A Picture's Worth 1,000 Words... And So Is A Description

We all know that riders are buying more than just a bike - they’re buying a lifestyle. They’re ditching life on four-wheels for miles of open road. They’re often looking for life’s next big thrill -- and you want to encourage that. There are riders who know exactly what they want in their next bike and then there are riders who are so overwhelmed with options and have no idea where to begin -- as dealers, it’s your job to cater to both.

So, when they come across your listings online - are the pictures and descriptions you provide helping them to picture this lifestyle they’re thinking about? Most of the time - the answer is no.

We live in a digital and visual age -- so it’s no secret buyers want to see pictures (and lots of them). Having a large variety of high-quality photos helps eliminate any element of surprise when a buyer shows up to your dealership. They want to know up-front exactly what the bike looks like, what kind of condition it’s in and if there’s any damage -- honesty is always the best policy, especially when building trust with your buyers. It’s also important to have a top-notch feature photo that will quickly grab a buyer’s attention while they are scrolling through bike options. We suggest avoiding up-close, detailed shots for your main photo (those should be included in your additional gallery shots). Pictures that show the entire bike right off the bat excite buyers and make them more apt to click your listing over other competitors.

Once you’ve gained the attention of a potential buyer through photos -- it’s crucial to provide a detailed description of the bike you’re selling (especially for first-time buyers). Put yourself in the customer’s shoes -- why would they choose your bike over a similar model? Make sure to point out everything the bike has to offer a future rider. Does it have modifications or upgrades? Write about them. Is it a great option for first-time riders? Highlight why. It’s important not to overwhelm your customer, but that doesn't mean leaving out key details they need and want to know. Your listing should be well thought out, easy to understand, and most of all - helpful. Try to think of common questions a customer might ask and be sure to answer them in your listing.

Buyers want to imagine themselves on their next ride and you are the link that can help them understand what a particular bike can do for them. Putting the extra time and energy into creating your listings will pay off in the long run, and your customers will be sure to thank you.

Building your Business on Instagram: 3 Tips to Expand your Audience

It’s no secret that Instagram has become one of the most prominent social media platforms and the idea behind it is actually pretty simple - a digital online scrapbook. With nearly 800 million users as of September 2017, interacting with your audience on Instagram is a great way to showcase your dealership in a very visual and engaging way.

To help you hone your social strategy on Instagram, we’ve come up with three key tips to grow your following, engage your audience and get customers interested all through the simple use of this social platform.

• Get your company's profile completely filled out. Without all of your information - including a profile picture - users may think that your Instagram account is actually spam. If they don’t trust your presence -- they could block or unfollow your Instagram account -- or even worse, you could even be reported. Don’t let that happen. Be sure your Instagram profile includes all of the following elements in full:

• A clear profile image, featuring the most simplistic version of your logo possible. The amount of space provided for a profile photo is incredibly small, so you want people to be able to identify your business identity easily and without straining their eyes.

• A link to your website. Instagram has a section on your profile where you can include a website or link, take advantage of that space. If a user notices you on Instagram and visits your profile, that is your chance to introduce yourself to them as who you really are. This way, they aren’t having to exit out of the app, open a browser, and search you on Google- they are directly linked to your website for information.

• A short bio. You have a very limited number of characters to fill the “About” section of your profile so grab their attention right from the start. Include something about yourself being a business (“The best Harley dealer in Southwest Florida”), but add something to help them remember you by. Try not to be too corny, but whether it’s your company slogan or a quote, this can help draw your audience in and get them scrolling through your feed.

• Engage with your followers to grow your audience. The thing about Instagram for business is that it isn’t an exact science - it's more of an art, with stable practice over time. You’re not going to grow by 20,000 followers overnight, but you definitely can grow by at least 20 a day with the proper tricks on hand. Try a few of these strategies known to grow business’ follower numbers exponentially over time:

• Use hashtags in your posts. When people are searching for something on Instagram, such as a travel trailer, they will type into the searchbar “#traveltrailer.” You want to make sure your dealership’s profile and related posts to show up in their search - so make sure to include relevant hashtags to help that customer find you. The most successful and engaging posts include at least 11 hashtags, so depending on your niche, primary models carried, etc., choose the best ones that work for you. At least one should be focused on your company name, and most of the rest should be focused on the type of different makes and models carried by your dealership.

• Engage with Instagram users regularly - treat them all as though they were all your prospects. One way to find new followers is by searching one of your target hashtags (i.e., “#indianmotos”) and liking posts you find. It may sound tedious, but by liking at least 50 posts a day - focusing on the most recent posts, which have less likes - you can get your name on a user’s notifications as someone who liked their photo.  

