REVscene - Vancouver Automotive Forum

Jgresch · 03-03-2011, 06:01 PM

Hey everyone,

I'm looking for some unbiased personal opinions from the rs community. Basically where I work I need to post up our vehicles on craigslist. There has been a ton of debate over which ads are most effective and which ads people ignore.

We recently hired a company who designed our ads for us, but I'm not so convinced they are helping the dealership.

If you could post up some preferences when looking through craigslist ads for vehicles that would be awesome.

Ex. Small pics vs large, colorful vs. plain text.

Links to ads you like or dislike would be awesome too.

If you know which dealership I work at, please don't mention it.

TIA!

-EuroRSN- · 03-03-2011, 06:04 PM

Craigslist is pretty much all Plain Text anyway so what do u mean?

If im searching CL for anything the biggest catch that will make me click their ad is the PRICE!

Jgresch · 03-03-2011, 06:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by -EuroRSN-

Craigslist is pretty much all Plain Text anyway so what do u mean?

If im searching CL for anything the biggest catch that will make me click their ad is the PRICE!

I guess I could have elaborated more in my OP.

Basically do you prefer a few lines of text/info with the classic 4 pictures. Or do you prefer lot's of HTML use (colors, large pictures etc).

What turns you off from an ad?
ex.
No price listed
No kms listed
Too many photos
too few photos
no contact besides e-mail.

or

does nothing turn you off an ad and you only care about what's for sale.

Other example
Craigslist titles

2010 Honda Civic SI
vs
2010 HONDA CIVIC SI!!!! LOWEST FINANCE RATES! TRADE YOUR CAR IN

etc etc

metal · 03-03-2011, 06:10 PM

Simple styling, medium sized pics (4-600x) for the list itself, and maybe a link to the dealership site with larger pics and more info for each car.

This is a pretty decent one IMO:
http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/nv...244563523.html

kkttsang · 03-03-2011, 06:14 PM

where do you work? is it a major dealership like carter honda or marv jones or is it a smaller dealership like those ones on kingsway? Cuz anything from those dealership on kingsway will turn me off from buying the car.

So if you work in a major dealership and car is like CPO, make it known to ppl.

Lots of picture is good and info is good too, i hated call for info or call for price, i just don't even bother.

tofu1413 · 03-03-2011, 06:18 PM

simple straight forward ads catch my attention.

at least give basic info and history on car.

The_AK · 03-03-2011, 06:20 PM

simpler = better

theres too much clutter there already from different dealers,
nothing too extravagant, some colour is ok but keep it to a minimum (2 different colours max)
approx 6 medium photos is sufficient (4 of those tiny photos don't do justice)
price listed crucial!!
kms listed also important (hate calling in, hearing high kms, and then trying to get out of the phone call)

As for phone number... One idea you might want to try out:
I think its important to have an immediate way of reaching you but I think you would deal with a lot of flaky people who would promise to come in. Some people will say "you need them to be able to call you right away since you only have their attention for such a long time". I think you'll have better results if you leave your email (like legit email, not craigslist email) and have people email you instead. Those people that are genuinely interested in the car will go out of their way to get a hold of you.

don't use comic sans

Be professional. Just because its craigslist doesn't mean you can half ass it.

Jgresch · 03-03-2011, 06:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kkttsang

where do you work? is it a major dealership like carter honda or marv jones or is it a smaller dealership like those ones on kingsway? Cuz anything from those dealership on kingsway will turn me off from buying the car.

So if you work in a major dealership and car is like CPO, make it known to ppl.

Lots of picture is good and info is good too, i hated call for info or call for price, i just don't even bother.

Define CPO?

And I'm at a major dealership.
Posted via RS Mobile

shantz · 03-03-2011, 06:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by metal

Simple styling, medium sized pics (4-600x) for the list itself, and maybe a link to the dealership site with larger pics and more info for each car.

This is a pretty decent one IMO:
http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/nv...244563523.html

Good ad.

Post price in title.
Don't add BS 'keywords' at the bottom to flag every single vehicle

The_AK · 03-03-2011, 06:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shantz

Good ad.

Post price in title.
Don't add BS 'keywords' at the bottom to flag every single vehicle

+1 for this

the worst is when you're looking for a 350z and cars like a civic or integra come up,

if you're going to do keywords at least keep them relevant

06TLer · 03-03-2011, 06:32 PM

List Price/Kms/History and if its LOCAL or not. Pictures are essential too but seriously, please don't take crap pictures of your vehicle that screams "My dealer doesn't give a damn about me and I've been sitting here for ages."

Example:
http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/pm...242366691.html

Seriously, who in their right mind will click on the ad and think "Wow, that's a great looking TL!"

Also, I don't understand why companies hide the mileage on the car. If they feel there is a need to hide something so simple and easy to check yet important (mileage), I seriously won't bother calling in cause its wasting my time and their time and god knows what other **** they might be hiding from me. I understand they are probably luring potential customers to call in but seriously save us and save yourself some time by posting the basic important infos up.

donjalapeno · 03-03-2011, 06:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shantz

Good ad.

Post price in title.
Don't add BS 'keywords' at the bottom to flag every single vehicle

+2, enough pictures, all the car's information is listed and then at the bottom it has dealer info AND sales hours. I hate ads that dont have mileage info.

kkttsang · 03-03-2011, 06:41 PM

CPO like if it's certified pre-owned... thats big cuz it gives ppl a peace of mind.

Jgresch · 03-03-2011, 06:44 PM

Thanks for the feedback so far guys, it's all great.

