You might think that it’s the size of the ad that matters, and gets people to respond. But actually, that’s not the case! Classified ads that are well written and informative can actually have a greater impact than a less informative larger ad.
In a study done by the Global Journal of Finance and Management it was concluded that size of the ad really doesn’t matter.“Its impact can be assessed from the fact that advertisements with more informational content were found to influence more customers than advertisements with less informational content…The amount of information present was found to be independent of the size of the advertisement. “
One of the biggest misunderstandings about advertising is that people expect to sell something from the ad. However, most of the time this thinking process is wrong. Just like you probably won’t sell something by putting up a website,or having someone click a link on your email campaign. There is a little bit more effort involved. This does not mean however, that classified ads or any other type of advertising are not working.
Most advertising today involves some kind of two-step or a direct response process where the consumer is directed to initiate contact. The first part of the process is getting someone to see your ad! The next part is getting them to contact the business by responding to the ad or showing up at your brick and mortar store. The opportunity to get your prospective customer to buy does not really happen until they respond to the ad. This is when the sales person has the opportunity to begin the sales cycle to close the deal.
While sure, you might attract initial attention by posting a large flashy ad, classified ads are less expensive, and can really work just as well. Its not the pizzazz that gets people to react , its whether or not it is persuasive enough to make the consumer feel like they know enough about the product or service to make an informed decision about what is being offered.