Maximizing your Advertising Budget on Craigslist

With the advent of $5 ads on Craigslist, what are you doing to ensure you are maximizing your Craigslist advertising budget for your dealership?  There are multiple software providers and ways for dealerships to post ads, but not all services are equal.  Now, that you are paying for each ad it is not just about the ad, but more importantly on capturing the lead. 

I feel there are three key elements to Maximizing your Advertising Budget on Craigslist.

1. Turning an Ad into a Lead
2. Posting the Right Car at the Right times
3. Mobile Strategy

Capturing Leads

Utilizing a software provider that creates visually rich Craigslist ads is just the first step.  How many different calls-to-action does the ad provide?  Is the ad providing the consumer with enough information, yet leaving them wanting more so they will call or go to your Vehicle Specific Landing Page (VSLP)?  Once the consumer lands on the VSLP, it is important not to overwhelm them, but provide the information they are looking for as well as offer several opportunities to inquire so that you can capture their information tactfully.

Here are just a few ways you can engage them:

• Apply for Finance with an easy to use Video Credit App
• Schedule a Test Drive Inquiry
• Value their Trade Inquiry
• Contact the dealership

The more consumer information that gets captured, the higher the probability of closing the lead. 

How does your Craigslist advertising provider share this information with you?  A quality Craigslist partner not only captures all consumer traffic information from the advertisement, they also record every phone call and export all the information to your CRM to ensure proper follow up. 

Knowing What and When to Post is Key

Another key Craigslist marketing factor is understanding which vehicles in your inventory will be top performers and the best time to post those vehicles on Craigslist in your local marketplace.  To accomplish this, you will need to partner with a provider large enough to utilize their years of data and experience to help eliminate the guesswork from the process.  Automating this process hands-free and connecting it to your monthly budget can give you and your team the opportunity to continue to sell cars and not worry about posting vehicles to Craigslist.

Going Mobile

Did you know that internet usage on a mobile device exceeded desktop usage in 2013?  What are you doing to ensure your dealership is capturing this critical portion of the market?  Mobile responsive landing pages help ensure consumers have the ability to easily respond with their inquiry, trade in form, credit application, as well as easily view your entire inventory.   Have you ever tried to fill out a credit application from a smart phone on a site that was not designed to handle the mobile device?  It can be an extremely frustrating process.  If you are not equipped for the mobile traffic on Craigslist your lead conversion rates are suffering.

How Can I Help?

I welcome your feedback regarding your tips and experience converting Craigslist traffic. In addition, I would love to hear about what reporting you feel is necessary for you to document your Craigslist advertising budget.  Feel free to contact me anytime to learn more about the programs I use to help dealerships generate and convert leads.  mbadders@lotvantage.com

Michael Badders

Direct 813.549.7248