Auto Dealer Monthly Magazine is the daily operations publication serving the retail automotive industry. This automotive publication serves dealer principals, officers and general managers with the latest best practices.
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By Jennifer Ryan IN V E NTORY 5 INGREDIENTS ©ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/ERIKONA FOR COMPELLING VEHICLE DESCRIPTIONS Try this recipe for vehicle descriptions that are guaranteed to tantalize online shoppers. We've all ad We've all read the s e e l d stats: Fify percent of r shoppe spend a h p p car shoppers spend an average of 11 hours doing re o g research online before setor more doing resea ting oot n dea n t dealer ting foot on a dealership lot. We also know they spending most e pn they're spending mos of that time on thirdpar r es E Edmun party sites like Edmunds.com and Kelley Blue B k Tis begs h Book. Ti b the question: Are you delivering robust vehicle descriptions that will whet the appetite of today's tech-savvy, researchoriented, web-bound shoppers? Writing a compelling vehicle description is like preparing the perfect dish. In order to deliver an exquisite meal, you must combine the right ingredients with seasoning and garnish to make the main course as appealing as possible. But how can you be sure you're preparing the right dish for the right audience at the right time? Jennifer Ryan is the director of inventory solutions at Dominion Dealer Solutions. JRyan@ AutoDealerMonthly.com 26 Te same questions arise when writing vehicle descriptions. How can you be sure your descriptions are delivering a 360-degree view of each vehicle? And can you be sure you're delivering the right mix of compelling narrative, relevance and real-time information? It may not be easy to achieve, but this combination captures clicks and makes your advertisements stand out among the competition. Generation-X and -Y consumers have high expectations when it comes to the digital user experience. According to researchers at research frm Static Brain, every photo, video and comment has less than eight seconds to capture their attention. If one element lacks compelling or relevant content, research shows that the online shopper will immediately abandon your listing. So get ready to add a page to your recipe book. Here is a fve-step process for creating vehicle descriptions that deliver the right message to the right audience at the right time. 1. PREPARE YOUR INGREDIENTS In 2010, a Cars.com study proved that including ad copy with a vehicle listing would result AUTO DE ALE R MONTHLY • SE P TEMBE R 2013 in at least a 50 percent lif in contracts. Te study also found that strong, descriptive callto-action language, paired with top search keywords, resulted in more leads and more showroom visits. It's imperative to tell compelling stories about your new and used vehicles. In fact, "storytelling" has become one of the fastest growing buzzwords in the marketing world, particularly as brands and products struggle to set themselves apart and keep consumers engaged. Storytelling is increasingly used in product merchandising to build customer loyalty and deepen connections with consumers. Tey want to be entertained as well as educated. Implementing a storytelling approach is simple: Combine the right data with quality language and powerful narrative to deliver relevant and engaging vehicle descriptions. Unfortunately, many dealers today are not actively leveraging this recommended storytelling approach. According to a Dominion Dealer Specialties study of approximately 6,000 dealers, nearly 70 percent of them fall back on two common, inefective approaches: "information overload" or "minimalist."