Important Changes to Craigslist Automobile Listings November, 2013 1
2 Agenda What s changed? Craigslist and the Consumer FAQs Payment Options & Budget Craigslist is Common Sense Other Considerations Q&A
04 Why Did Craigslist Make This Change? Craigslist has been inundated with spam, over-posting and traffic leeches! Craigslist strives to be an online marketplace where buyers and sellers can come together in an efficient manner as a LOCAL community. Craigslist is simply cleansing this marketplace as they have done in several other categories in the past! This has proven to be only a positive in HOUSING and the JOBS categories. Consumers don t want to search through all the noise!
10 Nothing has changed for the consumer! 60 million visitors monthly in the USA. Search visits up 5% over last 3 months. - Craigslist continues to be itself, a market helping local buyers and sellers find each other. Website traffic ranking service Alexa.com estimates Craigslist is the 10th most-visited site in the United States. For local products or services, I have found Craigslist to be indispensable. Consumer Review
06 Top FAQ Q. What is happening on 12/3? A. Ads posted to "cars+trucks by dealer" for CL sites in the US will be charged $5 per ad. Q. How long will paid ads stay live? Can they be edited? A. 30 days across all markets. Yes, live ads can be edited. Q: Can I renew my ads? A: No. Renewals no longer exist. Craigslist charges $5 to repost. Q: Do I need to manage my account on Craigslist? A: Possibly. This all depends on how a dealer will manage their Craigslist fees and Inventory. Q. Can I post ads for financial services, a car-related website, an auction, or a special dealership sale/promotion? A. No. Cars+trucks by dealer is for advertising specific individual automobiles for sale. Q. Can ads include clickable hyper links, templates, and external images? A. No. Include all relevant information for the specific vehicle being sold in your Craigslist ad itself.
07 Top FAQ Cont. Q: Will paid ads be subject to flagging? A. Yes, but ads will be reviewed before any removals take place. Q. What happens if a dealer posts in "by owner" to avoid the fee. A. They will be subject to ad removal, account closure, and other remedial actions. Please flag dealer ads in "by owner. Q. Are volume discounts, flat rate, or monthly "all you can eat" plans available? A. No. $5 per posting. One vehicle per ad. Q. Can I purchase a block of postings in advance, e.g. 100 postings for $500? A. Blocks can be purchased for selected US cities by paid account holders. Sign up here and then call 415-399-5200 x8283. Q. Is invoicing available? A. Yes, for established customers who have recently purchased a $2000 (or larger) block of postings. If you have additional questions visit: http://www.craigslist.org/about/ctd
08 Payment Options for Dealers: Pay $ per Ad $5.00 per ad on a credit card (no gift cards or prepaid cards) Dealers who don t want to pre-purchase blocks Pay $ per Block Avoid using credit card for each posting/cleaner accounting Must sign up for paid account directly on Craigslist: https://accounts.craigslist.org/accountsignup Pay by phone via cc or check (415) 399-5200 x8283 Pre-purchase blocks of any size ($500 min) No time limit to use Separate blocks per market/cl account Payment for blocks must be received prior to posting Invoicing available for $2000 spent over 90 days
1. Dealers can manage their Craigslist Ad Budget via Settings -> Craigslist 8
Dealer can set-up Craigslist Payment Profile within Settings -> My Profile If a dealer selects a vehicle that incurs a $5 fee prior to creating their Craigslist Payment Profile, app will prompt user to create their profile 9
Simple and intuitive payment profile. CC information is saved. Users will receive an in-app CC verification prompt if new session is started, cookies are cleared or another devise is used (i.e. ipad or other computer). 10
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11 1. Stay within the Guidelines and best practices a. Basics like: Do not post the same vehicle within 48 hours b. Keep vehicles local marketplace relevant - There are plenty of common sense market/crossovers - i.e. Truck Dealer in between two cites/marketplaces, Inventory crosses over 2. We are all shepherds of this marketplace a. Dealerships now have True Ownership of this COMMUNITY b. Be part of the community with best practices ensuring EVERYONE can benefit c. Help flag things that you see that are inappropriate or misleading
12 3. Continue to sell vehicles! a. Work with your internet managers to ensure ROI at the dealer level. If Craigslist is not returning the results needed, make sure that you can see your marketing to Craigslist clearly. Once that has been established, you can determine whether that marketing budget should be utilized in other areas. What s the new focus? Strategy for dealers What, when and how will I manage my vehicles to Craigslist? Solutions driving this to help you manage this process (software, Intel, etc.)
13 Other Considerations around your entire Classified Marketing campaigns: Optimize your Landing pages for MOBILE a. 40% of Craigslist traffic comes from a mobile device. b. 80% of Craigslist leads are phone calls. c. Craigslist phone numbers are clickable for customers using a smart-phone.