Craigslist advertising is an easy way to drive new customers to your dealership once you learn how to create and manage ads effectively. That said, many automotive dealerships fall short when attempting to manage their Craigslist inventory. Sound familiar? Below are five tips to help you determine which vehicles to market consistently, as well as how to track leads and identify opportunities to optimize ad spends.

Select and post the best selling vehicles in each market

“Which vehicles should I post?” This is a question we often hear from auto dealers. Now that there is a $5 fee for each ad, you most likely can’t afford to advertise your entire lot on Craigslist.

We recommend that dealers organize their Craigslist vehicle inventory according to what performs best in your local market. Compare the price of that inventory against market value and localized top lead generators, then select and post the best-selling vehicles.

But, how do you identify those vehicles? Dominion’s Classified Listings Premium tool can help! The smart listing intelligence sets Dominion apart, in addition to having the largest available database of Craigslist inventory data and dealer results. Below are some of the categories that dealers use throughout the posting process:

Personalized Messaging

Anyone can create a Craigslist ad, but creating a meaningful, attention-grabbing ad is much more difficult. With personalized messaging, dealers can “sweeten the deal” with financing options, monthly promotions and a list of services provided.

Marketing Cruise Control

Automation is key when vehicle inventory is syndicated to any third-party site. Does your dealership spend valuable time managing vehicle listings on multiple sites? If you’re not careful, you might find yourself logging into the wrong sites, forgetting passwords, updating the wrong vehicles — or not updating them at all.

The good news is that for dealers using Dominion Classified Listings Premium, there’s plenty of help available. Change a price? No problem! Sold a car? No problem! Whenever you make a vehicle price change or sell a car, the system automatically updates those listings within 24 hours. Inventory changes will always reflect accurately on Craigslist.

Simplify Your Craigslist Posting Process with Classified Listings Premium – Learn More!

Templates Built to Convert

Do your Craigslist ad postings stand out from the crowd? Perhaps, you Googled “Craigslist Automotive Templates” and you found an ad generator online. Some of those templates are poorly formatted and do not present the information that car shoppers want to see. If your posting is hard to read, viewers will get frustrated and move on.

Dominion Dealer Specialties has done all of the testing and optimizing for you. Leverage best-in-class templates designed for maximum lead engagement and generation.

Upgrade your dealership’s branding with:

• Landing Page Themes
• Page Display Customization (credit app, carfax, dealership map, trade-in value form)
• Banner Templates (Use brand specific, holiday sale themed or generic automotive themes)
• Photo Templates or leverage existing Dominion photo overlays

Reporting

Consumers vary in how they want to interact with dealerships. Are you tracking all phone calls, texts, emails, or clicks to your vehicle specific landing page?

Monthly reporting makes it easy to track the ROI of Craigslist marketing efforts. The report will show how many leads Craigslist generated, as well as the top lead generating inventory.

Craigslist doesn’t need to be confusing. Dominion’s Classified Listings Premium tool helps increase efficiency. Focus on selling cars, not posting cars.

Dominion Dealer Specialties can export all leads to your CRM, so there is no need to change your existing sales process. Dominion takes a full-service approach and offer dealerships an automated Craigslist solution so dealers can sell more cars for a minimum investment. Click or call 877.421.1040 to learn more.