Critique my ads!

[Mikey360 68]

Evening all, seeing as the phone hasn't rung in a few weeks, I was hoping for some feedback on my adverts. 

Seriously, hit me with everything you've got, all criticisms welcome! I'd really appreciate any help you guys can give me!

I've only got 3 proper ads up and 2 are due in any day now. (I've taken one down (2008 Mondeo estate 2.2 Titanium X, 70k) as its had to go into the garage for some minor repairs and the body work man is coming tomorrow to tart it up so will need fresh photos)

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/dealers/cambridgeshire/peterborough/the-automotive-approach-ltd-10015602

 

The mini (and unadvertised mondeo) have been in since late November, BMW and Audi have been advertised since early Jan now with no enquiries what so ever

[NickGCS 14]

I just looked at the Audi and bmw- Bmw looks better in that light, I’d try brightening the photos of the Audi or taking them in a different light.

both could do with a good bit of tyre shine on, id also spend 10 mins on the A3s scuffed wheel with some 800, wheel trim silver rattle can and a pack of playing cards, a DIY refurb

Interior shots of the switches etc look dirty-  buy a detailing brush and get all those bits of dust out with a good interior cleaner (we use pazzaz by AS) buff off with a dry cloth and it will transform those pics.

 I’d avoid taking those types of photos of the bmw steering wheel with obvious wear etc too!

write ups are good, loads of photos too, plenty positives, but retail is detail..... mind you it is january...  

[Mikey360 68]

4 minutes ago, NickGCS said:

I just looked at the Audi and bmw- Bmw looks better in that light, I’d try brightening the photos of the Audi or taking them in a different light.

both could do with a good bit of tyre shine on, id also spend 10 mins on the A3s scuffed wheel with some 800, wheel trim silver rattle can and a pack of playing cards, a DIY refurb

Interior shots of the switches etc look dirty-  buy a detailing brush and get all those bits of dust out with a good interior cleaner (we use pazzaz by AS) buff off with a dry cloth and it will transform those pics.

 I’d avoid taking those types of photos of the bmw steering wheel with obvious wear etc too!

write ups are good, loads of photos too, plenty positives, but retail is detail..... mind you it is january...  

Awesome thankyou Nick! Much appreciated!

[Ocsltd 133]

I just looked at the Audi and here are my thoughts....

The location looks dodgy, it looks live you've turned down an old track and taken the pics in the middle of nowhere, as a punter would make wonder what you're hiding, doesn't give an overly professional image. 

Some of the pics are wonky / looks like the car is on the lean....

There's only a mobile number and no landline number, again looks a bit amateurish......

You've put in the description BACS or cash, which is fair enough, but again just sounds a bit amature.

Don't get me wrong I'm sure there are good reasons for some of the points above, but just doesn't inspire confidence / look overly professional.... 

You don't have to have a shiny showroom to give punters a bit of confidence.

No offences hope this helps.

P.S Agree about the alloy wheel!

[NITM 3]

Really like your selection of photos, shows nearly every angle possible, plus alot of interior shots will be appealing to a customer. A good valet on the Audi would maybe bring more potential buyers, like the exhaust tip shot, if the tips where shiny and tyres were slicked with those sort of pictures it would look great  i like the videos also!

[Blenheim Car Sales 111]

I liked the video very professional, Obviously we are in same boat here the  adds in full cloud are not as desirable as the BMW in the sun, I guess you will be doing something once we get a  forecast for sun.

 

Just me................  i take a  pic of the  2 keys sitting on the handbook, And while i am keen to have  sun pictures for exterior i find cloud cover best for the interior, Its  just so you dont have shadow and sun in the interior pics, I doubt the point i have made will or would have made put anyone off its just me and what i do

[Mark101 536]

Tyre shine and lighting is my two pennies.

Edited January 23, 2019 by Mark101

[Mikey360 68]

2 minutes ago, Ocsltd said:

I just looked at the Audi and here are my thoughts....

The location looks dodgy, it looks live you've turned down an old track and taken the pics in the middle of nowhere, as a punter would make wonder what you're hiding, doesn't give an overly professional image. 

Some of the pics are wonky / looks like the car is on the lean....

There's only a mobile number and no landline number, again looks a bit amateurish......

You've put in the description BACS or cash, which is fair enough, but again just sounds a bit amature.

Don't get me wrong I'm sure there are good reasons for some of the points above, but just doesn't inspire confidence / look overly professional.... 

You don't have to have a shiny showroom to give punters a bit of confidence.

No offences hope this helps.

P.S Agree about the alloy wheel!

