Why Your Business Cannot Afford Not to Advertise on Craigslist

Craigslist is not always the best advertising option but there are certain situations in which a business cannot afford not to advertise on Craigslist. For the purposes of this article we will examine two common scenarios where a business owner should definitely consider advertising on Craigslist because failure to do so can be detrimental to his business. These examples include small startup companies without a large advertising budget and existing companies whose direct competitors are advertising extensively on Craigslist.

Small Startup Companies Benefit from Advertising on Craigslist

Small startup companies often have a great deal of work ahead of them to begin competing with existing companies who are already thriving. These companies may already have established client bases and may have substantial funding budges for the purpose of obtaining new customers. Customer loyalty can be difficult to break and new companies either have to offer significantly better quality products or services, comparable products or services at reduced prices or a slick marketing campaign with consumer appeal.

However, smaller companies rarely have the advertising budget necessary to orchestrate an elaborate advertising campaign. This is when Craigslist becomes a necessity. Smaller companies can focus their energy on creating outstanding advertising copy without spending exorbitant amounts of money to run these advertisements in other forms of media such as newspapers, magazines, television or radio.

It is important to not that while free advertising is appealing, the advertising should be just as sophisticated as it would in markets where the business owners would be required to pay a fee to run the advertisement. This will help the business to maintain a professional image and will entice potential customer to try their products or services.

Don’t Let the Competition Corner the Market

Another scenario where a business cannot afford not to advertise on Craigslist is when direct competitors are making use of the advertising opportunities on Craigslist. This is important because businesses who do not advertise in the same locations as their competitors are essentially conceding potential customers who peruse those locations to the competitors.

Imagine you own a dog walking business in Portland, Oregon. If there are a large number of members of that community using the local Craigslist website to find dog walkers, you will likely miss out on these business opportunities because these individuals will likely select one of the individuals advertising on Craigslist for their dog walking needs. If you were to place a well written advertisement in an appropriate section of Craigslist you may find you are able to gain a market share of the available business.

There is, however, one caveat to placing advertisements wherever your competitors are advertising. This practice is not considered worthwhile when the market is already saturated with competition. Consider the above example of a dog walker in Portland. If there are a small number of competitors competing for business on Craigslist it is worthwhile to place your own advertisement here. However, if literally hundreds of dog walkers are flooding the website with their advertisement it is not worthwhile to post an advertisement because your advertisement will likely be lost in the shuffle. It is much more worthwhile to advertise in other locations. Checking Craigslist periodically may still be a good idea because those advertising on Craigslist are likely to not see great gain from this advertising and may resort to other options. When you notice a decline in competitor advertisements, it is a great opportunity to add your advertisement.

Businesses Cannot Live Without Commercial Mortgage

When starting a brand new business or expanding an existing one that you already own, many businesses seek sources for a commercial mortgage that they can use to buy property in which to house their venture. Essentially, there is little difference between a commercial loan and a residential mortgage as the credit worthiness of the business owner is considered before taking action on the loan application.

The business itself, regardless of how viable it may seem, will not qualify for a loan without the owners or principals of the business having the reputation of repaying their financial obligations. If the owner has got a bad credit history, the odds of them receiving a commercial mortgage are reduced without going through some companies that do offer loans to people with questionable credit histories.

Even those with stellar credit reports may have some difficulty obtaining commercial mortgage approval if the plausibility of the business does not meet the requirements of the lender. The institutions responsibility is make loans only to those who can show the ability and willingness to make timely repayment of the loan and the property for which the loan is being sought also has to meet specific criteria.

A property is disrepair may not qualify unless it can be shown to be refurbished to a good value for a reasonable cost. Essentially, a lender will not loan money on a building that will have to be replaced almost immediately, unless the property itself is valued above the loan value. Even in these situations, the lender may require a time line in which improvement will be made and proof during the renovation stage that the improvements are on track to meet the deadline date.

Acquiring a commercial mortgage typically requires more financial information than a regular mortgage in that information about the business is collected along with information about the owner or principals who are accepting the responsibility of repaying the loan. Business information may include the value of any assets such as equipment or accounts receivable as well as projected income show in the form of firm orders for products or services.

If the business has been established for any amount of time, an income history may be required as well as showing that the business has paid its debts in a timely manner. Those seeking a commercial mortgage to raise money to get out of debt, may find the option not very likely. However, funding a business loan to erase debt to enable the business to purchase additional properties may be possible, if all properties are eligible to be used as collateral.

With many commercial mortgage agreements, it is not unusual for an amount of 80 percent to be granted to those with good credit, as the lender may consider a 20 percent down payment as a commitment by the buyer to maintain ownership of the property. Having the financial commitment in place is usually a good indication of the new owners willingness and desire to see the loan through to completion.