Spanish Sales Direct marketing & promotion.

REVIEW

The 'SSD' website has seen an incredibly encouraging amount of traffic since its launch in 2006.

Whilst we expected winter to be as deadly quiet it traditionally is, it seemed that people were in Christmas and new year mode for much longer this year. But, despite this, the website has maintained a respectable level of visitor numbers.

The Analytic review of the site carried out by our admin team recently, shows thousands of visitors making tens of thousands of page views, and an average time on the site approaching 5 minutes!

The target audience of potential private buyers is certainly using the site to the full, and seems to be finding the site quite 'sticky'...... and why not.

With pages and pages laden with all sorts of useful information about buying and selling privately in Spain, and lots of internal links on those pages to even more information deeper within the multitude of sections of both buyers & sellers 'lounges', there is something useful for everyone.
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ADVERTISING

The new advertising campaign commenced with the vehicles being sign written with our slogan , logo and contact details...

... and the sales team getting the nice pink corporate polo shirts!

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LEAFLET/FLYER


Now that the first ten thousand flyer leaflets have been distributed we are seeing a further increaced number of enquiries, and we are thrilled to say that the number of positive comments we have received bodes very well for the future.

The design and content of the Flyer/leaflet was well conceived and well received, and has created quite a 'buzz' about this fresh approach to Spanish Real Estate. - Our thanks to all involved in this project.

A second print run is planned for Q2 to sustain the momentum of this campaign, and we will also be increasing the number of distribution points fourfold to spread the word even further than before.

RADIO AND MAGAZINE

"Now is a good time to commence advertising on the radio!" Said our marketing manager at the new years party....
"OK", we said. But with caution, as this is a new medium for us to work with and one which is notoriously difficult to measure the effectiveness of.

Well, in partnership with 'Valle Radio' we went 'On-Air' at last, alongside some more traditional print advertising in the station's sister publication, the popular coffee table '89.8 Magazine'.

Our radio slogan/background music?????
Ultra-Nate: "Cos your freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, to do what you want to do!"

It was annoyingly catchy, and hopefully made at least some listeners prick up their ears.
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WHAT'S COMING UP

And finally for now, the final stages of pre-publication of our brand new advertising campaign for Q2 can be unveiled....
"STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD"

These new ads will get exposure in several full colour publications throughout lots of different inland and coastal areas of Spain, as well as the UK.

And with a circulation of circa 25,000+ will definitely help us to get the message out loud and clear, that www.spanishsalesdirect.com is the place to visit now, if you want to sell your home in Spain, or find one at a sensible price!

Things to know about selling privetely in Spain.

O.K. You now have an awareness of the Spanish real estate market and you know your location a little better (from a buyers perspective), now it’s time to get know your house!

1. Homes have defects - FACT.

Take pen and paper and do a tour, noting any weaknesses that can potentially be seen by buyers when they visit. Do this more than once to ensure you have covered everything.

You want to discover things before the buyer does if at all possible, spare yourself any embarrassment and have good answers ready. Don’t underestimate the buyer’s ability to see things....things that you probably walk past a dozen times a day.

2. Your swimming pool (if you have one).

Depending on how long you have owned it, and how much you use it, may be taken for granted a little, or perhaps not looked after with such vigour as the first week you moved in? So make sure it is VERY clean because for it's new potential owners it could be a massive selling point, which is "a delight to look after" - not a chore. And is "used every day that you can" - not once in a blue moon, by your family when they come to visit.

3. Green fingered or not, get the garden and grounds looking well kept.

And maybe learn a couple of your plants/trees names (if you do not know them already) and drop them enthusiastically into conversation. Buyers get a great sense of added value when visiting if they hear this kind of positivity about the place.

4. You may well spend the least amount of time in the bathrooms of your house.

But buyers will place great emphasis on them when making a decision to buy. So make sure they are squeaky clean!

Hang some of your best towels for the visit. A bathroom that smells and looks clean can be a persuasion point.

5. Look up!

An Estate Agent once remarked that she was approached by a couple to sell one of the “nicest Cortíjo's in the province”.

It had excellent potential – large backyard, nice French doors to a huge pool terrace, a second floor landing area that was large enough to accommodate a family gathering, and solid wooden floors.

The only thing wrong, according to viewers, was the entire lighting system. The lamps and chandeliers looked like they were put there since the time of Adam and Eve!

She suggested to the present owners to replace all the lights and to invest in good quality lamps. The nicest cortíjo in the province eventually sold – just three weeks later – for just under the asking price!

So, in summary.....

know your own space intimately, and try to look upon it as you perhaps did the first week that you moved in....

Location, Location, Location!

What sort of things might your potential audience like about your property's location?

1. Schools -

Find out where they are, how many there are, and what ages of children they cater for. Do they have children from different nationalities? And if so are they still 'Spanish' Schools, or are they classed as 'International' status? - Local forums are a very good source of information like this.