No offence taken!  At the moment I'm storing the cars at a caravan storage site, good friends with the owner so he lets me do all the viewings there in a really nice gravelled area just outside of the indoor unit where there kept. I'm just waiting for one area of the gravel to be refilled (soak away was dug in last year) and I can do all the photos from there in front of a green steel wall, so at least then it will look like its in front of a unit! 

Completely agree with all the points, I am looking at getting izettle soon so then punters can use cards, i'll look into renting a land line number aswell!

5 minutes ago, NITM said:

Really like your selection of photos, shows nearly every angle possible, plus alot of interior shots will be appealing to a customer. A good valet on the Audi would maybe bring more potential buyers, like the exhaust tip shot, if the tips where shiny and tyres were slicked with those sort of pictures it would look great  i like the videos also!

Thankyou! Definitely spending some money on tyre shine tomorrow!

5 minutes ago, Blenheim Car Sales said:

I liked the video very professional, Obviously we are in same boat here the  adds in full cloud are not as desirable as the BMW in the sun, I guess you will be doing something once we get a  forecast for sun.

 

Just me................  i take a  pic of the  2 keys sitting on the handbook, And while i am keen to have  sun pictures for exterior i find cloud cover best for the interior, Its  just so you dont have shadow and sun in the interior pics, I doubt the point i have made will or would have made put anyone off its just me and what i do

I think I'm missing a service book and key pic for the BMW, is it worth doing even when it's only got the little service booklet and one key with no A4 receipts?

I always found shooting in direct sunlight a nightmare because of reflections on dark cars and the contrast in exposures? I was thinking about redoing the BMW in overcast conditions?

Thankyou for the feedback! REALLY appreciate it!

4 minutes ago, Mark101 said:

Tyre shine and lighting is my two pennies.

Noted, thankyou Mark!

[Mark101 536]

You video is top quality though, only the lighting lets you down.

[Mikey360 68]

Just now, Mark101 said:

You video is top quality though, only the lighting lets you down.

Glad you like the Video, they take me a good few hours in filming and editing!

[Tony911 79]

Not bad really, bit of tyre shine invest in a good quality hd camera will sort out the lighting also personally i think wording is too much you need to really focus on service records in detail and definitely new location as its not great, just to add keep camera straight not bent.

[Mikey360 68]

4 minutes ago, Tony911 said:

Not bad really, bit of tyre shine invest in a good quality hd camera will sort out the lighting also personally i think wording is too much you need to really focus on service records in detail and definitely new location as its not great, just to add keep camera straight not bent.

Rodger that Tony, thankyou!

[TheDarkSide 0]

You've encouraged me to sign up to reply Mikey - looks like you're about 5 miles round the corner from me!

I disagree with comments about the location, you've found somewhere with no distractions in the background for your pics - and it's not like buyers round here don't know what the fens look like...

As others have said, I'd look at your ads and pics and take out anything that you think might put someone off from picking up the phone - like you, I don't do finance or card payments but I don't make reference to it in my ads, I'd much rather have the chance to talk to someone and work round it rather than them never ring me at all...

[Max Branning 149]

Your videos are good but in my opinion on old stock like this its the wrong type of video to be making. Your style of videos are the sort of thing i would expect a franchise to be doing.

Personally i would do a full walk around video of the car and highlight the good and bad bits which inevitably a 10 year old car will have. 

[Mikey360 68]

Just now, TheDarkSide said:

You've encouraged me to sign up to reply Mikey - looks like you're about 5 miles round the corner from me!

I disagree with comments about the location, you've found somewhere with no distractions in the background for your pics - and it's not like buyers round here don't know what the fens look like...

As others have said, I'd look at your ads and pics and take out anything that you think might put someone off from picking up the phone - like you, I don't do finance or card payments but I don't make reference to it in my ads, I'd much rather have the chance to talk to someone and work round it rather than them never ring me at all...

Welcome to the Forum! 

Very good point, I'm probably doing myself out of a phone call, we are all technically salesmen and they need to be with us in person for us to do our sales pitches!

[Nick M.K. 574]

I had a look at the Audi A3 mostly. The location is OK, not great but not the worst I've seen. Similar to one of mine I sometimes use when the light is really low (https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201811072224788). You can zoom in thye car a bit more to get rid of some of the background. 

1) The £4050 price should be £3990 or £4000 or over £4190. Otherwise you don't appear in a lot of searches for the sake of £50 that EVERYONE will want to chip down. 

2) The mileage of 90100 miles should absolutely be 90000 in your ad, again to be visible in searches

3) I like your text but remove half of the superlatives. Have a couple, sure but "fantastically smooth" as an example for the DSG gearbox is a bit over the top. 

