Are Print Materials Still Effective?
- Diego Panza
- May 6
How Effective are Printable Real Estate Advertising Mediums?
Whether or not print marketing materials are still effective in real estate advertising and sales is a question that is not only asked by real estate agents among themselves but also by their clients – that is by homeowners or investors.
As agents know, Mum and Dads selling their beloved as well as most valuable possession are often more nervous (can we even admit they are more scared) than new home buyers. It is the agent’s role to provide them with comfort and confidence in proposed marketing plans as this will go a long way in achieving a level of trust between agent and client as well as a smooth sale between seller and buyer.
Is Print Advertising Still Effective In Real Estate?
We know that agents are often likely to receive the following questions from potential sellers:
“With digital media now such as au.open2view.com, do we really still need flyers, brochures and advertising in magazines?”
“Isn’t print advertising no longer effective and can we reduce the cost of our advertising package by excluding these and save some money at the same time?”
The Most Effective Real Estate Marketing Campaigns
It is an agent’s role to explain that the most effective real estate marketing campaigns need to include the still effective print advertising mediums such as brochures, sign boards and flyers.
Real Estate Campaigns Now Have More Channels To Tap All Market Segments
Agents need to explain to homeowners that the growth of digital marketing in the real estate industry just means that there is now just other additional means or channels (media as well as printables) to advertise their home for sale and that each and every one of these different marketing channels are still highly effective today and that none at this stage of the current real estate market can be excluded from a successful real estate marketing campaign.
Furthermore, by excluding one element from their marketing media campaign (such as print) they are risking not covering the entire buyer market and may miss out on that ideal selling scenario – having two, not one but two or more buyers competing to purchase their home.
The Role of Digital Media in Effective Real Estate Marketing
Yes, the growth of digital media has played a huge shift in where most people primarily search the market for their ‘first’ home, their new ‘dream’ their ‘forever’ home, or their ‘downsizer’.
However these digital advertising channels are swamped with many, many different houses on sale and it can be very daunting and even frustrating for potential buyers to navigate through. We and others in the industry have found that digital media is primarily used by buyers as a method to ‘cull’, that is to select only their most preferred homes to view.
It is after potential buyers have physically attended an open home, that the importance of print advertising medium comes into play.
The Importance of Printable Advertising in Real Estate Marketing Programs
It is the custom in Australia that each potential buyer at an open home will receive a brochure (and sometimes a flyer and brochure). If the house has appeared in a real estate magazine, they are often provided with a free copy of that magazine as well. The flyers, brochures, magazines, and other handouts (agent’s business card) are usually of exceptional quality including floor plans and a detailed summary of the major attractions of the home as well as a number of stylist colour photographs.
Buyers usually take these printable advertising medium home with them, making a collection and starting yet another ‘culling’ process.
Typically one of two of the buyers will review the printable advertising (that is the brochures and pamphlets) that they have been provided. They will browse through these comparing floor plans, photos, imagining potential renovations, and mentally moving themselves and their families into living in different homes.
The Value of Printable Materials in Real Estate Advertising
Printable materials (such as brochures, pamphlets, magazines and business cards) in real estate advertising have many valuable characteristics and these are outlined below.
Attention Grabbing
A non arguable point is that quality professional brochures are strong attention grabbers and there is little else that can compete in terms of showcasing a home’s best features and keeping an image of that home in the buyer’s mind.
Culling and Conversions
Buyers may keep the brochures of the ‘winning’ homes to show other family members, friends, or colleagues for input.
The brochures of the best chosen ‘dream’ homes are often set aside for keeping and further house inspections undertaken. Usually, this process is ongoing with the list of ‘possibles’ growing until a final ‘cull’ is done. This is where real estate print materials are invaluable in converting sales.
Lifespan
Another pro of pintable real estate marketing materials is that they have a longer lifespan than digital marketing as they are likely to be left on the coffee table, the kitchen table or countertops, a continual reminder to the potential buyer.
