Classifieds

CLASSIFIEDS REDESIGNS
We are one of only two companies who have developed expertise and a track record of redesigning classified sections. We can help you improve navigation, legibility and readership.

In the past 20 years, newspapers haven’t paid enough attention to all that little type that brings in so much money. Papers made the columns narrower. They made the type smaller. They added color to the big display ads and the index. They bought new front end systems that use Microsoft Word to set type. (Word was never designed to do that and the result is poor legibility.)

Our experience and research indicates a growing attitude that classifieds are hard to read and that it’s harder to find things in the classified section – especially for older readers.

It’s time to do something about that.

But a good classified redesign can do much more. We often save 5 to 10 percent of newsprint in a redesign (by fixing bad typography). That’s more than papers saved by moving to the 50-inch web, by the way. We also usually can make type bigger and we always make it more legible.

But we don’t stop there. Better indexing, standard formatting and better house ads are also benefits of our redesigns. We can help simplify your rates and develop better, more effective upsells.

Unlike our competitor, we offer a full range of services and all our redesigns are completely customized for your staff, your needs and your market.

A classified redesign with Creative Circle is an investment that will pay off quickly.

CLASSIFIED TRAINING
Our redesigns can include stylebooks for your sales staff to help standardize abbreviations and styles, new artwork for upsells and navigation and training for the sales staff on the best and most effective formatting for classified liners.

CLASSIFIED REVENUE GROWTH
We have lots of ideas on how to grow your classified revenue and like to package specific revenue growth ideas with our classified redesigns. We’ve developed contests, house ads, packaging techniques and other tools to help our clients grow revenue. And many of our ideas are brand new – concepts that have never been tried at newspapers before. Because it’s time for some new and better ideas!

CLASSIFIED CONTENT
We’ve developed a new concept for classified sections: a great weekly column about how to get the most out of classifieds. Our new syndicated column will help develop a sense of community in your classified section (one of those things some people say the web can do better, but we think print can still do that, too!). The column is a mix of features about classified buyers and sellers, tips on writing and using the classifieds and stories about saving money and making money through classifieds. A second, localized weekly column is also available.

CLASSIFIED WEB ENTRY
We can also provide you with the best web entry system for placing classifieds on the web. We assisted in the development of adQ: Intelligent classifieds, a web-based entry system that doesn’t just let you place classified ads via the web, it helps you create effective ads. adQ is really the next generation in classified web entry. If you don’t have a way to accept classifieds on the web, adQ is a no brainer. It’s a revenue engine! And if you already have a first generation system, it’s time to move up. In e-commerce, last year’s technology is a bad idea. adQ will put you on the cutting edge and keep you there with continuous upgrades. We even offer special pricing if you buy adQ as part of a classified redesign.

CLASSIFIEDS ON THE WEB
We’re developing new and better ways to develop formats for classified advertising on the web. It’s not good enough to dump our print classifieds online. The future of classifieds will require a different kind of classified ad online that takes advantage of the space and formats possible on the web. We can create web classifieds that sell and that represent the best WEB advertising solution instead of simply echoing your print product.