Google, eBay Motors, Craigslist…Is Your Internet Marketing Where it Needs to Be?

by: Tracy Roche

Every industry in today’s market knows one thing: the internet is essential to being competitive. To succeed, your dealership needs an effective internet marketing strategy. If you do not have one, then it’s time to get in shape. The family shopping for an RV, living five miles from your dealership, no longer just drives to your lot to look at your inventory. As they boot up their computer, your potential customers have the whole country at their fingertips to do their research. A strong internet presence helps them find you, and just having a website is not enough. “Google, eBay, Craigslist,” make this your mantra.

Google is not just the No. 1 search engine on the internet; but it’s the most visited worldwide. Alexa.com researches the top sites in America, and you want to be on as many of them as possible. eBay is No. 8,Craigslist is No. 11. The more sites your dealership is on, the more you will show up in Google search results. Try searching Google for a used RV by year, make, and model. Typically, the first page of results will include Craigslist and eBay listings.

LET’S TALK eBAY
In recent years, the most popular search term entered on eBay was “RV.” It’s perplexing to see that eBay Motors hides the “RVs & Campers” category within the obscure title of “Other Vehicles.” One would assume there aren’t enough RVs to deserve their own category. Currently, however, “RVs and Campers” contains more listings than “Boats,” which has the privilege of its own category on the main page.With over 2,000 listings on eBay Motors, RVs have a strong presence. Look at the number of bids on each listing; you’ll see numbers like 57, 48, 39, and 52. For those of you who dislike eBay for one reason or another, start looking at it for what it really is…a HUGE lead generator. There are software companies who provide listing tools for eBay Motors at nominal fees.When using these tools, you can receive the contact information for each unique bid, question, or offer, which can include the name, telephone number, e-mail address, and location of your bidders. How does this help? The salesperson who listed the RV with 57 bids, now has 57 potential buyers. That salesperson can call and offer another RV on the lot. Generating multiple qualified leads on eBay with one listing is a fraction of what it costs to purchase a single lead, with most dealerships typically paying up to $25 per lead.

If you have an ‘08, ‘05, and ‘03 of the same make/model RV, list the ‘08 on eBay, utilize a “reserve price,” and don’t use “buy it now.” Here’s the thought process, your ‘08 will generate bids, but not every person you contact can afford the ‘08 RV. Now start selling. You have an older model that might be more in their price range. Using this strategy effectively can produce multiple sales from one listing.

Having an effective plan of action for handling these leads also is important to success on eBay. Designate a sales rep, or if you are just starting out, try it yourself. Call these leads as soon as they make a bid and form relationships with the bidders. They may not buy from you today, but what about next month? To stay in contact with them, use e-mail campaigns promoting your monthly specials.

CRAIGSLIST ADDS EXPOSURE
Craigslist is now beginning to get a lot of RV action. Start listing RVs in the category of “For Sale,” but don’t over do it. Try listing three to five units per day. The same software companies who help you list on eBay may have a Craigslist tool available. View Craigslist for what it is, a free advertising medium, which provides exposure on Google. Get into a routine where you list five different makes and models each day. Your exposure will be huge! People across the country using Google to search for that specific unit will see your ad. If your dealership is in an area where competition is intense, you’ll be getting the most exposure.

OTHER WAYS TO BOOST EXPOSURE
Take plenty of quality photos. If people are finding your ad, but not seeing enough pictures, your shoppers will leave. Show as many photos as possible in all of your advertising. RVs have many features and if you’re not effectively representing them, you are losing a sale. Even if there’s something wrong with the unit, show it in the photos. Potential customers will respect that you’re honestly depicting your inventory. If you’re already going out there to take pictures, why not take some video as well? On eBay Motors, a quick 1-2 minute video will make your unit stand out from the rest. Put the video on your website, or make your own YouTube library.

Although there are many ways to maximize internet exposure, these are tried and true methods proven to return results. All these ideas are small steps that create a huge impact, and best of all, they’re easy to do! Taking control of your internet presence is a sure way to increase your sales.