Affordability
Also print advertising such as real estate brochures (and particularly business cards) are not actually as expensive as one would think. Due to the change in technology it is no longer necessary for long advertising print runs to make the cost of print advertising seemingly less expensive.
Now print companies are able to print short runs at much more affordable rates so that cost and the conversion rates of real estate pamphlets and brochures still remain an effective advertising medium in the real estate industry.
Is Print Advertising in Real Estate Sales More Effective in Different Socio Demographics?
Whilst we don’t actually have any hard numbers on this, anecdotally we have noticed that the younger generation are more likely to bookmark their favour potential house buys on their mobile phones or text the link to family or friends on open day – and that the more mature pockets of our population are more likely to value the printed materials provided to them.
In general, this behaviour leads us to believe (as many do in the industry) that over time the effectiveness of print advertising in real estate marketing will start to decline – but that is still a long, long, long way away.
Furthermore given the other very strong points of difference that printable real estate advertising has such as:-
- Greater attention-grabbing qualities
- longer advertising time;
- relative affordability;
- likely higher conversion rates
There will always be a role of some sort for printable materials in real estate marketing.
Sign boards
Sign boards are more than effective and an extremely good advertising value for your dollar in the real estate market. Not only are sign boards an indication to all residents within and passing through a residential area that a new property is on the market, but on or near busy road with high visibility they are invaluable in the overall marketing campaign.
Pamphlet Drops
DL pamphlet drops are still done and they are still done because they are still very effective. Did you know that there is a very high percentage of people who sell and move within the same neighbourhood? This occurs as the families grow, decline and/or the needs of the family change but friends, shops, schools and medical and other facilities are still highly appreciated. That is the house that no longer fits their needs, but the neighbourhood still does.
Pamphlet drops can be very, very effective methods of real estate marketing. They inform both buyers and sellers within a neighbourhood of new properties currently on or coming onto the market and as noted with so many people moving house within the same neighbourhoods this is a highly effective method of target marketing.
Another Important Role of Print Advertising Materials in Real Estate Marketing
We have discussed that print materials are still effective in real estate marketing for the buyers and sellers of properties. What we have still to discuss is the importance of print materials for real estate agents and real estate agencies in terms of brand growth, brand positioning and brand awareness.
Agent Profile and Agency Brand Growth and Identification
Therefore, buyers (and potential sellers) are not only provided with material relating to the house but also about the real estate agent plus the agency they belong to. This brand and profile building is invaluable to both agents and agencies as it is targeted to the exact target market, those that are looking to buy and sell within the surrounding geographic area and within a particular price range. This then is a very, very effective print advertising tool for those in the real estate market to benefit from themselves.
When real estate markets are seller markets such as they are now in Brisbane, April 2021 (at time of writing) pamphlet drops are also a highly effective method of advertising for real estate agencies to use this medium as a way of attracting new stock i.e. potential sellers in particular ‘hot spots’ where there is market scarcity.
With messages such as “highest price ever recorded”, “shortage of properties” this type of real estate marketing can very effectively encourage different segments of the housing market to sell their homes now rather than later. An example of this would be those looking to downsize or those looking to get into the market before it becomes even more unaffordable.
Conclusion
Please contact us at open2viewqld.com.au for all your high-impact print marketing, we combine both competitive prices and fast turnaround for all of different print real estate marketing materials including:
Win More Listings, Sell More Properties
Open2view® provides high-impact print marketing at competitive prices and a very fast turnaround.
Showcase a property’s best features is an essential takeaway for your potential buyers with quality print brochures that last beyond the first viewing.
- Very fast turn-around times*
- Quick, reliable, and efficient service
- Create and manage brochures online
- High-quality Open2view® photos
* Template creation: 24~48hrs from final artwork approval. Brochure printing: order Mon~Thu by 12 noon for same day dispatch.
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