CARY, N.C. -

Customers are spoiled for choice. While used vehicles certainly portray more uniquities than their new-vehicle counterparts due to the variations in their histories, you still have to show a customer why the particular car on your lot better meets his or her needs when compared to the similarly priced, similarly equipped car across the street, whether it is from the same brand or not.

And this is where your advertisements come in. If your customer is not standing right in front of you, it can be difficult to point out what makes your listing special compared to all of the other vehicles of the same type that customers find while shopping around.

Auto Remarketing has assembled some ways you can connect with customers with the information many say they’d like to see, not only before the purchase but after the sale as well, according to research.

This is the third and final part of a series on advertising ideas for dealers. To check out Part 1 and/or Part 2, click on their respective links.

In the previous iteration of this series, we explored a study from Accenture, titled What Digital Drivers Want, which reflected the influence of third-party sources for car shoppers (including both new and used).

Aside from comparison shopping sites, those surveyed in the Accenture study also fleshed out some things they would like to see in addition to the typical descriptive listing features when viewing a vehicle listing. Fifty-nine percent said a virtual demonstration of the vehicle would help make their decision-making process easier, while 27 percent said that online chat with dealers is also helpful.

Shoppers also said that an array of advertised, customized services may influence their decision, such as the following:

■ Free oil changes / maintenance options (78 percent)
■ Access to manufacturer’s partner membership services without paying the annual fee (52 percent)
■ A test drive tailored to the car (38 percent)
■ Car membership club with special benefits (33 percent)
■ Free music or entertainment downloads (27 percent)

There are also items that shoppers from the What Digital Drivers Want study want to receive directly from the dealer or manufacturer after their purchase. Seventy-two percent said they would like to receive special maintenance service offers. Here are a few others advertising options that the customers wanted after the sale, according to Accenture:

■ Special offers from current vehicle manufacturer (49 percent)
■ New technology add-ons (48 percent)
■ Performance comparisons over the lifetime of the vehicle (36 percent)
■ Part exchange deals available for upgrading the vehicle (34 percent)
■ Information on new models in development (30 percent)
■ Additional accessories purchased by others with a similar vehicle (28 percent)
■ Other owners’ experiences and comments on the same vehicle (25 percent)