Eleven Elements for Designing a Real Estate Flyer

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A small crowd gathered outside the red brick storefront, forcing passersby to detour around them on the sidewalk. Those in the front of the crowd almost had their noses near enough to the wide plate window to fog up the glass. Those in the back were up on their toes to get a look. All were jockeying for position in order to get a better view of the papers taped to the inside of the window. Papers that featured images and descriptions of homes and cottages and empty lots for sale all around the popular resort area. Someone in the crowd snuck a peek and typed something into her phone. Someone else snapped a picture through the window. Still another held up his phone to scan a code from one of the ads. A man and a woman stared intently at one property listing, nodding their heads in agreement. Then the crowd moved on and another took its place.

To some it may seem strange that, in today’s world of digital and mobile technology, a real estate flyer is still one of the most effective tools in an agent’s arsenal. Whether you are showcasing a single property listing, highlighting a community event, inviting people to an open house , or catching the eyes of people passing by the window of your streetside office, there is no doubt that a thoughtfully designed real estate flyer will stand out in ways that online messages cannot. Even with – especially with – younger prospects. The truth is, when it comes to your marketing strategy, print products are here to stay, and a real estate flyer remains a solid option for grabbing attention and garnering leads.

While any real estate flyer will follow a fairly standard format – a headline, a few photos, a description, an agent’s contact information – a flyer that really stands out requires more. More thought. More creativity. More of a plan. If you want to create a flyer that offers a professional presentation and produces results, consider these eleven elements for designing a real estate flyer.

Elements of a quality real estate flyer

Just as it is important to construct a cohesive online presence across your company website and your social media campaign , it is also important to complement your digital efforts with professional print products. A carefully-crafted real estate flyer will incorporate a number of design elements aimed at communicating your ideas and encouraging action from your audience.

Set a clear goal. “Backwards design” is a principle employed by teachers when they design a lesson plan. The idea is that they should know what they want as an outcome for their students before they decide what activities to include in the lesson. So they begin with the assessment in mind. By knowing what questions they want their students to answer at the end, they can tailor their activities to move them toward those answers. In the same way, you should aim your flyers at an intentional target audience, and your audience toward an intentional response. Who are you hoping to reach? And what would you like them to do? What will your flyer feature? Where will your flyer be presented? How much are you able to spend? Answer these questions before you pursue your design.

Focus on your buyer, not your business. When you are coming up with the concept for your real estate flyer and are deciding what type of information to include in order to reach your goal, keep in mind the needs of your intended audience. Your flyer should explain how you can help buyers and sellers accomplish their goals. Your accomplishments, while impressive and relevant, are not their main concern. So, focus on their interests, their desires. And remember, you are not simply selling a property , you are selling a dream. Instead of highlighting a stone fireplace, show off a way for your buyers to “curl up around a roaring fire on a cold evening”. Rather than describing access to a local lake, tell your buyers about the chance to “spend their summers strolling along the beach”.

Keep it concise. A flyer allows space to offer far more information than (for instance) a real estate postcard can hold. But beware of piling too much information into your layout. Instead, limit yourself to a compelling and attention-grabbing headline , images of the best features of the property, and a brief description. Keep your words, descriptive as they may be, to a minimum. Rather than write out long and boring paragraphs, use short, descriptive sentences and bullet points to communicate your message. Write with words that elicit positive emotions. Do not try to give your audience every bit of information at once. Whet their appetite. Build their curiosity. Then encourage them to take some sort of action. And do not be afraid to employ a professional writing service to help you do just that.

Contemplate your Call-to-Action. Right along with the clear goal you set forth for your flyer – the main message you want to send and unique audience you want to send it to – is the inclusion of some sort of call-to-action. What do you want people to do ? If all you offer is data and details, you have no way to track the effectiveness of your campaign and no opportunity to collect contact information, leads. The property you highlight with your flyer is not the one most buyers will choose. It could be out of their price range, be too small for their family, or be missing a mudroom. On the other hand, they are in your neighborhood and they are looking for something. To get their business, you need to capture more than their interest with your flyer. You need to get their contact information. Your CTA is the way to have them get in touch with you, so make it clear and make it easy. Include a note to “email me @ myaddress ” or “text ‘HOME’” to your cell number. Better yet, include a QR code that links to a survey, online listing, or a page on your website where they can leave their contact information.

