We’ve done a lot of brochures for real estate development companies. The marketing must be created before the property is built or even rehabbed since developers can start selling the properties before one even exists! Sure, the buyer may go through a model of the potential property, but they usually go home with my brochure. The buyer will look at all the marketing of the property including the floor plans, model renderings, layouts, colors, and logo. And in this day and age, most likely the consumer will check out the website of the real estate developer/ property too.
I love to picture buyers sitting at home comparing properties in the same area that don’t exist yet. All they have at that moment is the graphic design of the printed pieces to determine how nice the property will be built and managed. Those assumptions are based on the marketing we create, and it’s our job to make our property stand out. Our competition may just have some stapled together printouts and we’ve done a tasteful brochure.
But my main point is that the marketing materials are what lingers on the coffee table. A buyer will flip through the brochures several times, maybe ask a friend which property is better, and refer to it to make a final decision. The design of a simple brochure keeps the consumer engaged with the product long after the tour is over. At the very least, we present the developer as professional and competent. At the most, we sell the property.
Sure, you could say the same thing for a brochure for the latest sports car, but when’s the last time you bought a car before it was built?
