A difficult economy makes selling cars a challenge, so it pays to have solid marketing ideas to find a car-buying audience either for your dealership or for your private sale. Some of the best marketing ideas for selling cars can be inexpensive and simple to execute.
Social Networking
The internet has completely changed the way everyone does business, and with nearly 100 million people on Internet social networking websites, it only makes sense that you need to be there as well to market your car sales business. Set up your own page on the more popular social networking websites, and then begin searching for every customer and business contact you can remember. You may not think that you could find those people on a social networking website, but with membership expected to exceed 200 million over the next few years, there is a good chance you will find them. Network with as many people as you can, and use your social networking page to let everyone know where they can buy their next car from. Join the networking sites that allow you to reach out to others with quick updates and use this to advertise price specials and good deals you have on the lot. Social networking is free, it reaches millions of people, and it is something that is growing every day.
Buyer's Point of View
There are a lot of used cars for buyers to choose from these days thanks to repossessions and people trading in their old cars for more fuel-efficient models. Do some research and determine which cars on your lot are the big sellers, and focus marketing efforts on those models. There is still a large buying audience for the sports cars and SUVs at a bargain price, so determine what that price is and advertise your inventory.
Fuel efficiency is one of the biggest considerations customers use these days to decide on which car to buy, so if a car offers great gas mileage then put that right on the windshield for everyone to see. Clean the used cars up and put a few dollars into taking care of the minor dents and scratches that potential buyers will want taken care of anyways. Don't let the customer point out the faults of the vehicle; fix them before the car hits the lot.
If you are going to put vehicles out there with claims of how great they are, then you need to be ready to answer the questions as to why those cars are good buys. Do not make claims or statements you cannot back up with facts. Everyone is looking for a great deal so keep your prices as reasonable as you can. Don't avoid negotiation, but if you are confident that you have the best prices in the area then stand by that and let the customer see your confidence.
Private Sales
If you are selling your car on your own there are a few quick tips that will help you save marketing money, and help you sell your car faster. Just as with the dealerships you need to clean up your car and take care of as many of the surface blemishes as possible. Use the Internet as a resource to price your vehicle. There are several websites that will help you establish what the car is worth; select the pricing for someone selling the vehicle privately. A dealership is usually going to be more expensive than a private seller, so try to avoid comparing your pricing to a dealership. It is important to establish the lowest offer you will accept, and stand by that price during negotiations.
Try free forms of advertising such as the many message boards and free classified advertising websites on the Internet before you pay for a newspaper ad. These days it may be more economical to use the Internet than spend money on a newspaper ad. Don't forget to put a sign in the window in the car and either drive it around, or park it somewhere it can be seen by a lot of people. This tried-and-true method of private car sale marketing still works today.
Tags: social networking, networking websites, private sale, selling cars, social networking websites