Increase Sales by Optimizing Your Online Presence Presented by NetSource Media Melissa Thrush & Jamie Embree
Presenters Melissa Thrush Director of Customer Care Jamie Embree Creative Director
Website Content Create compelling inventory listings that SELL: Descriptions Photos Videos Additional content Non-inventory page content Blogs
Create compelling inventory listings that SELL! Descriptions Write clear descriptions for every unit What does the buyer need to know? What questions do shoppers ask when they are on your lot? Consider these things when writing your descriptions. Include: Appropriate keywords. For example, Nudo floor, ATP Stoneguard, V-nose. Specifications* (length, height, width, construction type, etc.). Special features like stabilizer jacks, removable sides, LED Lights. Obviously, you ll want to include year, make, model on all inventory.* *Hopefully, the inventory management software you re using has fields for each of these. If so, that content is also read by search engines.
Create compelling inventory listings that SELL! Photos Photos are a must! Since the person isn t on your lot, give them a variety of pictures that really show what the trailer looks like. Tips: Include multiple angles. If applicable, include shots of slides outs, awnings, and other exterior features in both extended and stored positions. If it s an enclosed trailer, provide both interior and exterior photos. Take close up photos of special features. If for some reason you can t take pictures right away, use an image from the manufacturer until you can add your own.
Create compelling inventory listings that SELL! Videos Videos don t need to be fancy or highly edited. Do a simple walk-around of the trailer, highlighting the trailer s features and benefits. Videos with a person narrating are more effective than video with music overlay. If you carry multiple units of the same trailer, shoot the video once and use it on all applicable inventory. When you re not able to shoot videos yourself, check to see if the manufacturer has posted videos and use those.
Create compelling inventory listings that SELL! Videos Create a YouTube channel. Post your videos here first and then use that link to share the video in other places like your inventory and social media channels. YouTube is a search engine. You might notice that if you search online, many times you ll get video results. Did you know?: YouTube is owned by Google. An added benefit is that YouTube keeps track of views even when the video isn t being viewed directly on YouTube.
Additional Website Content Make sure non-inventory pages on your website contain good, relevant content. For instance, do you offer trailer repair or custom paint? If so, having specific landing pages for these is beneficial because more people looking for that service will find you. Calls to Action make sure your website visitors know what to do next. Is there a button to contact you? Is your phone number easy to find? Don t make users think; always clearly provide them with a next step.
Additional Website Content Blog creating interesting and helpful information that is relevant to your industry and doing so on a regular basis benefits your business in a number of ways: You become viewed as an expert in your field. Posting regularly encourages return visits. You become a go-to source for help which can result in business. SEO is improved because search engines want to deliver results that are helpful to users. New traffic, that may never have gotten to your website otherwise, is referred from your blog. Blog content is great for sharing on social media and via email newsletters, helping to build brand loyalty and additional website traffic. This conveniently helps improve your SEO as well. Great trailer dealer blog: http://www.grandvilletrailer.net/blog/
Social Media Benefits and Tips for: Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest
General Social Media Benefits Increased exposure to potential customers, some that you may not reach otherwise. A boost in SEO as a result of fresh content and relevant links to your website. Popularity ranking signal to Search Engines Your company becomes a trusted, go-to source for information and advice.
General Social Media Tips Post more than sales. Add in community events, dealership personnel, customer posts, industry articles, etc. When you do post sales, include a relevant link to your website. If the post is for a specific trailer, link to that inventory page. If you do a community event, make sure to post before, during, and after. Tag other companies or organizations involved. If applicable, use the event hashtag. Ask your employees to interact with your posts (like, share, retweet, pin, favorite, etc.) There are several tools (HootSuite, Sprout, Falcon) available that allow you to schedule posts. This is a great time-saver and can help prevent you from getting behind. Customer Service! Answer questions promptly. Respond to both positive and negative feedback appropriately. Even a bad review handled well can make you look like a hero.
Facebook Tips Post often, every day if possible. More for special events. People engage more with photos and videos than plain text posts. When you post images or updates about customer purchases, ask your clients to like it, share it, and tag themselves. These are great ways to expand the reach of posts. Use Insights to see what s working/not working and to better understand your audience. Use that information to update your strategy. Facebook offers great options for paid advertising that allows for very targeted and effective campaigns without big budgets. Don t forget video!
Twitter Tips For best use, don t just push your Facebook posts to Twitter. At least re-format them for the platform (character limits!). Add hashtags, mention other handles, and shorten the post. Retweet and favorite others tweets. Reply when someone mentions you. Twitter allows gifs and videos, so take advantage of that. Be sure to follow industry experts and community influencers, then engage in relevant conversation to gain exposure.
Pinterest Tips Create specific boards. For example, if you re a horse trailer dealer, create a board for Horse Trailer Organization. Create your own pins and link those back to relevant pages of your website. Pin and like existing pins. Follow users that you d want to follow you.
Google+ Tips Make sure all of your contact information is up to date. Encourage happy customers to review your company on Google+. If you take high quality images, G+ is a great platform to showcase those, because you can upload photos at full size. Google+ is vital for businesses who rely on local customers and local search.
Classified Advertising Traditional Classified Sites Craigslist ebay Local SEO Bing Yahoo! YellowPages CitySearch MapQuest & more
Classified Advertising Expanding your inventory reach onto websites other than your own is a great way to increase leads. Most website development companies can export inventory, allowing you to increase reach without increasing the work load for your staff. Industry classified sites like TrailersUSA.com can provide broad exposure and high traffic, getting your inventory in front of a huge audience. Craigslist has become a really powerful tool for dealers in several markets, including trailers. Used inventory typically does better than new on this platform, but not always. Craigslist is free (at least for now), so if you don t already have an account, set one up and try it out. If it works for you, I d recommend investing in an automated service like the EZ-List product we offer. ebay offers auctions and straight classified listings. Traditionally, the auctions have been more successful for more specialized inventory. Their classifieds are similar to Craigslist. Free and worth a try.
Local SEO Sometimes your dealership will get clients from far away, but for the most part, they are rather local. In order to make sure locals find you when they are searching for trailers, you need to make sure your dealership information stays up to date on directory websites like: Bing Yahoo Local Superpages Yelp Yellow Pages City Search Many, many others. There are services that allow you to pay a fee to keep all of these updated and consistent.
How can this increase my sales?
Questions? Contact us! 800-709-3240 sales@netsourcemedia.com