Craigslist may not be flashy or new any longer, but it remains a top online shopping destination—and one that auto dealers cannot afford to ignore.

In fact, Get My Auto’s team endorses Craigslist as one of the truly essential dealership marketing platforms. The question is, how can your dealership ensure that its Craigslist postings are fruitful? How can you use Craigslist to truly make inroads with buyers?

Here are a few tips to consider.

Optimize the Listing

Start with the listing itself. You need a strong title to grab the attention of buyers who are just skimming through Craigslist. We recommend including the name of the vehicle as well as some key selling points, but omitting price. Also make sure you include lots of appealing graphics. The best pictures are the ones that don’t seem canned or staged; instead of snapping pics in your showroom, drive the car somewhere scenic and take some photos there.

Sell the Dealership

Something else to keep in mind is that you’re not just selling the vehicle, but also your dealership itself. Even if the buyer doesn’t want the car in question, make sure he or she keeps exploring your inventory. To do this, list some of the key trust factors your dealership can offer—some of the reasons why a buyer should buy from you, whether it’s the vehicle in the listing or another car altogether.

Include a Call to Action

All dealership marketing materials should end with a call to action—and Craigslist postings are no exception. Invite the buyer to pick up the phone and call you to learn more about the car, or to find out what else your dealership can offer. You’d be amazed how many dealerships neglect the CTA—and, how effective one can be.

Get into a Posting Rhythm

It’s important for dealerships to post new vehicles on a regular basis, but also to be strategic. Rather than flooding Craigslist with every car on your lot, have a system in place for posting the cars that you think are ready to move, or that will most appeal to your buyer demographics.

Automate the Process

One more thing: To really take Craigslist to the next level, we recommend automating everything—from the posts themselves to the lead capturing and follow-up. That’s something the Get My Auto team can help with; we recommend looking into our Craigslist Wizard app, which can remove a lot of the guesswork from the posting process, and also talking to our team about implementing a full-scale Craigslist marketing plan.

To learn more about how Craigslist can work for your dealership—and how you can automate the process, bringing in maximum ROI—contact Get My Auto today!