Here's the link to an ad which is identical to my dealerships ads, I'm looking for 100% honest feedback, what do you like? What do you hate? What about it would make you call/not call. First impressions?

Thanks again everyone

http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/rds/ctd/2245941654.html
Posted via RS Mobile

06TLer · 03-03-2011, 06:48 PM

No price = Me skipping the ad. I won't even click on it, that may be just me though.

For me, price is crucial. You are competing with tens to hundreds of other ads. I rather look for one with all the info listed, therefore I can contact that dealer to make a deal instead of phoning into a random dealer to waste time asking questions. The ones without complete info will probably be last on my list to contact if all else fails.

Jgresch · 03-03-2011, 06:50 PM

^i feel the same way.

And by the way guys, I have nothing to do with the ad design, so you won't be hurting my feelings, so any positive or negative feedback is appreciated.
Posted via RS Mobile

The_AK · 03-03-2011, 06:56 PM

Looks like someone took a shit on their hands, slapped the keyboard with it, and out came that ad,

j/k
looks pretty good, as long as its a real 604 number, not 1-888 :S
the "CONTACT US" banner with the 2 hyundais seems a bit too big and really takes over the page,
need to scroll down before I start look at the actual car, I dont like that, especially if im looking at several pages and need to start scrolling each time. Sounds ridiculous but it IS extra work, sometimes the kinda that i'm not willing to put in so i hit back. So remove the banner or make it much smaller?
my $0.02

Datsun · 03-03-2011, 06:59 PM

Definitely like others have said, the simpler the better.

I honestly only "see" the name of whatever I'm looking for - I pay zero attention to other crap thats in the title, especially if written in CAPS.

Similarly for specs, listing them out helps. Always assume the reader has ADHD, you dont want them giving up on knowing more about the car.

Oh and never leave out transmission info (should be a pretty common problem for us enthusiasts). Every time its missing I have an uncontrollable urge to flag the guy's shit.

Hope this helps!

edit: wait, why is sedan written twice? even once is annoying. LOL

gearshifter · 03-03-2011, 07:01 PM

needs price or a range for sure.

i skip the ad if there is no price.

Jgresch · 03-03-2011, 07:04 PM

Sedan is written twice because whoever posted it was to lazy to remove the word after the ad generator made the ad. Once I get some more feedback on that ad I posted I'll post another that was being used a year ago that was replaced with the new style ones. Thanks again everyone.
Posted via RS Mobile

freakshow · 03-03-2011, 07:05 PM

I aggree with The_AK.
My browser isn't full screen right now; when I opened that ad I didn't even see the fricken NAME of the vehicle, nevermind pictures or stats. The banner at the top is way too big and is an instant turn off for me.

When I click on an ad, I want to see relevant info and pics instantly. I want to know the price, milage, features, title, history, and some pics.
If, after those things, I'm really interested, I'll make sure I find your contact info, whether it's your email, phone, or website. A big blue button with two hyundais facing each other isn't going to convince me.

After looking again, I wouldn't even have clicked on that ad in the first place since it doesn't have a price.

Manic! · 03-03-2011, 07:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jgresch

Thanks for the feedback so far guys, it's all great.

Here's the link to an ad which is identical to my dealerships ads, I'm looking for 100% honest feedback, what do you like? What do you hate? What about it would make you call/not call. First impressions?

Thanks again everyone

http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/rd...245941654.html
Posted via RS Mobile

Banner should be at the bottom. If I'm looking for a Dodge the first car I see shouldn't be a Hyundai.

Jgresch · 03-03-2011, 08:07 PM

Ok everyone, thanks for the input. Here is an ad for a vehicle we no longer have in inventory. This ad was from about 8-9 months ago using the old craigs ad style.

Basically the thought behind it was use the most popular information that people were looking for when they would inquire. Also it is made to be very easy to look at, and the information you're most concerned about should be easy to spot. For example, some people know everything about the car already, so they would just skip to the history/warranty.

Pictures come after the contact information because not everyone likes a ton of pictures, this way they don't have to scroll through them all to get to the phone number.

Keywords are actually forbidden now on craigslist, but back then basically we would list a few close years (if it was a 2010 we would list 2011, 2009 2008 2007) as well as possible 2-3 similar vehicles if we thought the model we were advertising wasn't very popular for searches.

As far as pictures go, we have FINALLY opted to get a DSLR and a good editing program, but back then we just used a simple point and shoot then upload.

3 modes of contact. Most preferred e-mail, but 2 phone numbers are there. One for locals and the other for island/okanog people who didn't want to pay to call.

Any feedback on this older style would be great as well. I'm trying to figure out if we should switch back to it, or try both out.

http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/pm...246055378.html

06TLer · 03-03-2011, 08:16 PM

^ I like it. Simple and straight to the point with enough pictures to show the state of the car. Only suggestion that I can think of is maybe to make the fonts for the different headings bigger. (Features, Warranty, Financing, etc) It's just easier to spot and to me is a more effective way to differentiate the different categories.

Rich Sandor · 03-03-2011, 08:16 PM

TWO things piss me off on craiglist ads:

1: No price. PUT A FUCKING PRICE.

2: Misleading tags. When I search for an F150, I do not want to see 1000x ads for your stupid toyota corolla.

Other things, such as matching photos, reasonably sized photos, correct spelling and punctuation, etc; should be no-brainers.

As a salesperson, I can fully understand if the salesperson posting the ad, does NOT want to disclose the dealership in the ad, in order to force any potential customer to communicate directly with him instead (as opposed to showing up at the dealer and another sales guys getting the sale) I can understand that.. However it's unacceptable for 5 different sales guys at a dealer to advertise the same car.