How to optimize online car ads

Last week I watched an excellent webinar put on by Automotive News hosted by Jacob Solotaroff from MAX Systems, a company helps dealership’s manage inventory. Solotaroff’s webinar discussed how dealerships can optimize their online advertising, what car shoppers are doing online and the most popular websites they visit. After looking at these findings, it’s important for a startup auto company like Mojo Motors to look at the big players in the auto space, note what they’re doing and what needs to be improved. We’re not just trying to make it easier for shoppers to buy a used car and dealers to sell their inventory without trying to learn a thing or two from the heavyweights.

Facts about used car shoppers

- They spend 11 hours online looking/researching for a car
- Salesman don’t know as much about their own inventory as used car shoppers
- Website recommendations keep people on a website and clicking on relevant vehicles
- Accurate data in advertisements is imperative to keep shoppers engaged
- Seven out of ten shoppers don’t contact dealership before going to lot

What are car shoppers doing online?

1. Researching prices
2. Comparing models
3. Looking at photos
4. Searching for used car dealers
5. Reading reviews and researching reliability
6. Figuring out trade in value

What are the most popular websites for car shoppers?

1. KBB
2. AutoTrader
3. CarFax
4. Craigslist
5. Edmunds
6. CarMax
7. Cars.com
8. Consumer Reports
9. eBay Motors
10. NADA Guides

What should dealers include in their auto ads to entice car shoppers?

1. Car packages (Luxury, Performance, Sport, etc.)
2. Premium features (Bose sound system, OnStar)
3. Crash test ratings and links to car reviews
4. Pricing history, original MSRP, blue book value, etc.
5. Dealership review or awards they’ve won

Photo credits: FunvBlog

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