Selling your old car, your not so favourite guitar, or anything you don’t really need is now as easy as posting a picture on social media, thanks to Qatar Living.

You can sell almost anything here and all you need to do is impress your prospective buyer. Technology has changed our lives for the better, but the basic principles of buying and selling still work the same way as they have done for centuries. The seller has to make the buyer believe that he needs the item and instead of shouting the benefits and features like merchants used to do in open markets in the old days, he now does it with his written words, great photos and of course, intelligent pricing. Here we look at some simple tips to make your ads stand out from the rest that will help you sell your item quickly and efficiently. 

Use good quality pictures

As the adage goes, a picture is worth a thousand words, and in advertising, a lot more than that. 

The prime requisite for a digital media ad, or any advertisement for that matter, is a good picture or a visual. A creative image grabs instant attention but even if it lacks in the creativity department, a clear, well-lit photo with a neat background is half the job done. In these days of highly sophisticated cameras, with even phone cameras capable of capturing great quality photos, that’s not going to be a big ask.

A little idea about lighting - the photograph should be positioned between the subject of the picture and the main source of lighting being the most important among them - and a fair understanding of the camera is enough to take a good picture. The simplest trick about photography today is to take as many pictures as needed and choose the best few out of the lot and that idea should be implemented while taking pictures for your ad.  Another trick is to identify the best possible angle of the product, a frontal view of a car for example, and highlight that part - make the best bits shine. 

Compelling title 

The title of the advertisement should be able to grab the attention of buyers and search engines, so apt keywords should be used. There’s a set limit for the number of characters in the headline so there is not much scope for a descriptive or a long headline. The title should be straight to the point and project the most important detail in as few words as possible. Headlines such as ‘2018 Nissan Patrol single user’, ‘New Ikea sofa set’ could grab the attention of readers and the search engines when users search online. 

Description

Write an honest description of your item. You are trying to sell something to someone who is reading the description of it because he or she wants it. Keep that in mind. Avoid ambiguity in your writing, just be honest and describe your item as accurately as possible - think about what you would want to know as a buyer. Another key factor while writing a product description is to not use uppercase - there’s no need to shout at the buyer and it will put off buyers.

The most important thing to do before you write a description of a product, or rather as soon as you decide to put up an ad, is to read the rules for advertising.

Pricing 

Clear pictures and catchy words can grab the initial attention of readers, but it’s intelligent pricing that attracts them towards it and ultimately forces them to buy and that’s why it’s important to price your item correctly. If you put a hefty price tag on the item there is a good chance that it will put off potential buyers. And if you price it too low you might be able to sell it quickly but you might regret selling it. So it is important to do a little bit of research and get the right price of your item. Then assess your situation and price it accordingly. If selling it off is your top priority it is always a good idea to price it a little less than the market price.

Refresh and, if needed, promote

Once you post the ad you need to make sure that it’s at the top of the search results. Be sure to refresh your ad as often as possible. To get maximum exposure, refresh at least every day or more if possible. Refreshing your ad really gets it more views and is proven to result in a quicker sale. You can really boost the chances of a quick sale by promoting your ad. Check the cost of promoting your ad and understand that paying a little bit extra to get more buyers looking at your ad is the best way to get a quick sale at the best price. 

So come on, grab your phone, take some great photos of your car or guitar or whatever it may be, note down its benefits and features for yourself before writing a description of it, give it a good title, state your price and post it. Happy selling!

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