Pub. 11 2012-2013 Issue 3

N E W J E R S E Y C O A L I T I O N O F A U T O M O T I V E R E T A I L E R S 33 new jersey auto retailer W W W . N J C A R . O R G get a virtual walk-around in the photo thumbnails as soon as they arrive at the VDP. Capture as much detail as possible in each photo, like the odometer reading and tire tread. Treat new cars the same as used cars. 2. Price right. The fastest way to lose an opportunity to attract a shopper is to not include a price in your listing. Shoppers aren’t always looking for the lowest price – just a fair one. But they are doing their homework, so you should, too. Some tips: • Know how vehicles are being priced in your market • Price consistently across every channel • Provide options with the pricing infor - mation to alleviate shoppers’ fears that they cannot afford the vehicle • Clearly explain in your comments the premium features that make this vehicle worth any extra cost (Certified vehicles, leather seats, satellite radio, etc.) 3. Promote specials. Promotions, incentives, rebates and special offers are significantly important to car buyers. In fact, according to industry press reports, 74% of shoppers consider special offers when choosing to buy a car from a dealer. In addition to third-party websites, it’s a good idea to promote incentives through- out your dealership’s online footprint- from your own website to display ads on local sites, as well as automotive sites. Some tips: • Use banner ads, dedicated sections of your website and video to advertise • Embrace the season with timely relevant offers that tie into a holiday, a season, tax time, vacation time, etc. • Create urgency with limited time offers, “Offer good through March 31, 2013.” 4. Use video. Video brings vehicles to life in ways that still photography can’t. Furthermore, Google ranks websites with video higher on its search page. Studies in- dicate that in-market shoppers are 14 times more likely to watch automotive video than general Internet surfers, and more than half will search a dealer’s inventory online after watching an automotive video. Video doesn’t have to be professionally made. Some guidelines: • Tell the vehicle’s story; avoid sales pitches and specs • Showcase features that don’t show up well in still photography • Keep the background simple and neutral: the side of a building or a staging area • Show the actual car and try to avoid using OEM-supplied video. It does noth- ing to tell the customer that you’ve got the actual car on your lot. • Do a 360 o pan-and-scan walk-around • Keep videos to around 1- to 2 minutes 5. Sell the car with customer- centric comments. Sure, it’s a lot easier to list a car’s features, but you vastly undersell the vehicle’s attributes when you do so. Instead, invest a few minutes to visualize the customer/car relationship, then talk to that relationship in the first few lines of the comments section. You don’t need a long, drawn-out story; just a few well-thought-out sentences that say you understand who your customer is and what their lifestyle needs are. Other tips to make your comments sing: • Avoid dealer-speak • Talk about a few desirable options, keep - ing in my mind who the likely customer may be • Stay away from ALL CAPS anywhere on the VDP The VDP should also include: • A bulleted list of the installed options • Information on warranties • Incentives (“1.9% financing through March 31”) • “Why Buy fromUs” comments (“A Top 50 Family-Owned Company, 2013”) • Call to action – ask for the business! 6. Merchandise your dealer- ship. Your online marketing is much more than the vehicles you sell. Tell shop- pers who you are: the years you’ve been in business, awards, community service. Use customer testimonials and be sure to include your contact information, map and directions in a visually prominent position. Although not technically a feature of merchandising, you should also monitor your reputation. J.D. Power’s 2012 U.S. Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) Study found that nearly one-third of all new car buy- ers consulted online ratings/reviews sites when selecting a dealer. Howard Polirer is the Director of Industry Education for AutoTrader.com. He can be reached at howard.polirer@autotrader.com .