• Car Dealer Plus
No Result
View All Result
  • Latest
  • Used Cars
  • Live
  • Forum
  • Power 2020
  • Used Car Awards
  • CDX
  • Knowledge
  • Suppliers Guide
  • About Us
  • Latest Issue
  • Top 100
  • CD Plus
  • Latest
  • Used Cars
  • Live
  • Forum
  • Power 2020
  • Used Car Awards
  • CDX
  • Knowledge
  • Suppliers Guide
  • About Us
  • Latest Issue
  • Top 100
  • CD Plus
No Result
View All Result

Create the perfect ad

Car Dealer Magazine by Car Dealer Magazine
June 20, 2008
0
Home News

motors.jpgMOTORS.CO.UK has just completed research into what works in car ads – and what doesn’t.

A survey of over 1000 buyers showed that acronyms are what turns buyers off most. Nearly two-thirds of people said it was their pet hate.

That’s way ahead of the next biggest gripe – daft phrases such as ‘nice little runner’, which 35 per cent of buyers said were a cheesy turn-off. A quarter of buyers didn’t like poor quality photography, 15 per cent hated misleading descriptions, while one in 10 were most frustrated by inadequate vehicle details.

And such issues are not just off-putting. They cause buyers to question the car on sale – and when you consider that there are over 7.5m used cars being brought and sold in the UK each year, that’s a lot of cars. 14 every minute, in fact!

Motors.co.uk, which guides 2.7m visitors through their network, has therefore offered some advice. Marketing Manager Katie Armitage said: ‘When placing an advert, try to avoid clichés and stick to the facts of make, model, condition and price. Describing a car as a ‘lovely runner’, ‘immaculate’ or a ‘good starter’ will just make you sound dodgy.’

‘Like lonely heart ads, car adverts can be a minefield of dodgy descriptions, twisted truths and outright fibs. This latest survey demonstrates the importance of a well written and accurate car advert in buying and selling used cars.’

So, to the good. What actually works with buyers? Well, providing accurate make and model details was a hit, with a massive 88 per cent of buyers rating it the ‘most important’ feature of a car ad. Next up were price details and good photography. Stick to these and you won’t go wrong.

Indeed, to help car buyers sort the ‘absolute peaches’ from the ‘total lemons’, the Motors.co.uk website has a full range of information to help car buyers find their next car from buyer’s guides and a free valuation tool, to free history checks.

To help guide us all, Motors has produced a top-five ‘good’ and ‘bad’ car ad tips. Check out the good tips – and the horror ads!

Top advert tips

List the basics, make model, age, engine size and fuel type.
Give the price.
Include a good photograph of the interior and exterior of the car.
Give clear contact details, mobile number and email.
Avoid too many acronyms and clichéd phrases.

Top ‘bad ads’

‘An excellent runner but unfortunately an MOT failure – mainly rust.’
‘Citreon Xsara, Manual, 110,000 miles, X-reg, Met Blue, C/L, E/W, PAS, E/S/R, Alloy Wheels, CD Player.’
‘Low mileage!!! Cheap insurance and low petrol costs!!! No scratches or damages!! One lady owner!!’
‘New tyres, engine problem, £300 ONO.’
‘Dual controls, bought to teach daughter to drive. Overheated, now a none runner.’

Related Posts

Volkswagen Passat GTE plug-in electric car being charged
News

VW suffers post-tax profit drop of 37 per cent but says that was better than expected

February 26, 2021
Supercar graphic
News

Moving on up: Here are the top 10 used supercars to buy if you want to see a return on your investment

February 26, 2021
Subaru sign via Newspress
News

Subaru adds three dealers to network with plans for at least 15 as part of restructure that will see 10 leave

February 26, 2021
G3 Motorhouse in Failsworth from Google
News

Car dealers must pay out thousands after Trading Standards investigation found they’d clocked cars

February 26, 2021
Mike Hawes
News

SMMT calls for dealers to open ‘ideally before April 12’ as car production levels slump to 12-year low

February 26, 2021
Online car sales on an iPad
News

Fifth of car buyers think online sales will overtake those in showrooms by 2025 – but many think it’ll never happen

February 26, 2021

Want the latest news?

Sign up to Car Dealer's daily news email updates

Subscribe
How many car dealerships does each manufacturer have in the UK? Car Dealerships Locations List 2021 revealed
News

How many car dealerships does each manufacturer have in the UK? Car Dealerships Locations List 2021 revealed

February 24, 2021
Used Car Awards with Mike Brewer and James Baggott graphi
News

Who won what at the Used Car Awards 2020? Mike Brewer reveals our winning car dealers

February 11, 2021
Car Dealer issue 156 front cover and Used Car Awards
Online Magazine

Out now: Car Dealer issue 156 features our Used Car Awards, H.R. Owen CEO Ken Choo and lots more

February 23, 2021
Used car market stronger than ever as August sees sales up by nearly 50 per cent for Big Motoring World
News

Opinion: Here are 10 reasons why I think there’ll be a rapid recovery in car sales when lockdown ends

February 16, 2021
Trophy Cars forecourt
News

Investigation: Meet the hyper-specialist car dealers making their money from weird and wonderful motors

February 11, 2021
Become a Car Dealer Plus member and get more out of this website including free legal advice
News

Become a Car Dealer Plus member and get more out of this website including free legal advice

January 15, 2021
Car Dealer Top 100 – The list in full of the most profitable car dealers in the UK
Car Dealer Top 100

Car Dealer Top 100 – The list in full of the most profitable car dealers in the UK

February 10, 2021
Bitcoin ATM terminal
News

Will car dealers in the UK accept Bitcoin for payment? Dealers speak out after Tesla plans to accept cryptocurrency 

February 18, 2021
  • Latest
  • Used Cars
  • Live
  • Forum
  • Power 2020
  • Used Car Awards
  • CDX
  • Knowledge
  • Suppliers Guide
  • About Us
  • Latest Issue
  • Top 100
  • CD Plus
Call us: 020 8125 3880

© 2020 Blackball Media

No Result
View All Result
  • Car Dealer Plus
  • Latest
  • Used Cars
  • Live
  • Forum
  • Power 2020
  • Used Car Awards
  • CDX
  • Knowledge
  • Suppliers Guide
  • About Us
  • Latest Issue
  • Top 100

© 2020 Blackball Media

Log In
Register
Register
Server C