hottshottzmom:

I posted this last night - this is also using the baby who's momma booked off another CL ad.  I also have another shoot Saturday from CL and that lady works at Blue Cross and has several friends that are waiting to see how hers goes....

Simple ad, but an attention getter

http://jacksonville.craigslist.org/crs/549576471.html

I've done ads on CL for two years now and mine started out similar to the second persons ad and looks more like the first persons.

The first AD looks like a pro right up till you click on it to go to your website and you send me over to photobucket.. That ended all pretenses of professionalism.

You ad looks fantastic and to get max click through to your site you should use code like this hosting the ad picture on your website

<a href="http://www.vistaphotos.net/gallery7.htm"><img src="http://www.vistaphotos.net/photo_gallery/land-craigslist-AD.jpg">

Or if you don't have a website you own you can use flickr to host the picture (free) and by pass having them route to your flickr page with code like this.

   <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/vistaphotography/1393090626/" title="Photo Sharing"><img  src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1063/1393090626_7dcfc29d4b.jpg" width="500" height="400" alt="lake_reflections-film-8x10" /></a>

 Both of these sets of code allow me to post an add on CL or the image of your choice by placing it in the the code section when creating your ad.

I get tons of responses by having my CL AD be a clickable ad that sends them to the webpage of my choice. If you take a look at my current ad: Craigslist ad for Vistaphotography it will show you that the easiest way to get a visitor to your site is to give them something to click on. The next best method is to provide a text link Visit me here. The absolutely worse thing to do is either have them type in your url or worse don't give them the website at all.

I normally charge for all this info but since you are all such wonderful people I will let you reverse engineer how to have your CL ads do the same     thing.

  Other than that the ads look real good.

   Jeff

  P.S. Post in event services or creative services because you are selling a service and a set of tires... and they don't ask you how much in those areas.
 

MCSEADC:

How do you get past the bozos that offer free portraits and the CD w/ images

 

Take a lot at the Houston Creative services section - FULL of Photography stuff!!

First if you want to get away from the so called "photographers" offering the world and under cutting you then move off CL. This is the place that new basic photographers use to build their portfolios (I know I sure did) I even still use it but I don't expect to get many brides because the majority of the brides are looking to go cheap (500$ and a CD of all the pictures so I can go to WM and print to my hearts desire)

I now have ads on The knot and the wedding channel, I have ads in a couple of catholic bulletins and I'm alswys looking for ways to get my name out there. Partnerships with videographers and florists and so forth...

If you're going to stay on CL then you have to show the prospective client how you are different then that "photographers" who just got back from Best Buy with their digital rebel and are now putting ads up on CL with hopes that someone will hire them... Don't laugh I've seen some ADs like that...

Good luck.

Jeff 

MCSEADC:

It happened, I got flagged. Idiots. I've got a pretty good idea who did it too.

Remember you can only have one AD on CL at any time... I got flagged back at the end of the year and I will admit to having a couple ads up so it was my own fault.

Don't give them anything to flag you on and they probably won't. According to the help desk it takes many folks doing it (so they say) before they can knock you off there...

Jeff 

Vista photography...I did a quick test with an image in one of my galleries using your code and it doesn't show the picture..it just has a box with an x.  If I click the box it does take them to my website where I want them...do you know why this might happen?  My computer at work sometimes does this for security that they have set so I am hoping that is it and I will try when i get home but could you think of any other reason?

melissaanne:

Vista photography...I did a quick test with an image in one of my galleries using your code and it doesn't show the picture..it just has a box with an x.  If I click the box it does take them to my website where I want them...do you know why this might happen?  My computer at work sometimes does this for security that they have set so I am hoping that is it and I will try when i get home but could you think of any other reason?

Post the code so I can look at it or send me a PM with it and I'll look at it... One thing is to make sure your picture/AD is small or the box may come up until the picture can load. Your don't want the picture AD (A picture with text on it is your AD) to be to slow loading... 50 -100K at most...

Jeff 

I'm confused...what does it mean you got flagged?  I am making my ads now:)  This is a great idea.  Don't laugh, but I've never heard of Craigslist:(

MCSEADC:

Tammy, mine get flagged within an hr each time I post :( someone likes being the butt police around our area!

sbeez13:

I'm confused...what does it mean you got flagged?  I am making my ads now:)  This is a great idea.  Don't laugh, but I've never heard of Craigslist:(

 

MCSEADC:

Tammy, mine get flagged within an hr each time I post :( someone likes being the butt police around our area!

 

If you post more than one ad before the first one runs out then some folks will flag you as abusing the system. If enough people flag you they will arbitrarily pull you ad.. And thats flagging in a nut shell.

