Video Classifieds and Text Classifieds

YouTube doesn't really provide commercial interruptions, nor does it encourage users to use videos for marketing purposes.

Meanwhile, several start-up sites are serving up video classifieds, letting you upload homemade commercials to show off what you might normally put out on eBay, Craigslist, or at a yard sale.

I keep coming across classified ads with video lately so I thought I should share with you this emerging trend. One site I found via Google is called Adhysteria, an online video classifieds marketplace. The idea is to shoot video upload clips from your webcam, digital camera or camcorder. Users basically take a picture or video of the item, and then post it on Adhysteria. There's no fee and the item stays on the site until it's sold. The site just launched in October, so it remains to be seen how consumers will use this new tool.
The site also has clear instructions for uploading to the Web from any source.
Classifieds videos can be more entertaining than dorm-room lip-synching on YouTube.

No matter what your company offers, you can advertise on free classified ads. Whether you provide services or sell a product you can advertise it for free. For small businesses that are trying to make a presence in a community this is a great way to get started.

Because it won't cost your company anything to advertise with these classified ads you can save your advertising budget for other things as well as advertise online. All it costs your business is a small amount of time to put together an ad and submit it to the online classified website. It usually only takes a few minutes to set up your account and it's very easy to get started.

Another great benefit with online classified ads is promotion of events. If your company gets involved with an event, promotes a workshop or class, or anything that you want the public to get involved in, you can advertise it completely free online.

Most individuals and companies have to pay annual membership fees or pay for these kinds of advertising benefits. But free online classified ads are just that - completely free. You may as well take advantage of this great service especially if you are a small business with a tight advertising budget and not a lot of time to commit to advertising methods.

Take the first step and find an online classified website that you are comfortable with. Search through the site and make sure that visitors can narrow their search through postcode and that the site is easily navigable and organized - these are typically features that users look for. Once you are set up you can submit an ad for your company's services, job openings, event, or anything else you can think of.

I'm surprised that the video-classifieds concept hasn't taken off already. Big corporations have held contests to solicit user-created TV ads, but truly grassroots commercials remain rare. There are niche video ads here and there, such as for regional real estate listings, or on car enthusiast site Streetfire. Again, dear Craigslist, won't you consider some more innovative ways of presenting classifieds? And how about eBay?

Consumers will surely benefit from video advertisements since they get to see the condition of the item they plan to buy before handing over their money. Animal shelters are already taking advantage of this tool and have posted quick videos of adorable animals up for adoption.

Rajiv Unnikrishnan