Please Critique website

Greggory

My friend and I have been working on www.themostclassifieds.com
 

 

Greggory

Thanks for the reply!
 
Hold that thought... I have a question for you.  Does something about being undifferentiated stop your interest in the site?  If so, what would you recommend that I do to eliminate your hesitance?  
 
Did you have any other thoughts?
 
I`ll answer your question to me:
 
On differentiation...
Craigslist (cannot search on make/model, zipcode, price range,etc.) you are limited to day of the week.  So, if you want to search on Audi A4 within 200 miles of your zip code, you have to go elsewhere.  Also, my theory is that free ad sites have lower quality listings because people  will put less time and effort into placing a quality ad. 
 
Cars.com, autotrader.com, realtor.com, etc.
Thier ads run shorter, there is lower limit on how many photos that a person can display.  Not to mention they cost much more(an ad on cars.com can run around $60), our highest price ad runs for $19.95 and runs for 180 days.  Other classified ads through newspapers and other online sources cost more in general, or they run for a shorter duration.
 
Ebay is an auction, that can be frightening for some buyers.  I haven`t been on ebay motors for some time, and I know they `redid` their pricing across the site.  So, I`m not sure if I`m cheaper.
 
My goal, is to allow sellers to place more information on the site through photos and longer descriptions.  It is my opinion that is what differentiates me from the others.  Thanks for helping me think that through, I certainly need to include that information on the home page.
Thanks,
Greg
 
Greggory2/25/2008 12:53 AM

Greggory

Thanks Steve,
 
This site is `hot off of the stove`.  Yesterday was my first day making it `public`.  So, we do not have any customers.  There are still some updates that are going to be made.  I`ll make sure those updates will highlight differences.  I do not think I can win on the low cost model alone.
 
In terms of being undifferentiated, I agree with you 100%.  I think the only way I`ll be successful with this site is to take it on a grass-roots champaign.  If I just used an ad sense campaign to draw a crowd, I`d waste my time and money.  The way I see it, I need 100 consistent automobile and 100 real estate ads before the site will sustain itself.  It will take a while to build that, and that time and effort will probably be on my behalf. 
 
In order to be successful, I think I`m going to have to define myself with excellent customer service and face-to-face marketing.  The internet changed the face of business, but not the fundamentals- my line of work is no exception.  I`m going to have to `pound the pavement` in order to bring in a revenue stream.  Nothing is easy.
 
Thanks for the review!
 
Greggory2/25/2008 10:55 PM

Greggory

Yes, that is part of the plan.  The other part is getting to know the folks in my area that have autos and real estate to sell.  Whatever it takes, that is what I`m in for.