Arkansas Times Launches Auto Web Site

arkansasautobuyer.com

Two years after launching Arkansas Autobuyer, a weekly catalog of new and used vehicles in central Arkansas, Arkansas Times has flipped the switch on a companion Web site, www.arkansasautobuyer.com.

Launched April 25, the site features more than 1,500 vehicles from nine dealers in the region. Alan Leveritt, president and publisher, said the concept was to provide users with a searchable database of used cars and trucks in central Arkansas, allowing them to zero in on vehicles and their dealers with the click of a mouse.

For example, a search for a Chevy S-10 will turn up all the S-10s at participating dealers’ lots, along with a photo, a detailed description, a list of options, a list of features, a VIN number and more for each truck. The Web site and the weekly catalog also complement each other; each vehicle in the catalog bears an ID number, which can be entered at the Web site to obtain more information about a given vehicle.

The site’s photographs and information are updated each week along with the Autobuyer print edition, Leveritt said. Sold vehicles are deleted.

While the site is not a way to buy vehicles over the Internet, Leveritt said it can help consumers see what’s available and put them in touch with dealers; e-mail, phone numbers and other contact information are available.

Adding Up

Dealers who advertise in the Autobuyer catalog were given first crack at the site. Leveritt said they were able to participate for as little as $150 a week. “For many, the cost was less than $1 a vehicle,” he said.

Leveritt said that while many dealers already make investments in their own sites, arkansasautobuyer.com can augment those efforts by linking to dealer sites. For those dealers who want to continue to focus on their sites, Leveritt proposes they let arkansasautobuyer.com serve as a portal, driving consumers to a dealer’s Web page.

“We are spending $350,000 in cash and trade to promote this site,” Leveritt said. Television and radio spots have been running on Clear Channel Broadcasting stations, including KLRT-TV, Channel 16; KMJX-FM, 105.1; and KSSN-FM, 95.7. Leveritt also is buying outdoor billboard space and placing weekly ads in his own stable of publications: Arkansas Times, El Latino, Horseman’s Roundup and Autobuyer.