Is There a "Best Time" to Run a Craigslist Want Ad?

In spite of what we have been told by the media, unemployment is incredibly low and I have found it difficult to find quality people for my business. I have used several avenues including radio, classified ads, and (of course) Craigslist. Craigslist has an amazing reach and the success stories surrounding it are numerous. I, on the other hand, have had very little success with it. Until recently.

Over the last several months, at the end of a long business day, I would sit at my computer and put up a Craigslist ad while watching TV. Most of the time I received little to no response. Today, I ran an ad just before my radio show began and before an hour was over I had several responses directly related to the advertisement.

So what made the difference? Unemployment is almost identical to what it was a couple of weeks ago when I ran an a very similar advertisement to what I submitted today. I thought about it and I think the major difference is timing. My earlier ads often began to run at around 9 PM, when the last thing people want to think about is their employment situation. By the time morning came and people began to look, my advertisement was buried under others who chose to do their ads through out the evening. Today, this ad came out right in the middle of the business day when people are most hungry for new opportunities. It is simple common sense and something to think about the next time you put an ad in one of the country's best sources for making connections.

For a copy of the free report, "Why Your Marketing Isn't Working," email Info@HoustonBusinessShow.com and put "marketing" in the subject line.

Kevin Price is Host of the Houston Business Show (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650) and Publisher of the Houston Business Review. Hear the show live and online at HoustonBusinessShow.com. Visit the archive of past shows here.

Quit Jacking With My Radio

On my way back from Orlando, Florida I discovered the "Jack Radio" format, which is no format at all. This "unformated" station had Black Sabbath next to, say, The Carpenters. The rough sounding DJ ("Jack") told us he had absolute power and would play whatever he wanted. I just hoped and prayed it wouldn't come to Houston and, if it did, it wouldn't show up on a station that I listened to.

I didn't pray hard enough. One of my favorite stations, Rock 103.7, was recently "jacked." It joined 20+ other stations who have moved to this approach in a desperate attempt to counter the growing influence of MP3 players. In essence, Jack plays the role of the "shuffle" you experience as the music changes.

It sounds good in theory, but in practice it is an audio nightmare. Why? It is really quite simple, I didn't get to choose the songs in the shuffle. If I put this eclectic selection together, it works. But if each selection is a surprise, it is terrible. In spite of what appears to be a rapid shift, I don't see Jack Radio working. People simply don't like it when others Jack with their radio.