Proudly serving the industry for which it was named for more than 50 years, Outdoor Power Equipment provides dealers who sell and service outdoor power equipment with valuable information to succeed in a competitive market.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/52507
FEATURE STORY Convert more Web visitors into buyers with pictures and videos • Strive to answer as many ques- tions as possible up front.The less work prospects have to do while browsing your inventory, the better chances they'll stick around and take action rather than move on to your competitors' offerings. Today's buy- ers expect to examine every inch of a model from the comfort of their homes, and most prospects will only contact a deal- ership if its online products look acceptable based on their very high standards. Research shows that there is a significant difference in traffic counts and online in- quiries between product listings with multi- ple pictures as opposed to those with a single shot. Take the time to showcase your products. The more pictures you display, the more time visitors spend looking at your products. Giving potential buyers a "complete pic- Pennsylvania-based Fletcher's Sales & Service features a video on its homepage at www.fletchersalesandservice.com to highlight the grass-handling options for Walker mowers Models MD and MT. T 22 hink back to the last time you browsed the Web for a new home or car. You most likely didn't waste your time on list- ings with limited, low-quality photos or without images altogether. You simply moved on to more detailed offer- ings. And why wouldn't you, when there are plenty of other listings packed with complete information, as well as attention- grabbing photos and informative videos? The same goes for outdoor power equip- ment buying. In a world where consumers can e-mail pictures and videos from their smartphones in a matter of seconds, they simply have no patience for dealers who don't take the time to showcase their products with mul- tiple, high-quality pictures and ideally, videos. Today's consumers want immediate, complete information up front to facilitate their purchase decision. The Web is a visual medium, so high- quality photos and videos play a critical role in merchandising your inventory, dif- ferentiating your dealership from the com- petition to drive incremental sales. Without them, potential buyers will bypass your listing. If a picture says 1,000 words, then multiple pictures and videos tell a powerful story. Show off your equipment through a collection of eye-catching pictures and videos to draw qualified prospects in. Offer a visual experience similar to an in-store product presentation • Photos have become a pre- qualifier. By combining variety, quantity and quality, you build a crucial emotional connection between buyers and their in- tended purchase. Create a checklist with specific guidelines to maintain consistency. Include the number of pictures per unit and the order in which they should be taken and uploaded so that online visitors get a feel for that product and hopefully come in to find out more. Start with pictures of all sides in clockwise order, including left, front, right and back. Then, take a shot of the controls and a close-up of the engine. Be sure to include pictures of special modi- fications and upgrades, such as tires, mulching bags or attachments. For used units, include images of flaws, if applicable. OUTDOOR POWER EQUIPMENT www.outdoorpowerequipment.com ture" of your products and your dealership is the next best thing to an in-store product presentation. It drives higher-quality traffic and accelerates the buying cycle. If prospects can't — or choose not to — come to your dealership at first, multiple-picture listings and story-telling videos are the best ways to help them visualize a particular product, hopefully enticing them to pick up the phone or drop by. Remember to get more mileage out of this effort while pitching a prospect on the phone by using your con- tent-rich listings and videos as a sales tool to present your full inventory online. Shooting pictures of new versus used equipment • New products: Help yourself by starting with the most affordable and acces- sible source of pictures: the manufacturers you represent. Year after year, they invest a significant amount of money in professional photo shoots, resulting in an extensive col- lection of shots from a variety of angles. Manufacturers often have a dedicated sec- tion of their website or a separate, password- protected website for dealers where you can easily download both low- and high- resolution pictures. You should also take your own photos and shoot videos, so you can present an ac- curate picture of the actual unit. Full disclo- sure is expected and has the advantage of building credibility for your dealership from the get-go. • Used products: In this case, you're