Vistaphotography:

melissaanne:

Vista photography...I did a quick test with an image in one of my galleries using your code and it doesn't show the picture..it just has a box with an x.  If I click the box it does take them to my website where I want them...do you know why this might happen?  My computer at work sometimes does this for security that they have set so I am hoping that is it and I will try when i get home but could you think of any other reason?

 

Post the code so I can look at it or send me a PM with it and I'll look at it... One thing is to make sure your picture/AD is small or the box may come up until the picture can load. Your don't want the picture AD (A picture with text on it is your AD) to be to slow loading... 50 -100K at most...

Jeff 

What would be an appropriate size for the ad? 

Sara

sbeez13:

Vistaphotography:

melissaanne:

Vista photography...I did a quick test with an image in one of my galleries using your code and it doesn't show the picture..it just has a box with an x.  If I click the box it does take them to my website where I want them...do you know why this might happen?  My computer at work sometimes does this for security that they have set so I am hoping that is it and I will try when i get home but could you think of any other reason?

 

Post the code so I can look at it or send me a PM with it and I'll look at it... One thing is to make sure your picture/AD is small or the box may come up until the picture can load. Your don't want the picture AD (A picture with text on it is your AD) to be to slow loading... 50 -100K at most...

Jeff 

What would be an appropriate size for the ad? 

 

Sara

Hi Sara, I would plan on not having it larger than 150k (400 pixels by 300 pixels) and smaller is better.  If you make it larger 600 x 800 px it could slow down loading  and they will go back to the list and skip you. Remember just follow the rules for posting pictures to your galleries. 72dpi and lower the resolution.   If you can post or send me the code I can preview it.  For the people who only get a box instead of your AD. Make sure you have the exact path to where you put the jpeg/gif AD resides.  Also make sure you have the path correct.. Sometimes if you have a capitol letter you may find that it needs to be case sensitive.

Jeff 

Thank you Jeff, I am going to work on my actual ad tonight and see if it works and if not I will send you my code for you to look at.  I appreciate you offering to do that!

This is what I sent out earlier to a PM 

In looking over your code you sent me. I think you reversed the slash after the .com.  You have a reversed slash (\ instead of the / which is used normally.  That could be all your problem is.. It has to be exactly the same. no extra spaces no extra dashes..

 It could also be that you're trying to do it with photobucket. They do not like you by-passing them and sending folks to your website. They want everyone to see that they are hosting your pictures and their ads... but even with them I would think it would still work...

Do you have access to your server? It would help if you were able to login to your server and create a folder called images then you would refer people to

   <a href="http://www.yourwebsitehere.com/baby.html"><img src="http://www.yourwebsitehere.com/images/CL-AD.jpg">

   The first part sends them to your website and a specific page if you so want...  The 2nd part delivers the ad from your website.

  It's really not hard... Ok I'm just geekier than most and my head is very hard from banging it against those CRT monitors for so many years trying to f  figure stuff out... I hope this helps everyone out

how about tis one, i always use imageshack, for any size add

http://imageshack.us/

drulia:

how about tis one, i always use imageshack, for any size add

http://imageshack.us/

How about what? using them for hosting? Well as long as you never direct a customer there by accident. I clicked on your link and since I'm not a member it wants me to register as a new user... (talk about sending me running!!!)

Lets start off with this.. It doesn't matter where you host the pictures BUT! if they ever end up, being directed to photobucket or image shack or wherever then you might as just close up business right now. These sites do not give you a professional presence for your business. If you are a hobbiest and  just showing your pictures to friends and family then it doesn't matter.

I've never used them to host my ADs so I can't say whether they will work or not. I can rewrite the code for Flickr and have them host my pictures and then send the viewer to my website or the best way is when I host it from my own website. Either way they see my CL ad and they hover over my ad and the cursor turns to a hand indicating a link they will click on it thinking they are going to my site. If they end up anywhere but at your website then they will think you are a spammer or worse a hacker or really.. REALLY worse that you don't know what you are doing!!

If you are in business (a real business, either out of your home or a brick & mortar paying taxes and so forth) then you have to show that you are NOT a hobby/student photographer and that you have skills and ability to benefit your clients.

I can't say that hosting on the two above named will not work. But you will have to test out the code and make sure that the ad shows up in the CL listing and when they click on it that it takes them direct to your website.  NO sides trips to a image hosting site where they will spend .03 seconds being confused about why they are there and beat feet to your competitors door.

I will say this again... learn a little html here is a link to online tutorials where I taught myself many of the these techniques. Or find a friend who has these skills and have them help you (I did this too). Or pay someone to code the ads for you. It doesn't cost much to own your own website nowadays. 3-8$ to register your site and about 8.95$ per month to have the site hosted on someones server. Your costs will fluctuate more or less depending on who you chose to register and host with. Just Google website hosting and get pages of returns. Talk to Shan the nerd husband (on this forum) or ask other people here who they use and are they happy with the service they receive from their host provider.