4) Remove the bit about NOT offering finance. You can do a finance deal with ZUTO for example and even if you don't want to work with them you can always get a customer to come, see the Audi, love it, then find the money somewhere else in a few days. 

5) Remove the number of owners. It could put people off. If it's really important for someone they will ask over the phone. 

6) Remove the payment by BACS or CASH bit. 

7) With a service and MOT date like that put New MOT, New service or recent service. 

8) Change the order of your images slightly so customers see the nice leather interior very early after clicking on your ad. Mix them up a bit :-)

9) Pick ONE photo of the alloy with the least amount of damage and use that. Don't give buyers a reason not to come and see the car. If you are worried about letting their expectations down put in your advert text "Some kerbing marks on alloys"

10) Use the world Petrol and the word Auto somewhere in your ad so if someone is specifically searching Google for a Petrol Audi Auto you have a chance of them finding it. 

11) Pay attention to every little detail in your ads and if it bugs you - get rid of it. 

12) If you have a landline number give it to Autotrader to display along with your mobile. Divert the calls to your mobile so you will always answer it. Use call whisperer. 

[Max Branning 149]

2 minutes ago, TheDarkSide said:

You've encouraged me to sign up to reply Mikey - looks like you're about 5 miles round the corner from me!

I disagree with comments about the location, you've found somewhere with no distractions in the background for your pics - and it's not like buyers round here don't know what the fens look like...

As others have said, I'd look at your ads and pics and take out anything that you think might put someone off from picking up the phone - like you, I don't do finance or card payments but I don't make reference to it in my ads, I'd much rather have the chance to talk to someone and work round it rather than them never ring me at all...

Thats true if you are aiming just to the local market but a London buyer may think differently. 

Photoshopping would be worthwile especially the amount of time taken on video etc.

[Mikey360 68]

1 minute ago, Max Branning said:

Your videos are good but in my opinion on old stock like this its the wrong type of video to be making. Your style of videos are the sort of thing i would expect a franchise to be doing.

Personally i would do a full walk around video of the car and highlight the good and bad bits which inevitably a 10 year old car will have. 

True, it does take a lot of time and effort to make them! I was planning to do a walk around video of the Mondeo when it's ready as it's not sporty like the BMW and Audi, and with the Mini I thought a stylish video would attract the younger audience that the cars intended for

[Nick M.K. 574]

13) Remove photos of dashboard showing date and time. If it sticks in stock they can see it and can be put off

[Mikey360 68]

3 minutes ago, Nick M.K. said:

I had a look at the Audi A3 mostly. The location is OK, not great but not the worst I've seen. Similar to one of mine I sometimes use when the light is really low (https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201811072224788). You can zoom in thye car a bit more to get rid of some of the background. 

1) The £4050 price should be £3990 or £4000 or over £4190. Otherwise you don't appear in a lot of searches for the sake of £50 that EVERYONE will want to chip down. 

2) The mileage of 90100 miles should absolutely be 90000 in your ad, again to be visible in searches

3) I like your text but remove half of the superlatives. Have a couple, sure but "fantastically smooth" as an example for the DSG gearbox is a bit over the top. 

4) Remove the bit about NOT offering finance. You can do a finance deal with ZUTO for example and even if you don't want to work with them you can always get a customer to come, see the Audi, love it, then find the money somewhere else in a few days. 

5) Remove the number of owners. It could put people off. If it's really important for someone they will ask over the phone. 

6) Remove the payment by BACS or CASH bit. 

7) With a service and MOT date like that put New MOT, New service or recent service. 

8) Change the order of your images slightly so customers see the nice leather interior very early after clicking on your ad. Mix them up a bit :-)

9) Pick ONE photo of the alloy with the least amount of damage and use that. Don't give buyers a reason not to come and see the car. If you are worried about letting their expectations down put in your advert text "Some kerbing marks on alloys"

10) Use the world Petrol and the word Auto somewhere in your ad so if someone is specifically searching Google for a Petrol Audi Auto you have a chance of them finding it. 

11) Pay attention to every little detail in your ads and if it bugs you - get rid of it. 

12) If you have a landline number give it to Autotrader to display along with your mobile. Divert the calls to your mobile so you will always answer it. Use call whisperer. 

 

2 minutes ago, Nick M.K. said:

13) Remove photos of dashboard showing date and time. If it sticks in stock they can see it and can be put off

Awesome thankyou Nick that's some brilliant feedback! Always love the way your pics look in your adverts!

