How to Use Custom Comments to Sell More Pre-owned Vehicles

The right vehicle descriptions can be an important way to attract any customer, but they’re especially vital in the used-car market. That’s because there are key differences in what used- and new-car shoppers are looking for, and your comments need to reflect those differences if you want to maximize their effectiveness.

For one thing, a recent study from the experts at McKinsey & Company shows that folks shopping for pre-owned cars are much more focused on the individual benefits of the specific vehicle they are considering.

In other words, when customers compare two brand-new SUVs, in the exact same model and trim, they assume the vehicles are in the same condition with the same benefits. But when people see ads for similar used SUVs, they assume there could be differences in their history, mileage, and more that makes one a better deal than another – even though the vehicles were exactly the same when they rolled off the assembly line.

So our first great tip to appeal to used-car shoppers is to include information about a vehicle’s condition and history right at the top of your comment.

You can also give your comments a next-level advantage by taking into account the mindset of many used-car buyers. There’s no getting around the fact that a lot of people have negative views about the whole pre-owned vehicle shopping process. But the right vehicle comment can be one step in making them feel more confident about visiting your dealership and making a purchase.

Accurate, welcoming language is key, and you don’t want to come on too strong with typical dealership cliches that will immediately set off red flags in your readers. Instead, you want to create a comment that not only sells the vehicle but sells your store, too. And no, there isn’t an app for that.

The kind of nuanced and emotional language we’re talking about here isn’t likely to come from a robot or an automated template. For this, you need actual human writers, like the ones from our Dealer Assist Now team. We’re standing by to craft used-vehicle descriptions that can help you get more customers for your pre-owned cars and trucks.