You’ve heard of Craigslist. You may have even advertised on Craigslist.
But do you consistently post your new listings on Craigslist?
You probably don’t rely exclusively on the MLS to drive interest to your new listing, and the more web traffic and eyeballs you get, the more potential buyers will be viewing NOT JUST the property you have for sale, but also the way you do your marketing.
Craiglist ads have long since been a quick and easy way to get your listing out there on the internet, and we’re here to show you the fastest way to get that item off your to-do list.
First – prep the listing information and photos that you’ll be posting!
Why prep?
#1: Because it’s incredibly satisfying to complete this task quickly and accurately.
#2: Because you might want to delegate this task one day, and this is a great way to create a procedure around it.
#3: Because we have an awesome prep-sheet for you to use. You can thank us later. First, let’s see how it’s done.
Bonus (#4): You can use the same info if you post on other sites!
So… we’re prepping!
Download this handy (and free!) PDF worksheet that you can fill out for each listing.
You’re preparing the following info in the PDF we’ve provided, before starting to post your ad:
- Posting Title
Be descriptive and use keywords. Remember that Craigslist ads come up in Google searches.
Here are some helpful tips…
Use “house/townhouse/condo”, as applicable.
Use the neighbourhood name and city name.
Use an enticing adjective about the home (renovated, bright, spacious, etc).
Use “for sale” or “just listed” or “open house”.
Example: “Bright + Renovated townhouse in Lower Lonsdale, North Vancouver, Open Saturday” - Property address, city, postal/zip code
This should be self explanatory. - Posting Body Part 1: Listing description
This is the paragraph of text about your listing. You can expand any appreviated words (s/s becomes stainless steel, etc), to make the text easier to read. You can just copy and paste this from your website. If it’s long, enter some line breaks to create paragraphs and make it easier for people to skin or read. - Posting Body Part 2: Call to action
This is the start of the sentence that ends with a link to your website, so give a reason to visit your site, such as “View full photo tour and details at” or “View video tour and floorplan at”. - Posting Body Part 3: Website URL for the listing
Grab the URL (web link) that goes directly to this listing, not to your home page. No one wants to be clicking around to find the listing they’re looking for, once they land on your site.Example of #4 and #5 together: “View full photo tour and details at http://www.steveburk.ca/437” - Posting Body Part 4: Your contact info
Most governing bodies require that any agent advertising include your full brokerage details, so don’t forget this step! You can easily copy and paste your contact info from your website contact page or listing page footer. - Know where the photos from your listing are stored (you’ll use ~4 photos)
You’ll be browsing to select some listing photos, so be prepared by knowing where on your computer those photos are saved, or save a copy somewhere easy to find.
We’ve made it easy for you to prep this information for each and every listing.
Download the one-page Cragislist ad prep PDF for free:
GET YOUR CRAIGSLIST AD PREP SHEET
Create ads in mere minutes!
FREE PDF DOWNLOAD
Now, let’s go to Craigslist and get this ad posted!
- Go to Craigslist for your city. [www.craigslist.com and check the city at the top center of the screen. Use the links to the areas on the right side if you aren’t in the right location.]Note these are the steps to follow if you don’t have a Craigslist account.
- Click post to classifieds in upper left
- Click “housing offered”
- Click “real estate – by broker”
- Click “I will abide”
- If applicable, choose the location that fits best
You should see a blank form that looks approximately like this:
This is where your completed prep form will make the rest of this process go by in mere minutes.
Use it to copy and paste your information into each section on Craigslist.
Save the filled-in copy of your ad prep form to the folder with your other listing assets for future use!
View a video demo of this whole process at the bottom of this article.
- Type in your email address (twice).
Don’t worry, this will not be displayed on Craiglist if you leave the button “CL mail relay (recommended)” checked.
- Copy and paste in your Posting title.
- Specific location:
Copy and paste the property’s street address and city. - Postal Code:
Copy and paste the postal code of the property. - Posting Body:
Copy and paste Steps 3, 4, 5 and 6 from the prep sheet. That is: your listing description, call to action, link to your website, and contact info. - Fill out the last few fields below the Posting Body box: sq ft, price, # bed, #bath, housing type, laundry, parking details and open house dates/times as applicable.
- Enter street, cross street and city for the map accuracy (or skip this and fix it on the next page).Almost done!
- Click Continue
- Confirm the map location is correct
- Click Continue
- Upload 4 images.
I recommend 4 because you want to give people a reason to go to your website to view more photos! - Click Done with images, and then double check your listing before clicking publish.
- You’ll receive an email with a link – click the link, click accept terms and conditions and your ad will be live within minutes. (If you don’t get the email, check your spam or promotions folders.)
This whole process of posting an ad should take you no more than 5 minutes.
Let me show you a video walkthrough from start to finish – prep to posting:
GET YOUR CRAIGSLIST AD PREP SHEET
Create ads in mere minutes!
FREE PDF DOWNLOAD
We hope this was a great help. Drop us a comment if you have any questions!