Published: November 29, 2005
Print classifieds are at the heart of your business. Online classifieds should be, too.
Classified advertising has made the transition to the web in a big way. Whether paid or free, online classifieds have become ubiquitous in major metropolitan areas. Online sellers often use eBay, Yahoo, and other online auctions to peddle items that they might otherwise have sold locally.
Small towns, however, are underserved. As the local paper, you have the name recognition and the history to build a thriving business in online classified ads.
Advantages of online classifieds: consumer perspective
Larger ads
Text is cheap online, and online listings can be more descriptive. ThinPaper classifieds offer up to 300 characters at one base rate, and customers can purchase additional text in 300-character increments.
Color photos
Buyers like to see what they're getting, and space and color printing costs are no limitation online. One photo is free with every ThinPaper classified ad. Additional photos (up to 12 total) may be added, each with a caption.
Searchable text
Shoppers with limited time love the speed of online searching. ThinPaper online classfieds are fully searchable and broken down by a 2-level category system for ease of use.
Ease of purchasing
Online classifieds are purchased online. Customers don't have to wait for your office to open before placing their ad. Catch potential advertisers on nights and weekends, when they're ready to sell and ready to spend.
New ad revenue: annual projections
Our standard online ad rate is $3 per ad per week (which includes the first 300 characters and one photo), $1 for each additional 300 characters, and $0.15 for each additional photo, plus 1% of the declared value of the item listed. (Declared value percentage is capped at $30.) Ad price is automatically calculated as the text is entered and photos added.
If your paper sells only ten online classifieds each week, with no additional text or photos, and an average declared value of $20, you will net as much as $1539 per year. If the average declared value rises to $50 (average ad cost $3.50), your net income increases to as much as $1684. With two real estate ads per week as part of the ten, your annual net rises to as much as $4531. Triple your ads to 30 per week, with six of them real estate ads, and your net increases to as much as $13,593.
Want more details? Call 1-888-794-4434 for a faxed spreadsheet showing these revenue projections.
Sample online classifieds on anytownpost.com
Don't take our word for it. Explore the power of online classifieds for yourself. Anytown Post, our sample client, demonstrates online classifieds here.