Junk Mail has debuted a trader platform that allows small businesses to create and run virtual shop fronts using the classifieds site.
According to Francois Labuschagne, product and marketing manager of Junk Mail, this trader platform allows small business owners - whether they are selling cakes out of their home kitchens or marketing ball bearings to vintage car collectors - to create a branded microsite on the Junk Mail platform.
"Our mobile integration means traders can manage their accounts on the go - uploading new photographs, adjusting ads and responding to queries. Traders can opt for either a free or paid-for trader account," says Labuschagne.
The premium account holder, he adds, receives larger ad space and a dashboard that allows them to manage their accounts more effectively.
All of the ads, he explains, offer full social media integration, which means businesses can tap into their own social media communities and give their ads an extra boost.
Photographs can be uploaded easily via mobile phones, and ads can be changed at any time, he says.
"The ads appearing on the site are further distributed to a wider community on Mxit, using Junk Mail's popular JunkMail Xchange app," he says. "This is a great way to reach the 18- to 25-year-old demographic."
This gives businesses great visibility, because they are essentially buying access to a very active community of millions of shoppers and a ready-made high online ranking, he states.
"Every business owner knows the importance of owning and managing a Web site to promote their goods and services, but very few can afford it. The e-market has become flooded and often times it takes months of investment and promotion to drive adequate traffic to a site."
Labuschagne says Junk Mail can provide small businesses with the hits they need to become successful. "This gives the owner the opportunity to potentially reach customers on a national level."
He challenges all business owners to sign up for a free account, concluding that there is nothing to lose by creating a free account, but a lot to gain.
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