There is a LOT of information, misinformation and controversy in regards to FFA boards (Free For All.) and the sometimes related venues called Classified Ad Boards. Most of the detractors seem to be those trying to SELL you something else: sell being the operative word in this regards. Not-with-standing this, there are some misconceptions regarding boards which I hope this post will dispel somewhat.
FFA marketing falls into 2 broad catagories - posting your links free to the boards and going Pro and emailing your ads daily to the leads.(Those who posted their links free to the boards.) Let us start with posting your links free: A. Posting your links free to FFA boards: Personally, I equate FFA and other "classified ad" boards online to those found in newspapers, shoppers, the telephone book and other printed venues which provide "classified ads" offline with one exception: while sometimes they are free, usually the offline classifieds cost a minimal amount of money.
Online or off, the effectiveness of each ad (and its value) depends on a lot of factors: the actual readership (membership) of the venue, the ad copy itself, placement, time of placement, distribution and etc. Just like you and your local paper or shopper or whatever, most readers do not obsessively read each and every ad placed in the classified section. They may scan. They may ignore. They may be looking for only a very specific item. Classifieds are NOT NEWS! (although some masquerade as such.)
They are useful and a staple in most publications and their effectiveness varies considerably. The most important thing to keep in mind is that a reader's needs change from moment to moment. At one reading they are not looking for you offer while next reading they are. Or, a year from now the reader may say Hey! I remember seeing this ad from like last year....maybe something really up with this... No kidding here. I have people email me sayin they just joined one of my venues only because the have seen my venues advertised for the past....well, 2 years.
Thing is, you have to hang in there for this to happen. Ads/sites placed on FFA boards on the internet pretty much follow the pattern of their print- and non-cyber space relative. Effectiveness depending upon a number of factors.
With one 2 exceptions: 1. They are free! Posting your links DO NOT COST YOU ANYTHING. 2. THE MORE THE BETTER. You want to get those links up on every available board possible.
These exceptions make FFA postings unique and create some misunderstandings and misconceptions. Let us start with #1:
1. POSTINGS ARE FREE: Because of this they tend to be "short lived" and roll off quickly. So you need to constantly repost. This means you want access to a submitter. Now, because they are free, YOU GET RETURN EMAIL! The email comes from the owners, admins and Pro members of each board. These people pay money every month for the right and privilege to send those who post their ads free to the boards THEIR ads. This is how it all works. YOU post your ads to boards that someone pays for the script and hosting fee. Herein lays some of the controversy: people forget they posted their ads/links free and get upset when they receive email.
Another source for controversy: the people who get emailed HARVEST THOSE ADDRESSES then start sending YOU email. Or they put an autoresponder on their email. This is a fact of FFA marketing and one you need to be prepared to deal with. So always use a marketing email when you post your links. Do note that most FFA boards and networks specifically state autoresponders and harvesting of emails are NOT ALLOWED. Respect this rule please.
2. THE MORE THE BETTER: This is very true with FFA and other classified venues. The key is in A LOT! Because they are free they tend to roll off individual boards quickly, so you want to post as frequently as possible. And, just as in your local paper, shopper or other print venue, you want to keep your ad out there as much and as long as you can. A person may not be looking for your specific product today, but tomorrow is a different set of possibilities! This means you want to use FFA submitters.
There are one or two good free blasters on the market, but, like anything else, the best you pay for. (or someone else does and then includes the service in their own particular site or venue.) However you acquire them, use them to the fullest! Another interesting aspect of using FFA boards is that some of the major Search Engines - like Yahoo - still pay attention to them and count them and your posted links in as popularity. This is nothing to be 'sneezed' at or disregarded lightly.
Now, besides the fact that someone will eventually read and respond to your FFA/classified ad, there is one other thing rather unique involving posts to them:
they create link-backto from their site to yours. Interesting to me is some of those trying to sell you some other means of advertising will try to tell you that this does not occur. But it does. Now, you are competing with the hundreds (even thousands) who post religiousely and a lot constantly so an occasional post by you won't make much difference in the Search Engines. However CONSISTANT posting will.
So, my advice is to use FFA posts, use several FFA submitters and do this constantly and consistently.
B. The flip side of posting your link free is going Pro and emailing your ads daily to the leads. As in all email marketing, this has its pros and cons. I feel it is one more TOOL and useful in its own right. Does every person you email your ad to read your ad? Of course not - neither do the safe list members. However, most people at least SCAN subject lines and will open emails that interest them. (There are articles on this topic elsewhere on the forum.) Each day the leads are deposited into your FFA site like Cashflowpc FFA. These leads all come from FFA lead providers - sites which link to thousands, sometimes billions of FFA, classified pages and message boards.
The FFA site is linked to these huge networks and receive the email addresses of those postng to the entire network every 24 hours. Using the onboard mailer provided by the individual FFA site, you send your ad to the leads one time. Note: some of your so called 'bulk' leads which you can purchase from venues actually come from FFA sites. The practice of selling these bulk leads has helped fuel some of the controversy surrounding sending emails to FFA leads.
Remember, when you post your link free you agree to receive from the Pro members and owners of the boards but only once from each member. This is one of the reasons why FFA sites like Cashflowpc FFA has the members emailing the leads from within the site itself rather than sending you a list of email addresses. Abuses with people reusing leads over and over again also has contributed to the controversy surrounding FFA marketing.
Some sites will email you the leads daily so you can download them into your own bulk mailer and etc and then email the leads yourself. I highly advise against doing this for several reasons: a. ISP's are very email market unfriendly. The quickest way to get your email account taken away from you is to be accused of spam. The CAN-SPAM laws are very strict and unforgiving. Simply being ACCUSED of spam can lead to some terrible complications which are not easily overcome. b. You really are allowed to email leads once only. Should you ignore this and email them more than once and they complain, you risk losing your email account and other penalties.
So, it is always adviseable to use a reputable FFA service and one that provides mailing the leads via the onboard mailing system. Buyer beware in this as there are some FFA providers in which the leads are NEVER deposited to the onboard mailing system forcing you to email those leads yourself using your own bulk mailer or email address. Run away from those venues quickly. They tend to be scams.
This aspect of FFA marketing is very similar to the email marketing you do via safelists. You send your email ads and offers to people's inboxes. And, as in all email marketing, your subject line is the single most important element of your ad. Content is important as well of course but key is getting a person to OPEN your email in the first place. Other articles on this forum will discuss subject line strategies.
In summary, you have two different types of FFA marketing which are useful to you as you market your sites/goods and services:
1. Posting your link/s to the boards - build's links for Search Engine ranking primarily while displaying your ad for those who do read the boards.
2. Email marketing your ads via the Pro membership - you send your ads to those who posted their link/s free to the boards.