Incorporate your brand identity. Whether you are creating a print advertising piece (such as a flyer or a real estate brochure ) or a digital document, one element must thread its way through every fabric of your marketing campaign: your brand. You want members of the community, especially your prospective buyers and sellers, to be able to identify your materials by their presentation alone. That means every postcard, brochure, flyer, business card, website, etc. should include a consistent design package that conveys your brand . That includes your logo, font selection, layout pattern, color scheme, contact information, your photograph, and more.

Experiment with a template. You do not need to create your real estate flyer from scratch. In fact, you are better off if you begin with a flyer template. Without a template, you are stuck guessing about text and image placement, trim lines, and bleed. On the other hand, a template will show you where it is safe to place your text and images on the page, saving you time and money when it comes time for printing. A quality print company will arm you with flyer templates that will allow you to sketch out a professional design before submission. They will also offer professional design services to ensure that you get the greatest impact from your real estate flyer.

Include high-quality images and contrast. Compelling. That is what you are after. No one is going to read your real estate flyer, let alone respond to your CTA, if the at-a-glance look of your flyer is not engaging. Begin with professional high-resolution images and photographs. Nothing detracts from your message more than amateurish cell phone pictures and clumsy clip art graphics (here is where a real estate photography service can really up your game). Also, shoot for enough contrast across your layout to draw attention, up close and from a distance. Attract, impress, and encourage your readers to walk up and read on.

Design from the top down. People may be attracted to your flyer because of a catchy headline or an irresistible image, but once they actually spend time with your flyer, they read from the top down. So put the most important information near the top. Finish up with the least important information at the bottom (although all of the information should be important enough to warrant inclusion). If your go-to image in the upper third of your flyer makes the document top heavy, balance it out with graphics near the bottom to make it visually appealing. Make creative use of color and scale to draw users down the page.

Print on quality paper. All of your print products benefit from the use of quality materials. Flyers are no exception. Just because you can run off dozens on a color copier does not mean you should. You are advertising far more than a property with your real estate flyer. You are selling yourself as a solution to someone’s problem. You are the neighborhood expert, guide, caregiver when it comes to their real estate needs. Every aspect of your marketing campaign should reflect the highest level of professionalism – at least the highest you are able to present, given your budget for a particular campaign. Whether you are printing in the standard 8.5×11” format or something larger (or smaller), aim for 100# gloss cover stock with UV coating for extra shine and protection.

Consider full bleed. If you really want your print product to stand out above the competition, ask your print service to show you options for full bleed layouts. Bleed essentially refers to images that go all the way to the edge of the paper without the usual white margin or border. Flyers with full bleed design have a more polished look and feel. An appearance of excellence perfect for your higher end offerings and when your budget allows. Of course, you will not be able to print your flyer on the office printer or copier with full bleed, but if you are looking for a high-quality, high-end product, you are not considering that as an option anyway.

Merge your printed real estate flyer with your online efforts. Of course, you will want to include your contact information on any flyer you create. Include your name, address, phone number, fax number, email address, and website. But don’t stop there. You have an amazing opportunity to marry your print advertising materials with your digital offerings and get more bang for your buck. How might you accomplish this? Well, besides having your email address and website listed on the flyer, you might also include your social media profile. You could even include a QR code that links to your website, to an online listing, or to some other page (like a Matterport 3D virtual tour ).

Whether or not your real estate flyer is a showstopper, an attention-getter, a “hey, come on over and check me out” marquee is up to you. A few quickly snapped pics, roughly-worded descriptions, and search engine clip art strewn on the page will practically ensure that it is not. But if you make an investment in print advertising as part of your marketing mix and pay attention to these eleven elements of real estate flyer design, you will go along way toward impressing your clients, improving your brand, presenting your properties, and capturing new leads.

The post Eleven Elements for Designing a Real Estate Flyer appeared first on Hometrack Real Estate Marketing .

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Meet Victor Coll, a seasoned expert in the art of in-bound content marketing. With a proven track record in crafting winning content strategies, Victor excels in attracting and engaging audiences organically. His proficiency extends to optimizing content for maximum impact, resulting in increased brand visibility and audience retention. Victor's dedication to the art of in-bound content marketing has helped businesses achieve remarkable growth. Join him as he shares invaluable insights and strategies to empower your content marketing efforts and drive meaningful connections with your target audience.