Why Craigslist Works

10 days ago Teresa Boardman posted an article on her ActiveRain blog regarding her fascination with the success that Craigslist can generate.  The article below was inspired by her post.

There are several reasons why Craigslist fails to live up to the hype for real estate agents, and I'm sure readers' comments will fill in these blanks.  However, there is a ton of success being flaunted by agents that have struck gold by simply posting a free listing on the site.   How is it, that a haphazardly strung together database of random listings is able to attract so much traffic when there are much more sophisticated, complete and user-friendly resources that are struggling to generate leads?

1. Mind Share.
    The more people talk about it, the more people talk about it.  Once Craigslist achieved household name recognition, it became foolish not to give the quirky city-sized yard sale a try.
If you want to run into oncoming traffic, Craigslist gives everyone the same opportunity.  In marketing, millions daily can't be ignored.

2. That Down-Home Feel
    There's something to the observation that the online global classifieds that is Craigslist, compares with DrudgeReport not only with its many million daily visitors, but also its aesthetically challenged design. All the gloss and polish of large corporation websites can actually create an uncomfortable separation between the user and the resource they've come for.  Personable service is replaced with bells, whistles and graphic design.  Craigslist, on the other hand, is created by real people, first-hand.  There is a much more intimate connection between the person posting the ad and the person reading it.  This experience will keep people returning the same way that one appreciates the mom-and-pop market versus the megastore.

3. FSBO's
    There is a significant percentage (read: under 10) of the 'property on the market' that is for sale by the owners themselves.  Craigslist is an excellent resource for them for all of the reasons in this article. Buyers use Craigslist to not only tap into this minority market, but also to have the opportunity of dealing directly with the seller.  Getting your listings in front of these buyers garners exposure for your inventory.

4. Random Uncoverings
    This is not the MLS.  This is not Coldwell Banker.  This is not an IDX listing update.  You never know what you may find. If you already feel that you are 'dialed in' to the conventional resources for your current home search, Craigslist provides an alternative as the opportunity to uncover the the previously unexposed.

Related Article: What's Wrong With Craigslist?  The People Who Post There. 

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Comments

[teresa boardman]

I re-posted my listings on Craigs list Thursday and got one call Thursday and one on Friday. No calls from news paper ads this week. Also my web hits have been up for about 4 days and the they are coming from Craigs list. Can't beat it:)

[Maureen Francis]

I use it, but with less frequency in than in the past. I get almost no calls from it. I find the search to be unwieldy, though its niceer to call it "down home." When I started posting there, very few agents were posting yet. Now there are more. It has not made the impact in Detroit that it has in many other markets.

[teresa boardman]

Real estate is and has always been a local business. What works in one market may not work as well or at all in another.

[Roberta Murphy]

One of our agents uses Craig's List extensively and is absolutely religious about updating listings there. They aren't exactly prequalified clients, but his phone does ring.

[Jeff Brooks]

I think of lot of people are missing the real point to Craig’s List… When used effectively it’s a great tool for driving traffic to your website. I can on a Friday double my clients’ traffic with a simple ad on Craig’s… Selling a home there (Craig’s List) would be nice, but let’s be honest, the MLS and few decent IDX links will take care of spreading the word for you… I have a long list of clients I work with optimizing their sites through analytic analysis and adjusting key words on their landing page… but nothing is as effective as a posting on Craig’s… you need to know what to say, how to take advantage of hotlinks and have a decent web page that offers users a reason to return once you get them there…

Jeff Brooks
http://realestateconvergence.com
jeff@realestateconvergence.com

[Sara Lipnitz]

I have not yet used Craig's List... big suprise! I have looked at the site and agree with Maureen, it has a small market share in my market.

[Jim Cronin]

Jeff,
Thanks for echoing a previous article:
http://realestatetomato.typepad.com/the_real_estate_tomato/2006/06/whats_wrong_wit.html

[Pat]

I'm new to Craig's list. I know, been living under a rock. But really, can somebody tell me, specifically please, how to post my staging business in Maryland and its website on to Craig's list? Sounds like a great idea. I want the down home people not the corporate types! Thanks

[Jim Cronin]

Pat-
Craigslist local to your area can be found here: http://geo.craigslist.org/iso/us/md

[craigslist posting tool]

Yeah craigslist is great. Ive been using a craigslist posting tool (www.craygo.com) to post to the craigslist real estate/housing sections. I thought I'd share the tip with you. With the craigslist tool you can easily post to all top cities, or stay within the top listing of one city.

[craigslist posting tool]

Yeah craigslist is great. Ive been using a craigslist posting tool (www.craygo.com) to post to the craigslist real estate/housing sections. I thought I'd share the tip with you. With the craigslist tool you can easily post to all top cities, or stay within the top listing of one city.

[Craigslist Phone Verified Accounts]

Craigslist is very effective for selling items. I personally dont have experience with selling real estate on craigslist so I can't comment on that but general items work well.