Most of all if you are going to be in this as a business either go big or go home... Which means do it right the first time and not half-assed...  

I hope this helps out and I'm not trying to tell you to go home and quit but without a professional presence for your website you're better off not having any..  (IMHO)

Look below at the card that I put into my signature block.. That is a simple piece of code that is hosted from my website and it you click on it you go to my wedding pages... Thats all it takes to bring in customers. And yes all I did is look at the source code and reverse engineer what someone else did and duplicate it... 

thephotoguy:

 Hey Hottshottzmom,

I do these kind of ads all the time. Cute image by the way. You do get a better reply with images. One thing I would tell you is if you place this code in your ad the image is clickable to your web page and not photobuckets web page. You could store your image on your web cite instead.

 

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.YOUR WEB PAGE ADDRESS.com"  rel="follow">
<img border="0" src="http://www.WHERE_YOUR_PHOTO_IS_AT.com/NAME_OF_IMAGE.jpg"></a>  
<br>

 

Just copy and past the above code in your ad. Replace the YOUR WEB PAGE ADDRESS with your web page address. Note this code is a .com if you need to change it.

Also replace the WHERE_YOUR_PHOTO_IS_AT with where your photo is located if you have it on your own web page just put in your web address, Not forget to change the NAME_OF_IMAGE
 Even with a photo you still can ad text as well. You can do most basic HTML coding on Craigslist. like <b> for Bold text, <a href=> text links etc...

 

On my ads I make a link to my web page off the image and also have a Text links to email address, Photo Gallery,  you could even put in a link to make the phone call for them. Cool? most basic html codes work.

The only thing bad about Craigslist is that every one that "thinks" they are a photographer posts on there and almost every one that looks there are looking for the cheapest stuff if not free.

Hope this help someone out if so let me know or if you need more help. Just PM me 

Jeff, I actually ended up using the code above with my slash the way I had it (it will work either way) and with photobucket and it worked just fine...I am still not sure what I did wrong with the code that you gave but maybe that one was more sensitive to slashes...anyway, it is on there now so i appreciate all the help!

 Send us the link to the CL ad so we can look at it.. :-)

Jeff 

Here's mine:)

http://oklahomacity.craigslist.org/crs/563356379.html

 That looks perfect! great image/ad and it takes you to your site quickly with little lagtime. The images look good in the portfolio also... (always helps)

I moved from Norman back in 2003... Go Sooners! 

Jeff 

Do you have a brother that still lives here??? 

And thanks...I designed the ad and my boyfriend wrote the code or whatever you do...heehee!  He also did my website:)

Sara

 No brothers down there (or anywhere) but I have a few friends there. I'm sending your link over to a friend who has HS age kids (+/-) and has been complaining about prices. Maybe he'll give you a call.

Jeff 

Great!  I appreciate it! 

The reason I ask is b/c about a year ago, I spoke with someone who had a brother who did photography and videography who moved out your way.  It's a small world, but I guess not that small;)

Sara

We run ads on CL from time to time, but really only to drive people to our site and increase traffic.  We're too expensive for what I call "The Garage Sale People" who typically frequent CL.  Occasionally we'll get an inquiry, but rarely any business.  I monitor our web traffic like crazy, and we always get plenty of hits from the ads (probably many from the other "Photographers" on CL, but that's ok - traffic is traffic).

Here are two ads we're currently running:

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/bab/559549203.html

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/crs/559550423.html

Two other points that I don't think have been mentioned in this discussion:

1.  Keywords.  Remember to use keywords in your title and in the body of the ad.  If someone searches for "newborn photographer", are both of those words used in your ad?  If not, then your ad won't come up.  So be sure to use photographer, photography, photos, pics, pictures, portraits etc.

2.  Duration of the ads.  Depending on the city, the ads expire at different times.  Here in San Diego, CL is very busy and our ads expire in just 7 days.  We're also discussing this right now on my forum, and someone just posted that the ads in their city last 45 days, because their CL site is much slower.  You don't get a notification when your ad expires, but obviously once it's gone, it's gone...so put up another one.

As for flagging...I put our maternity/newborn ad in the babies section all the time and rarely does it get flagged.  I think when it does, it's other "Photographers" trying to eliminate their competition.  But when I placed our Senior ad in the babies section, it was immediately flagged.  Since the babies section is mostly  mommies, as long as you don't tick them off you're usually ok.  Of course all it takes is a few screwy "Photographers" to flag you and take you down.