biz ads" section. Put a link to your site in the ad. Preferably, embed the link into a banner and put a one sentence paragraph below it.

    Works like a charm!
    :p
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    • Profile picture of the author jbgal
      Great suggestion, thanks. I'm not in the US so I'll still have to look for good CL posters. So does CL actually allow banners linking to websites?

      Originally Posted by Scott Skinner View Post

      Run your own ad! Preferably in a large metropolitan area in the "small biz ads" section. Put a link to your site in the ad. Preferably, embed the link into a banner and put a one sentence paragraph below it.

      Works like a charm!
      :p
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      • Profile picture of the author Scott Skinner
        Yes they do, but you must have text below the banner for their robots to read. The bots cannot read the html of the banner. This way you don't get ghosted. Try using Hide-My-IP.com to mask your IP and overcome the "outside the US" issue
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