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Brochures … the easiest sell on the schedule

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14 December 2011

Brochures … the easiest sell on the schedule

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These past 6 months have witnessed a significant slow down in the Melbourne property market, both in terms of stock being offered and prices being achieved.  As a marketer, I’m always interested in how the industry responds to these challenges.  Will certain clients seize the day and increase their marketing in the face of the negatively?  Will others look to cut marketing costs at the exactly the wrong time?  The short answer is yes to both questions depending on which business you look at and the results have been predictable.  Those businesses that remain focused on marketing spend less time complaining and have better cashflow.

There’s one trend I’m seeing that seems to be industry-wide; a recognition that high-quality brochures are a worthwhile investment.  This is a big change from a few years ago, when it seems as if every outer suburban agent was installing a new Xerox machine to print their own flyers.  Why the change?

It’s being driven by a few different factors.  Firstly, buyers are a lot more valuable in a tough market.  Agents are recognising that it’s crazy to spend thousands of dollars on the Internet and in the newspaper getting a small number of buyers to a property, then giving these precious buyers a printed piece of photocopy paper.  Buyers are valuable in this market and standing out with quality sales material helps them appreciate the value of the property.

The second reason why we’re seeing increased investment in this tool is it’s ability to act as a referal tool for a buyer’s network of friends and family.  In a world where 90% of clients are using the web, the brochure often becomes the only tangible marketing piece for a campaign, and thus plays an important role for buyers in their search.  They use the brochure to show the property to friends and family and as a part of this process, the agent’s brand is constantly being exposed.  This exposure has an implicit recommendation tied to it–Agent X is selling the home that I want to buy and it therefore a good agent.  The last thing you want to do it send a message that your a pool marketer with low quality tools in this situation.

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