ATLANTA, Oct. 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- AutoTrader.com has launched a new application on its Facebook page that allows consumers to search for cars and share the application with their friends.  The goal of this application is to engage with existing and new fans on the AutoTrader.com Facebook page, and drive qualified car shoppers back to AutoTrader.com participating dealers.  

"With more than 800 million active users on Facebook, and more than 350 million who access Facebook through their mobile devices, we believe this is a really rich environment to try new ways and innovative ways to reach our consumers and allow them to search for a new or used car," said AutoTrader.com President and CEO, Chip Perry.  "We recognize that social media and the internet as a whole is an influencing medium that consumers rely on their family and friends for advice on many things including what their next car should be.  We want to offer consumers an option to engage with us and our participating dealers through Facebook, and we want to offer our dealers the opportunity to reach a broader base of consumers through our Facebook page."

Because of Facebook's size and frequency of use by consumers, it is a top "preceding" site for most websites today.  AutoTrader.com, as well as many other sites, finds that about 5% of their incoming traffic comes from Facebook.

How Does It Work?

Consumers who visit AutoTrader.com on Facebook can begin their search for a new vehicle by entering body style, make/model, year and price range. They are then shown a list of search results and will be able to modify or filter results. Once they select a specific car from the results, they will be directed back to AutoTrader.com to review details.

In addition to promoting this via social media, AutoTrader.com is launching a paid media campaign on Facebook to drive new fans and engagement with the application and an email blast will be sent to AutoTrader.com's existing consumer base that have opted in for promotional updates

The AutoTrader.com Facebook application is currently live. Click here to access the page directly.

About AutoTrader.com

Atlanta-based AutoTrader.com, created in 1997, is the Internet's ultimate automotive marketplace and consumer information website. AutoTrader.com aggregates in a single location millions of new cars, used cars and certified pre-owned cars from thousands of auto dealers and private sellers and is a leading online resource for auto dealers, individuals and manufacturers to advertise and market their vehicles to in-market shoppers. The company also provides a robust suite of software tools for dealers and manufacturers to help them manage and market their vehicle inventory and display advertising on the Internet. AutoTrader.com continues to grow key business metrics, including revenue, profitability and site traffic. Today, AutoTrader.com attracts more than 15 million unique monthly visitors who utilize the site to review descriptions, photos and videos of vehicles for sale; research and compare vehicles; review pricing and specials; and read auto-related content like buying and selling tips and editorial coverage of major auto shows and automotive trends. AutoTrader.com operates two other auto marketing brands, AutoTraderClassics.com and AutoTraderLatino.com. AutoTrader.com also owns used vehicle management software company vAuto, Kelley Blue Book (Kbb.com), HomeNet Automotive, a leading provider of online inventory management and merchandising solutions for the automotive retail industry and VinSolutions, a leading provider of end-to-end solution platforms for dealers.  AutoTrader.com is a majority-owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises. Providence Equity Partners is a 25 percent owner of the company and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers is also an investor. For more information, please visit www.autotrader.com.

SOURCE AutoTrader.com