Craigslist: Marketing for Dummies

Many people are familiar with Craigslist, a commonly used website for people to post classified ads for free. Putting up an ad for an item on the internet may seem like it only requires a simple description, however if you really want to maximize your responses and get the most money for your item, it may entail a little more effort. Using Craigslist requires a level of trust from a buyer, being that they are making a transaction with a seller that they know little to nothing about. Being that this is the case, it is in a sellers best interest to try to eliminate as much uncertainty from the transaction as possible. PIctures are always a great way to ensure the buyers that the item is what you say it is. If there are any flaws in the item you are selling, it is important to accentuate them in the pictures and be honest. Even if there is something you are trying to hide, you can show other, smaller flaws to gain the buyers trust. Detailed and accurate descriptions of items are crucial as well, customers are scared of that which they do not understand, so make them understand. There are many subtle things that sellers can do to increase the their chances of selling their item for a good price and these are just a few. Do you have any personal favorite techniques for selling items on craigslist/ebay? Do you think that big companies use similar or different techniques to sell their products?

Make up your Mind: Eliminating Cognitive Dissonance

Cognitive dissonance is something that is usually present in every consumer's mind. It is the job of the product's manufacturer to do their best job to eliminate as much of that dissonance as possible to increase the potential customer's likelihood of purchasing the item. All companies use different methods to eliminate as much cognitive dissonance as possible but I think there are certain tactics that work better than others. I think that the main goal for a manufacturer should be to prove to the customer that their product is really something that is worth the money that they are going to spend on it. To me, there are a few things that customers value when searching for a product; price, durability (how long will it last?), and usefulness amongst others. I think that it is important for manufacturers to focus on these categories when advertising to make customers really feel good about purchasing the product. What do you think are the most important things manufacturers should focus on when advertising? What do you think are the best ways a company can eliminate cognitive dissonance in its potential customers?