Craigslist can work if done correctly

[yagoparamo]

The best advice available when it comes to Craigslist is to try it for yourself. If it works, continue to use it, if it doesn't scrap it.

It doesn't hurt to have a notebook to record what you are doing. Craigslist is always changing their filters and it's a constant battle to get ads up and get clicks.

The last 2 months have been pretty brutal in our area for CL in terms of even getting ads live!

Also, when it comes to special characters.. I'd advise against them. CL doesn't usually like them but if it works for you, then use them!

This advise doesn't make much sense; in one hand you acknowledge that CL takes some "science" to it: filters, consttant battle to get ads, special characters, etc. All that tells me that t takes some knowledge and experience to get it done correctly (just like anything else in life), so if you try it yourself and fail--DONT SCRAP IT.

Look for advice, look for other tools, look for other ways to do it.

Now the real deal: Craigslist is no longer the geeks playground where anyone could go and post cars, cars, and more cars. They have made the postings so hard and complicated that it takes a person dedicated to it to get the best out of it.

Don't get me wrong, there are some smart and tech oriented guys that will do just fine on their own, but for most people where priority #1 is to sell cars--get someone that has the knowledge and make them accountable so you get the best out of it.

 

[ddavis]

Has anyone had any luck posting a rare or collector type vehicle to major cities throughout the country?

 

[yagoparamo]

Has anyone had any luck posting a rare or collector type vehicle to major cities throughout the country?

Doug,

We had luck with high end cars but never did "collector" cars.

Although not a collector car, only 1700 made for this year and color. So no easy to find. Had to be manual, red + black, and low miles. It was my college car, I love the way it drove and I tricked my wife in a first date in part because of the car!

I found this on CL after 4+ years looking.

 

[ddavis]

Yago, as an example: 2008 Corvette Z06 Wil Cooksey edition. One of 550 made with 230 miles. Do you think a $75K car will work on Craigslist and if so, what cities would you post it to? I work with a dealership that specializes in this type car.

 

[yagoparamo]

Post it in the large metro areas with large CL traffic:

NY, LA, Seattle, Portland, Chicago, San Diego, etc.

Money wise is very little but workwise a pain in the butt to jump over so many cities.

If you want to market more than one car, then you can just put 1-2 weeks into a market a measure the ROI by views/clicks/leads then decide.

 

[Kevin McKillop]

Keep in mind Craigslist listings (and other listings like Kijiji) are indexed by Google. They may not find your listing by going to Craigslist.org and searching, but they may simply find it through Google/Bing/Yahoo if you're optimizing the title/body for the keywords people would use to find that particular vehicle.

 

[yagoparamo]

Keep in mind Craigslist listings (and other listings like Kijiji) are indexed by Google. They may not find your listing by going to Craigslist.org and searching, but they may simply find it through Google/Bing/Yahoo if you're optimizing the title/body for the keywords people would use to find that particular vehicle.

Kevin,

I haven't seen CL indexed in Google (at least 1st 2 pages) in a looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong time. I usually see them in page 3 or 4.

But bringing SEO into it, link the CL add directly to the VDP in your website (higuer call ratio) and have a good retargetting campaign.

 

[Kevin McKillop]

Kevin,

I haven't seen CL indexed in Google (at least 1st 2 pages) in a looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong time. I usually see them in page 3 or 4.

But bringing SEO into it, link the CL add directly to the VDP in your website (higuer call ratio) and have a good retargetting campaign.

Can't say I've done a lot of search myself that way, just an observation related to Kijiji. I do know CL is indexed as there was talk (which can still be found) them CL NOT being indexed. May not get a lot of traffic, but you could pickup some long-tail if the CL listing has the right Title.

Unrelated to CL, Kijiji is all over the 1st page for a lot of searches (in Canada).

 

[JessicaRuth]

Jake! This is great! I definitely agree that CL is overlooked by many. When done correctly, your head will spin from the amount of leads and cars leaving the lot. Thank you for sharing! Keep it coming

 

[ddavis]

Unrelated to CL, Kijiji is all over the 1st page for a lot of searches (in Canada).

Le meilleur du Canada est parti à Louisiane pendant l'exil de 1755.