Everyone loves data whether they know it or not. Even those who do not focus on measurements or numbers find value in data when they don’t even realize it. It’s the tools possessing the data that makes it easier for us. At the end of the day, Google is little more than a data accumulation and sorting engine.
The internet has allowed us to expect data. This has forced many, particularly dealers, to focus on delivering as much data as possible. Customers are going to see the data at some point anyway. Why not see it on the dealer’s website or through their listings on sites like Craigslist or eBay Motors?
It’s for this reason that we’re big fans of taking advantage of everything that these sites and other classified sites have to offer in the form of data delivery. Dealers have plenty of designated points through which they can put as much data as possible about their inventory into their listings. Some of the data is extremely important; customers are much more likely when you reveal essential data such as miles, engine size, transmission type and price. Other bits of data with available space can be equally important, particularly to those who are truly in a buying mode. Putting in something basic like the stock number, for example, can expedite helping them and your sales team to locate the vehicle itself.
It’s more than just using the available slots for data, though. Within your descriptions on these listing sites, you have the perfect venue to start selling the car before they even contact you. Today, the sales process doesn’t start when they shake your hand at the dealership. It starts when they’re in research mode on the internet. You might have the right vehicle that fits a person’s criteria perfectly, but if you don’t take advantage of the description space to really start telling them more about the vehicle, you could miss them.
One of the most compelling reasons to put in as much data as possible is the search feature. Most sites allow you to search by keywords, including Craigslist, AutoTrader, and eBay Motors. When you take full advantage of the data slots available, you’ll be putting in keywords naturally that they’ll be potentially searching.
We’re not just talking about cities or competitive models. Those are both strategies that many dealers still use, but that are less important today than they were in the past. The types of keywords that people are typing in are things like “convertible” or “Bluetooth” that don’t always make it into the standard descriptions. This is your opportunity to truly highlight the things that separate your vehicle from others’.
It isn’t just about being in all the right places. It’s about being found when people are searching through the various sites.
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