To encourage buyers to visit and purchase properties, developers use these and other tactics—executed by an in-house marketing/sales team or in partnership with co-marketing agents.

Specific tactics include:

Direct mailings

Developers are eager to help you mine your client database for potential buyers. Ask if they can provide sample letters and other materials for prospecting purposes.

Informal buyer seminars

They may also be able to supply helpful presentation materials for conducting your own information sessions on international buying opportunities.

Fly-and-buy promotions

Discounted vacation stays if visitors attend an informational session.

Conferences

Developers also offer (and charge for) fullfledged educational conferences where attendees receive in-depth information on international purchases and investment. By charging for these events, developers can cover their costs and screen out less-thanserious buyers.

Print ads

Travel magazines, including in-flight airline guides, are prime advertising space for master plan communities.

Newsletters

Publications like Escape Artists and Live and Invest Overseas are also great places to advertise international developments. Often these publications may grant permission to republish their articles on your website if you seek permission beforehand and provide proper attribution and backlinks. You could also explore opportunities to earn affiliate income by selling their publications on your site.

Property portals

Listing portals such as realtor.com® International allow visitors to translate listings into 11 languages, and offer currency and measurement conversion. (For more on
this topic, watch for the October 2015 issue of Global Perspectives.)

Also, don’t forget current owners of timeshares/fractionals when determining who to target with your efforts. Similar to apartment-dwellers, these repeat visitors may want to redirect their rent checks into a mortgage payment. After all, they already know the area and might be ready to trade up to full-time property ownership (and earn their own rental income).

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