How to sell your car online

The internet presents a great opportunity to sell just about every item under the sun and this includes cars. People nowadays tend to spend more time online because of the recent popularity of social media sites and the decreasing prices of internet-abled devices such as smartphones and tablets. For example, in the United Kingdom people tend to spend an average of 43 hours a month online (that’s almost 2 out of 30 days). So how do you capitalize on this modern day trend? Below are some tips for private and professional dealers on how you to sell your car online:

Online classified ads

Several e-commerce websites offer listing services where your product can be listed and viewed by online shoppers. These sites are a great platform to sell your car because of their wide exposure and the number of people they can reach. A vehicle marketplace, such as Carmudi, offers a user-friendly online portal where potential car buyers can easily spot the car they are looking for through its systematized navigation and unique user experience. Another great advantage of car classifieds is its ability to target potential buyers by providing a wide range of marketing services. According to the November 2013 automotive study by Google, 95 percent of vehicle shoppers count on digital channels to research the product before purchasing it.

Social media sharing

Telling your friends that your old car in the garage is for sale, has also been made easier thanks to the internet. By using the intricate web connections of your social media accounts (especially Facebook, Google+ and Linkedin), you can easily find the right buyer for your car with less or even zero expenses. Some clever private sellers have come up with paying the referrer a small commission. A good social media strategy also involves getting positive feedback or testimonials from your friends that your car is as good as you claim and that it merits the price you have set. For private dealers, sharing your product on a popular page (such as car clubs) can greatly increase the exposure of the cars in your inventory. Note, however, that you must have the proper authorization of the owner of the page. After all, following sound online etiquette is at the core of most online marketing practices.

Videos and presentations

  If you’re very hyped about selling your car, you can do more than just listing it on an e-commerce sites or social media. Sites like Youtube and Slideshare also present an opportunity to sell your car. Here you can work on your creativity to further market your car, giving your buyers more details, and in the case of the popular video sharing sites, a clip on how your car performs on the road. Take the above clip of Buy my Volvo from Swedish art director Christofer Castor, who is selling his 1993 Volvo 245GL. The video has been viral since March 2014 and received more than 1.7 million views. Slideshare, on the other hand, is a platform where you can upload and share your presentations. This site is mostly used for promoting your car dealership by providing relevant information about the automotive industry and its products. The advantage of this site is that you get an unlimited number of slides per presentation.

Advertise on your own website

If you want to have more control of your car, especially if you have a large inventory, you could try to create your own website. Some sites such as Wordpress and Blogger, offer free websites (subdomain) with extra charges if you want to claim your chosen domain as your own. This tactic allows you to customize your post or listings. The downside, however, is that it is also labor intensive and needs optimization to increase its visibility. When creating your own website, always bear in mind that customers want to have the “what you see is what you get” process. As such, make sure that you provide them with all the information you know about the car model such as its mileage, engine type, standard equipment, sticker price, discounts or freebies, and its general condition.

Use Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

When you are posting online, it is best to keep in mind the practice of Search Engine Optimization (SEO). In a nutshell, it is the guidelines used by search engines to rank related pages on a given search term or query in response to the words he or she types in the search bar. SEO is a great advertising tool, especially if you are targeting customers who have specific questions in mind and want search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and Bing to answer it for them. Some of the terms you can explore are “cars with low fuel consumption” or “most affordable sedan cars.” If you are a private seller and are selling just a single car on an e-commerce website, make sure that you fill in all the fields and provide a good description for the car. Not only does this help your listing appear on the first page of the site’s result page, it also provides the viewer/ buyer more information leading to a better chance of him or her purchasing your car.