Estate agents work with two target audiences: those looking to buy or rent and those selling a property. For either client base, it is important to maintain a professional brand image, and consistent marketing materials are essential to help you stand out from the competition. We have worked with several estate agents, creating a number of different printed items and branded clothing, from leaflets, flyers, and presentation folders to agreements, polo shirts and for-sale boards. Your printed items help create an impression of your brand and how your potential clients perceive you, so it is important to get it right.
Thanks to working with a number of estate agent clients over the years, we’ve noticed a number of print trends which are becoming a big part of how they market their business. To help you stay on top of the print game, here are four print ideas for estate agents we think should be a focus for this year.
1. Direct Mail
We notice more and more that estate agents are using door drops and direct mail to connect with their ideal client. Whether it’s sending postcards to potential sellers or sending information on the homes currently on your books, the key is to be precise with your targeting, messaging, timing and call to action.
- Targeting – Tapping into demographic data can allow you to tailor whom you send your marketing materials to, so it’s relevant to the kinds of homes they may be interested in.
- Messaging – Less is more! Succinct, clear wording works wonders when building a picture of their potential new home.
- Timing – Estate Agents are masters at reading the housing market. If there’s been a lot of interest in a particular area, then sending a direct mail canvassing letter to homeowners to see if they would be interested in selling their house is a great lead generation tactic.
- Call to action – never leave your audience wondering how to get in touch by adding clear contact details and CTA for booking a viewing or a call to find out more.
2. QR Codes
In the fast-paced housing market, it’s safe to say it doesn’t get more critical than cleverly crafted and distinctive window displays. They provide the perfect opportunity to instigate some action from passers-by and highlight to potential buyers that there are plenty of homes on their books. After all, there’s nothing better than stopping in front of estate agents to see the kinds of homes on the market!
Recently we’ve noticed QR codes have been making a comeback. Added to the profiles of the houses in your window display, keen house hunters can now use their phone camera to scan a QR code and flick through a digital property brochure or book a viewing right then and there!
3. For Sale boards
Often the first time potential buyer finds out about a property, ‘for sale’ or ‘to let’ signs play an important role in an estate agent’s engagement strategy. Thanks to the hard-wearing correx we use, the signs will be able to bring attention to your property, whatever the weather!
From circles to curved edges, recently, more estate agents are going for different shapes to stand out in the real estate crowd. We predict this is going to become more common this year, so make sure to get ahead by reviewing your signage! I love the approach that Hamptons estate agents have taken here. They have changed their wording, instead of “For Sale” and “To Let” they have changed to “Buy Me” and “I’m Taken”. A very small change but a really nice fresh and different approach.
4. Custom Marketing Materials
It’s so important for everything from your ‘for sale’ signs to your canvassing letters to be cohesive and in line with your brand guidelines.
Over the last few years, we’ve found more estate agents are moving towards custom-shaped leaflets and business cards, incorporating them across their print materials. For example, if their leaflets are cut out in the shape of a house…their business cards are too! Plus, in a busy real estate world, any opportunity to stand out is well worth the effort!
In Summary
We hope you’ve gained some insight into how your estate agents can make more of an impact with their marketing. We’ve supported a range of estate agents to bring their business to the forefront of their customer’s minds with impactful printed items but don’t just take our word for it, here’s what a fellow client has to say!
“Fabulous printing firm. Annafield Estate Agents & Property Maintenance have commissioned Raina to produce all of our documents, and she is the nicest person to do business with. The quality is excellent. Thoroughly recommended.”
Colin C from Annafield Estate Agents
Of course, if you’ve got any questions about how we can support your estate agents, do get in touch.