• Another way to do this - scroll through those hashtags, and when you see a photo you find especially interesting, comment on it. Even if it’s just a statement such as “Great photo!”, users love engagement. Talk to them, and whether it’s through a like, follow, or simple response back, you are putting your name out there - and once you comment on their photo, it’s now in front of that individual’s followers, too.

• Pay special attention to the quality and type of photos you post. Don’t take the same photos of different units over and over again. Rather, try to mix your messages. Include images of your staff, people searching the lot or offer up a helpful tip to guide buyers in their search for the perfect unit. This will communicate to your audience that yes, you are a dealership, and your goal is to get units sold, but you also care about the experience they have with your company- both online, and in person.

We hope these tips have helped you gain a clearer vision of what steps you can take to refine and develop your presence on Instagram - be sure to tag @cycle_trader and hashtag #cycletrader and #cycletradernation to gain the most exposure possible for your photos- and possibly even get featured on our own Instagram page.

Consumers & Their Never-Ending Research Process

As much as we would like to think buyers wake up one day, decide they want to buy a new bike, and walk into a dealership to do it - we know that’s not really how it works. Buyers think for months about what they want in their next ride. They compare features, model years, and dealerships to find their next obsession. And sometimes, they look even if they aren’t really planning to buy - just because they want to see if that irresistible bike happens to be on the market. So we can keep set realistic expectations - we asked buyers directly about their research process.

To start - we went high-level - asking overall how long they research before they buy. The vast

majority said they look for their next unit for over a month before diving in - and 22% said they spend more than a year looking - which is impressive, but not necessarily surprising. Bike buyers aren’t easy going about what they want and are brand loyal to a fault - so they are willing to wait it out if they need to .

But these are buyers are the majority - the ones who say they are openly looking to buy - what about those riders who just like to look at bikes for the fun of it? So we asked. Turns out 83% of them are checking out listings regularly, even if they aren’t in the market at the moment. They just like to look at what’s out there. Dream about what could be. But what happens when they run across that one bike they can’t live without? 89% said they would buy it. So these are people who aren’t looking to buy right now - but said they would buy if the right bike came along. That’s huge. In my mind - this statistic alone is why you should always have your inventory online - winter, spring, summer, or fall. It doesn’t matter. These buyers are more than happy to take their best laid plans and throw them out the window.

And because we hear from dealers all the time that believe buyers are only looking for bikes in the spring and summer - we decided to make that our last question for buyers. And, as we thought - only 12% said they exclusively search in the spring and summer months. The other 88% are searching throughout the year. That’s right - all year long. So - by keeping your listings up throughout the year - you never know who you are going to attract. And, because not all dealers believe that buyers continue searching in the “off season”, you might even have slightly less competition.

While it would be ideal for us if consumers didn’t feel the need to spend months and months researching - that's just not the reality - so if you can’t beat them, join them. Make your listings irresistible - so it fuels their passion and makes them have to have that new bike. Show them something they can’t resist.

How Consumers Search & What They're Searching For

We know motorcycle buyers can be brand loyal -- with 27% saying manufacturer is the most important thing to them when searching for their next ride. I didn’t fully believe it until I was at an event where we were giving away a free Yamaha dirt bike - and someone decided not to enter because they only ride Suzuki. That’s serious dedication.

But is that dedication reflected in their search habits? Yes. And are they searching any other way? Yes. We took a look at search habits for buyers on Cycle Trader from 2017 to give us a better understanding of what they’re up to.

Starting out the most popular - manufacturer - in 2017, our top five most searched manufacturers were:

Harley-Davidson - 20%

Honda - 15%

Yamaha - 9%

Kawasaki - 7%

Suzuki - 6%

Harley’s been a powerhouse in the industry for a long time - and riders, both new and old, like to check out what’s on the market from them. But Honda’s continues to keep a fairly close pace behind them. Another interesting thing to note is that 12% of buyers chose not to search by manufacturer. So that could account for new buyers in the industry who aren’t sure what they want to ride yet, someone looking to switch types, or just sheer curiosity as to what else is in the market.

Some buyers choose to take it even more detailed than just manufacturer and choose to search by model. Now - this is a smaller group, so the percentages are much smaller - but these are the loyal of the loyal. They not only know what manufacturer they want to ride, but what bike specifically. Harley still holds the top spot - with Honda and Kawasaki not far behind.

Street Glide - 1.5%

Road King - 1%

Gold Wing - 1%

Road Glide - .9%

Ninja - .8%

Even fewer riders - but still some - choose to narrow their options by type. These riders are looking more generally, rather than focusing on a specific bike make or model. This could be new riders who aren’t yet brand loyal, riders entering a different stage of their riding life, or maybe they’re just looking for a new type of bike to add to their collection. Trikes and dirt bikes lead the pack for this type of search behavior - not surprising, since they are more of a speciality.

