Over the course of the last six months as the market has continued to undergo a severe shakedown, I have encountered many realtors in online forum websites who think print is dead.

 
The buzz words you’ll find being tossed around on many internet real estate forums are search engine optimization, website design, banner ads, internet listings/postings, email flyers and much more that didn’t exist until the coming of the digital age.  Let’s be clear that those buzzwords are important and play a vital role in each client’s advertising and marketing efforts in order to attract the attention of potential buyers.  However, just as these are important tools in a realtor’s tool chest, let’s not forget that the tools of the past can still play a vital role in the quest for the increasing elusive “sold” sign in the world of real estate.

 
One clear sign of this is the fact that so many realtors on these internet forum sites continue to complain that their clients insist that they also place ads in local papers and home guides, or print out actual flyers. The realtors seem to cringe when they hear those requests from their clients saying that they rarely see results from such advertisements and what they believe amounts to wasted marketing dollars.  Still the clients push this approach and usually the realtor will give in.

 
It’s hard to be sure that such marketing strategies are so terrible or that they produce such dismal results.  As internet savvy as some people are today, it very well could be that someone sees an advertisement in a local paper and then searches a website such as realtor.com for that particular listing hoping for more information and color photos that might not have been included in the paper listing.  After all it’s expensive to list a lot of info in a print source and surely the savvy buyer will know that more info on the listing will probably exist online.

 
So now, did that lead originate online or from the print ad?  The print ad of course.

 
Another example is that many many couples looking for homes will narrow the area down where they are looking and on Saturday and Sunday afternoons just drive around looking at potential homes.  We’ve all been there.  “Oh honey look, there’s one!” as the spouse points to the home with the “For Sale” sign in front.  They pull over and someone jumps out and walks up to the flyer box to grab the awaiting sheet of info. They continue this procedure in the area of interest stopping at pre-planned homes and some along the way that eluded their previous internet searches before leaving the house.  They then return home to go over the collected information discarding those of little interest and keeping the ones that may warrant a call to their realtor for a possible viewing.

 
It’s a scenario that plays out every spring and summer all across America.  My parents did it, my wife and I have done it and probably the person reading this has done it.

 
There are a few companies now that offer custom flyer designs for realtors and home sellers.  Realtors should not be so quick to dismiss these forms of marketing to potential home buyers.  As played out in the scenario above, when it comes time to sort through the collection of material, a well made and designed brochure listing the property’s information may be just what is needed to inspire the buyer to take a second look and schedule a viewing.  

 
There is no doubt that we live in a visual society.  People are still attracted to shiny and pretty things.  That will probably always be the case.  A professionally designed and graphically attractive print ad or brochure can still turn out positive results. There is a reason print is still sold as a medium of communication and that’s because people are still using it.

 
Chances are home sellers are still going to request print marketing for some time to come. And the simple reason for that may be that they themselves are still using it like millions of other Americans.  So instead of cringing at the request, why not try to focus on what will make the ad attractive to the eye of the potential buyer.

 
Happy Selling