Does Advertising on Craigslist Work?

I just received an e-mail from a client of mine. She wanted to know if advertising on Craigslist works. Here is the exact e-mail I sent back to her verbatim:

"Yes, advertising on Craigslist works for some businesses - not all, but some.

Would I use it to promote my business? No, but that's me.

So why wouldn't I advertise on Craigslist?

Because Craigslist has a sleazy reputation, and might reflect badly on my business. But again, that's me. Obviously, thousands of other businesses feel differently.

In fact, several friends of mine who own offline businesses such as hair salons, bakeries, check cashing stores, insurance agencies, jewelry stores, used car lots, etc., all tell me that advertising on Craigslist works reasonably well for them. Especially for generating leads.

Conversely, I know of several online businesses that tried advertising on Craigslist, and their results weren't so good.

So, my advice to you is this: Try it. You never know if something is going to work, until you try it. If it doesn't work, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

But if it does work, then, you've found another effective method of advertising your business."

NOTE: This article is available in video version here.