MARKETING
Artwork is then produced and sent directly to the press queues for production. In the last 12 months Spicerhaart has
produced 17,533,495 pieces of printed material in every form. This is made up of: 1.9m Property Brochures 906k Business Cards 1.3m Digital Personalised Direct Mailings 8.4m Branch or Customer Bespoke Marketing Leaflets 5m Static Print Materials
dilemma Even those agents that are spending big on online marketing, are not neglecting the printed word. Tony Robinson, Marketing Manager at Robinson Jackson, doesn’t think that estate agency will leave printed marketing materials behind in the near future unless agency’s start making brave decisions. “In other markets the move away from print towards digital formats has been quick, but estate agents seem to be dragging their heels. If you ask any estate agent where the majority of their leads come from they will all tell you the internet. But when the 2012 marketing budgets are written, how many agents will be pulling out of print and putting all their investment into the internet? Very few I suggest.” Although Robinson believes that agents
The independenT’s
more information being available on an estate agent’s website, the requirement for agents to post out hard copies of printed literature is arguably in the past. Now, PDFs of the details are emailed directly or downloaded by the customer, depending on their interest. It is only at viewings that printed documents are given out to give purchasers that added sense of security.” However, Armstrong sees clear reasons
recognise that clients are coming from the internet, he still thinks vendors want to see their property in the local press – a format they can pick up and be tactile with. “Because of this it takes a brave agent to say that they have not got a page in the local paper every week – why risk a listing because the estate agent two doors along the high street are in the paper and you are not,” he said. Robinson Jackson are currently investing
hundreds of thousands of pounds to increase their presence on the internet but this has not been at the expense of printed marketing materials. “The day after we launched our high-tech ‘homemover’ e-magazine, we were investigating printers to turn it in to a paper version,” he added.
The experT view
To get the sort of printed materials that will be most effective, many agents turn to marketing and communications experts such as Ferrier Pearce who have been working in the property sector for over 20 years. Neil Armstrong, Director of Marketing at Ferrier Pearce has seen a shift in emphasis over the last five years. “With the rise of property portals and more and
30 DECEMBER 2011 PROPERTYdrum
why there is still a place for printed property materials today and will remain so for the foreseeable future. “Printed materials offer flexibility and act as a visual sales aid to refer to when closing the sale,” he explained: “Customers can take home printed materials and scrutinise them more closely, which they wouldn’t be able to do if they were seeing the details on an estate agent’s laptop or iPad.
‘The goal for Group Print Services and ROI was to return
savings to the operation
after costs.’ sTeve lamb spicerhaarT iT direcTor
Ferrier Pearce work with estate agents and developers to produce various printed materials such as leaflets and window displays.
“The future will largely be driven by
consumer expectation. As long as car manufacturers keep giving out car brochures, one would expect to receive something similar when making such a large investment in a property. No matter how small, a printed, tangible document, is something that is there in the consumer’s hand and can act as a call to action, whereas a PDF or a link to a website are more ethereal, harder to engage with and not always easy to find at a moments notice. You cannot replace the tactile experience of a brochure, which says a lot about the quality of the product. This is particularly important in new house marketing when the product may not be built and not available to view.” In terms of what is seen as most valued
by agents, Armstrong feels that the most popular printed materials are house specifications, new homes developer brochures, market intelligence reports, cross selling aids such as for mortgage advisory services and direct mail to promote the agent. Before embarking on your printed
materials, Armstrong believes that whether it is print or digital-based marketing personalisation and segmentation of the market plays a large part in the success of the sales activity. People are 48 per cent more likely to respond to marketing material if it is personalised according to the Institute of Direct Mail. “We are actively implementing with our clients segmented and personalised marketing material – buyers who are professional couples have very different requirements from a new home than a 2.2 family, even though they may both be buying the same four bedroom house.”
Spicerhaart has produced 17,533,495 pieces of printed material through its own Group Print Services division.
Do you have any views to share?
www.propertydrum.com/articles/powerofthepress
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