Why are Classified Ads Still the 1st Choice for Effective Advertising?

The 1st choice for effective advertising is still the humble classified ad.

In fact, there are more than three billion search results for some form of the term, such as classified ads, classified advertising, classifieds, and of course, free classified ads.  That’s three with nine zeroes behind it!  That’s a lot of interest!

The truth is, since its inception somewhere in the fifteenth century in England and the sixteenth century in the United States, the classified ad has been wildly popular.  People just love browsing the classifieds!

History of the Classified Ad

According to historical records, the very first classified advertisements were handwritten notes that appeared in England.  They were not in newspapers, but they were nailed to posts, or posted.  They were not written by copy writers, but by people known as scribes, who earned their keep by writing announcements. 

It is from the same root as scribe that we get the word, “scribble.”  Ads were often given in haste, requiring the scribe to write them down quickly; hence the term, “scribble a note.” 

These first ads weren’t actually known by that name.  Rather, they were called by the Latin name, “Si quis,” taken from the term once used in Ancient Rome, “Si quis autem novit,” meaning, “If anyone knows of.”

There are varying stories and histories of when the first classified ads appeared in the United States.  The most compelling one I’ve seen, due to its similarity to the modern classified ad, is the story of the Boston News-Letter, first published in 1704.  It is considered to be the first continuously-published newspaper in North America.

According to Sara Bader, in her wonderful history of the classifieds, Strange Red Cow, the publisher placed a notice in the very first edition of the paper (or perhaps it would be better to say, “on the paper,” as it was only one piece of paper at the time.  It was a simple notice:  “To all persons who have any houses, lands, tenements, farms, ships, vessels, goods, wares or merchandises to be sold or let, may have the same inserted at a reasonable rate.”

The rest, as they say, is history.  In the very next issue, one of the paper’s readers placed an ad for two lost anvils, instruments of tremendous importance in those early colonies.

In the weeks that followed, several more ads for lost or stolen property were posted, but before long, what would become the most prolific of all the classified ads appeared, the first real estate ad.

From this very simple beginning in an early newspaper consisting of one half page of page printed on both sides, classified ads quickly became the 1st choice for effective advertising. 

Modern History

Classified ads are still the world’s 1st choice for effective advertising.  That’s because more than 400 years later, they still work!

There is a reason why classified advertising has been so successful for advertisers right from the beginning:  For some reason, people have always loved to browse the classifieds.  There’s something about them that draws people to them, week after week, publication after publication.

Everyone knows that the sports section of news publications are wildly popular with a lot of people, but even those who hate sports love classifieds!

Today, while there are still classified ads in print newspapers, and there will be as long as they exist, most papers have now gone digital, even if they still publish a paper edition.  The classifieds section is still of major importance in these digital editions.

But another very interesting thing has happened – there are now standalone classified ad sites on the internet.  There are literally thousands of them.  Yet they still continue to have lots of traffic from people who are looking for something or just want to browse the ads.

This is why, even today, they are the 1st choice for effective advertising.  Savvy advertisers know that for a very low cost or even free, they can put their ads in front of an untold number of hungry buyers, without blowing their budget, and with great results.

Classified ads, even paid ones, are by far the best value for your advertising budget you are ever going to find.  They cost very little if anything, are widely read, and get results.  What could be better?

If you know of a great classified ad site, please share it in the comment section, below. Be sure to leave your link!