Trike - 2.6%

Dirt Bike - 2.6%

Sportbike - 2.1%

Cruiser - 1.8%

These buyers know what they want - and their search habits reflect that. They can be loyal to a fault - but that knowledge just gives you the ammo to fuel their obsession.

The Experiential Market

Riding is all about the experience - and it’s meant to be. No one wants to park their bike in the garage - they want to get out and ride it. Which is why you have to make the buying of a bike about more than just the initial purchase - it’s about helping future riders imagine themselves living the lifestyle that comes with the bike. And this is becoming more important as millennial consumers make up more and more of the marketplace. As a whole, this demographic is focused more on experiences over actual product - so helping them understand the lifestyle that comes with their bike is key.

There are a lot of ways that buyers can choose to pass their time - the fact that they’ve decided to buy a bike puts you in a good spot - now it’s your job to help them transition into this new lifestyle as seamlessly as possible. Here are a few ideas to get your gears turning:

• Offer a first time riders program that allows them to get to know other riders in the area, while getting to know their new bike. 

• Put together a group ride to a local hotspot for dinner or drinks (responsible quantities only). 

• Develop a brand ambassador program for customers who are willing to promote your brand in exchange for designated time in your shop to maintenance their bike. 

• Host a ride-in at your dealership for the Super Bowl, complete with all the tailgate necessities.

Just a few suggestions to get you started. Whatever you decide - by providing your customers ways to easily experience and adopt the lifestyle, you are building a brand for your dealership that extends beyond just selling - and that’s how you keep customers coming back again and again. So as you think about putting the effort in on the front end, ask yourself - do you want to sell just this one bike or do you want to sell 2 or 3 or 4?

Did You Know You Have Two Dealerships?

Don’t act so surprised - it’s true. Of course, there’s your physical location - the place you probably spend most of your time and energy - but, whether you realize it or not, you also have an online dealership that requires just as much time and attention. When you think about how consumers are searching, relying more and more on the Internet - it’s clear why you should be putting just as much time into your online presence as you do your physical one.

Potential buyers are checking out your inventory online long before they step through the doors of your dealership - meaning they are experiencing your brand before you even know they exist.

Let that sink in.

If you aren’t putting the effort into your listings, it will show - and no matter how good your customer experience is at your physical dealership - buyers may never get to experience it, because they won’t be interested in visiting.

These new Internet savvy shoppers use your online presence to judge what their experience will be like when they come to your shop - which means you should be putting just as much effort, if not more, into your online presence. It needs to be complete and truly reflect the experience they will have if they choose to do business with you.

There are a lot of ways to accomplish this - but let’s just start with the basics. You should always:

1. Include a price (when you can)

Everyone has a budget - I do, you do - and guess what, so do your potential buyers.

No one likes to find exactly what they’re looking for and then find out it’s way over what they can spend. We get that there are rules about how you price new models - but always, always, always include something - even if it’s MSRP. As for used inventory - there’s no excuse. Put a price. Plain and simple.

And just to drive this point home - when we asked them directly - 90% of consumers said they won’t even click on a listing that doesn’t have a price. So if you don’t include a price, your really might as well not even putting that piece of inventory up.

2. Put up real pictures

People are visual. They like to see what they are going to be getting for their money, good and bad. If the bike has a scratch or issue - go ahead and show them that. Even though it might not seem like it - by being honest up front with a buyer about any issues the bike has, you’ll go a long way in gaining their trust. If you choose not to be upfront with them about any damage - you’re setting yourself up to provide them with a bad consumer experience if they do come see the bike in your shop.

Now, we understand this is easier said than done. So while we don’t encourage stock photos, we would say that they are better than none at all.

3. Remember that descriptions are actually important

Again, these buyers are dreaming about this next bike. This is a passion of theirs - so fuel it. Encourage it. As you write your descriptions - provide them with a nice mix of practical and lifestyle. Don’t use manufacturer descriptions - sure, you’ll want some of the practical details included - but spend some time telling them why riding this bike is amazing, why they can’t miss out on it. The goal of your description should be to make it impossible for the buyer to not come try the bike out for themselves.

We realize that by following this advice - you will have more work to do - but we promise you it will be worth it. Your consumers will know before they step onto your lot what type of experience to expect and already have a basic level of trust for your dealership - and that is worth all the time and effort you’ll put in. And if you need something to get you started - download our Listing Success Checklist for quick reference on how to build strong, attractive listings.

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