2. Attractions -

These could be anything from busy 'water parks' to quiet 'national parks'! So try to make a list of anything that you (and others) may know of, and try to get a good blend. You can then adjust what ones you may wish to mention to potential buyers, depending on what interests they may have, and how active or otherwise, they may appear to be.

3. Comforts -

What things made you feel at home in the area....? It may be the Spanish locals giving you bags of fresh fruit and vegetables from their plot, it mat be the local 'Fish & chip shop', or watering hole. But whatever things have made you comfortable, will likely be music to any potential buyers ears! So make notes of them, and then introduce them into conversation where and when appropriate.

4. Essentials -

Doctors, Dentist, Optician, Hospital. People will need to know they have these services to hand.

and and that they have a good reputation... This is (rightly so) high on the list of priorities for buyers, and you must try to give accurate re-assurances to people if you want to sell.

5. Getting about -

Are there good road networks?, rail?... What about local bus routes or Taxi can options. All positives will help 'paint a picture' of mobility.... And mobility = desirability.

6. Good neighbors? -

Well this can be tricky if you have an existing problem! So be honest, but perhaps (if you are pressed for an answer) talk about the nice couple across the road that you often have Barbeques with in the summer, and just gloss over the immediate neighbors and their drum kit!! And whatever you do...No.1 rule - DO NOT GOSSIP!

7. Community services -

Has the road recently been re-surfaced, do the post boxes get re-painted every year, is the rubbish collected every other day.......if it sounds good, shout about it, it will likely raise eyebrows compared to what people are used to.

8. Lifestyle -

Eateries, Restaurants, bars, and other forms of entertainment will be very attractive to most people with the ambition of enjoying their retirement or having an active social life with other young families in the area. So once again, if you have a 'feel' for what your potential buyers will want to hear, select and highlight the attractions that will be pleasing to them.

Buyers should leave you with a warm feeling that they (not you) have done a great job of finding out about this place (their new home) and all that it has to offer them.

Well done!

Private selling considerations...

Right, you think estate agents are charging you too much in commission fees and you would like to sell your home privately instead. But you are probably a little unsure of how to go about it? After all, the agents earn huge sums; they must have a hard job right? Well, no actually.

Follow these straightforward tips and start to think about all that money you will have saved when you sell! Some of the following information will be common sense to you, or knowledge that you already have, but to think out a selling plan and follow it through leads to many considerations, and I hope that you will gain some insights that perhaps eluded you before, if so then my job will have been done. Now let us eliminate those agents and save a big chunk of that equity you have been nurturing since you bought your home!

1. Get Information:

- You have to put yourself in the shoes of an agent, since you are now your own agent. Speak to friends, relatives, neighbors and agents themselves if you can, and get an insight into other people’s experiences, good and bad. Knowledge of other peoples errors or failings are excellent ammunition for success.

2. Get you pound of flesh:

- Estate agents can still be used, but to YOUR advantage, nothing is stopping you from selling privately, even if your property is on the books of one or more agents. If they do not introduce the buyers, you pay no commission. So ask agents lots of questions about your home and how they are going to go about selling it, and what their thought are about every aspect of it that you can think of, from its market value, to its main selling features and/or drawbacks.

3. Price to sell:

- You WILL have to justify the price if you over-value your home, so take into account the fact that you do not have to bolster the price to account for an agent’s commission. And do your homework by finding out what price other homes in your area have sold, or are already on the market for. And of course use those agents again to appraise your home. A valuation is NOT an obligation to use them.

4. Learn the lingo:

- And no, I do not mean Spanish, although that may help some. I mean 'agent speak'... Key phrases, and certain words that draw your attention to their ads and add credibility. Or information that stimulates your interest, will likely have the same effect on others reading about your home!
N.B. Be honest though! You WILL have to justify any claims that you make!

5. Learn why some ads 'stick':

- You will, if you take enough of an interest in the local publications, notice properties that seem familiar to you as re-appearing week after week. Others may only be advertised for a day or so, and more still do not even reach the papers. So try to think about why that is. What is it about the sticky ones that make them so hard to move. It may be simply the price, but often wording and presentation will play a big part, and will play just as bigger part for you and your home. Try to uncover these clues and use them to your advantage.

6. Take the plunge:

- You can read information like this forever, but at some point you will have to act upon what you learn, and preferably before you forget it all!

There are tools for helping you to get your property advert published in a professional way to a large audience, for very little outlay.

The free-ads newspaper in your area, local notice boards in shops and businesses and even the local 'watering hole', and 'Enquire Within' boards or notices your garden gate or wall and your car window will all help you to reach your target audience.

For an even larger circulation though, you will need to seek the services of the 'world wide web'. And daunting as this may seem there are now FSBO (for sale by owner) websites whose sole purpose is to help you and people like you to gain maximum exposure. They are becoming more and more popular now and a good example for Spanish properties in particular is www.spanishsalesdirect.com