In regards to the mileage, is it bad to under state it rather than over state it? So because it's done over 90k, would it be better to put 90250? I can just imagine a punter saying I've advertised it because its a few miles over what's in the advert 

[MrC 142]

I dont like the close up depth of field type shots, Its the kind of shots Id expect to see on a detailing forum or somewhere like Tom Hartley, its like you are trying to hard. Some of the close up shots show the wear and tear a bit to much, that would be enough to put some punters off.

 

[trade vet 697]

Hi Mikey

I think your videos are good,you could do ours as we have given up on them.Do you have a website,cannot see one.If you are a startup,you need plenty of embellished bullshit about yourself on your website.Also,you have to be prepared to keep stuff a while and not panic and chop prices.Also,you have to think like a punter,why should they buy from you etc.

[Mark101 536]

I will add that I too would remove BACS as no one knows what that means (and it would be CHAPS you want not BACS).

Remove all reference to payment methods and as Nick says, Zuto (albeit no commission) does move metal.

I have an IZettle and it has helped but please don’t think it will revolutionise your business - for me, I think it just made it easier than bank transfer and costs me 1.7% of amount.  If someone wants your car, they will find the money but it does add some professionalism that you take cards, cash, bank transfer it finance via Zuto.

I think you videos do not need any attention. Yes, a bit OTT for older stock but that will surely make the lower budget buyers feel better.

Remove all negative posts and images and fight those objections face to face - I.e, get them in front of you rather than prevent a call.

Good luck 

[Nick M.K. 574]

Just now, Mikey360 said:

So because it's done over 90k, would it be better to put 90250?

No. 

Because it only has 100 miles over what you stated no punter in their right mind will object to that but at 90000 you get in more searches. IF someone says something about you putting slightly lower miles you can say one of two things: 

When it arrived and we advertised it had just under 90K miles and after we've test driven it the figure is slightly higher. 

OR Due to customer feedback we have rounded the mileage very slightly so you have a chance to find the car if you limit your search to 90000 miles. We wouldn't want you to miss out on a car for the sake of 100-200 miles. 

[Mikey360 68]

7 minutes ago, trade vet said:

Hi Mikey

I think your videos are good,you could do ours as we have given up on them.Do you have a website,cannot see one.If you are a startup,you need plenty of embellished bullshit about yourself on your website.Also,you have to be prepared to keep stuff a while and not panic and chop prices.Also,you have to think like a punter,why should they buy from you etc.

Thankyou TV! 

If people do like the videos, I could do it as a side line if there's enough interest.....

I was on the phone to Autotrader yesterday, they said the website link had been put on? Clearly not.

www.theautomotiveapproach.co.uk

Great advice on the sticky stock, I'm just really surprised the phone isn't ringing for any of the cars

12 minutes ago, MrC said:

I dont like the close up depth of field type shots, Its the kind of shots Id expect to see on a detailing forum or somewhere like Tom Hartley, its like you are trying to hard. Some of the close up shots show the wear and tear a bit to much, that would be enough to put some punters off.

 

 very true, didn't think of that! Now you've mentioned it they do look like they should have had 9 coats of wax for a reflection shot!

 

11 minutes ago, Mark101 said:

I will add that I too would remove BACS as no one knows what that means (and it would be CHAPS you want not BACS).

Remove all reference to payment methods and as Nick says, Zuto (albeit no commission) does move metal.

I have an IZettle and it has helped but please don’t think it will revolutionise your business - for me, I think it just made it easier than bank transfer and costs me 1.7% of amount.  If someone wants your car, they will find the money but it does add some professionalism that you take cards, cash, bank transfer it finance via Zuto.

I think you videos do not need any attention. Yes, a bit OTT for older stock but that will surely make the lower budget buyers feel better.

Remove all negative posts and images and fight those objections face to face - I.e, get them in front of you rather than prevent a call.

Good luck 

Super thanks Mark, izettle would more be for credit card payments as most of the stock is within credit limits, only considering it at the moment though. 

I'll sort out the mentions of payment methods aswell, thankyou!

12 minutes ago, Nick M.K. said:

No. 

Because it only has 100 miles over what you stated no punter in their right mind will object to that but at 90000 you get in more searches. IF someone says something about you putting slightly lower miles you can say one of two things: 

When it arrived and we advertised it had just under 90K miles and after we've test driven it the figure is slightly higher. 

OR Due to customer feedback we have rounded the mileage very slightly so you have a chance to find the car if you limit your search to 90000 miles. We wouldn't want you to miss out on a car for the sake of 100-200 miles. 

Great thankyou Nick!