Special offer

How Long Will Your Print Marketing Piece Stay in the Consumer's Hands Before it's Thrown Away?

By
Real Estate Broker/Owner with Wayzata Lakes Realty: Eric Kodner Sells Twin Cities Homes

One of the key questions you must ask yourself when designing print marketing pieces is "will they keep it long enough to absorb the message"?

Print materials with a cheap or insubstantial look and feel tend to get thrown away rather quickly.  Here are several ways to make certain your print pieces won't wind up in the trash before they're read:

  • People tend to keep something around longer when it looks and feels expensive.  Don't print brochures or flyers on lightweight, "Insty-prints" style paper.  Use a high-quality glossy brochure paper that is suited to your printer.  Use laser-grade paper for laser prints and inkjet paper for pages printed in an inkjet printer.
  • Use high-quality stock.  Business cards should be printed on extra-heavy card stock or textured stock.  Cardstock with a ribbed texture or a glossy finish has a rich look.  A coating of clear varnish can be applied to cards after they are printed.
  • Color usually beats black and white, although simplicity and contrast is more important for logos and business cards. 
  • Use sharp, clear, high-pixel images in print pieces, not compressed photo files.  Don't over-magnify your images to the extent that they will become grainy.  Make an extra effort in your photography and it will pay off in print marketing.
  • Spelling and grammar must be impeccable in anything you hand to the public.  Nothing will turn off educated consumers faster than a piece that appears to have been written at the third grade level.
  • Use type fonts that are readable!  Script fonts can be hard to read and sometimes tough to print.  Fine lines in scripts can drop out or print "blind", depending on the printing process and other factors.
  • Balance copy with photos or graphics.  If your marketing piece is too "grey" (too much copy), no one will bother to read it.

There are excellent books and websites that deal with the subject of layout and design.  Check out About.com and search under "graphic design" or "desktop publishing" for helpful online articles on these subjects.  Learn to examine your own marketing pieces with a critical eye and to make appropriate changes.

 

Wayzata Lakes Realty - Minneapolis Saint Paul Real Estate          Global Luxury Home Search - LuxuryRealEstate.com

Not all real estate answers can be found on Google.

Let us help you gather the information you need to achieve your real estate goals.  Contact Wayzata Lakes Realty today at 612.670.2539.

Eric Kodner is a luxury property specialist and real estate educator in the Minneapolis & Saint Paul area with a unique perspective on the Twin Cities real estate market. Wayzata Lakes Realty LLC is a member of the LuxuryRealEstate.com broker network.

 

© Copyright 2007-2008 Eric Kodner & Wayzata Lakes Realty

Posted by

Contact Broker Eric Kodner with Wayzata Lakes Realty about Minneapolis & Saint Paul area properties, including Lake Minnetonka, Edina and the Minneapolis City Lakes area (Lake Calhoun, Lake of the Isles, Lake Harriet). We also sell on the Saint Croix River and on Lake Superior, including Bayfield, Wisconsin and Madeline Island homes.  With sixteen years experience marketing and selling waterfront properties in Minnesota and Wisconsin, we know Lake Minnetonka and Madeline Island real estate.

Wayzata Lakes Realty LLC (Minnesota) and Madeline Island Realty LLC (Wisconsin)

Real Estate Brokerage licensed in Minnesota & Wisconsin

Phone or Text Message 612.670.2539

EMKodner@Gmail.com  or

MadelineIsland@Gmail.com

Wayzata Lakes Realty

 

 

 

 

Comments (4)

Charlottesville Solutions
Charlottesville Solutions - Charlottesville, VA

Not very long as I just ran a couple of print ads and the results were so bad I do not even want to talk about it!

May 20, 2008 10:14 AM
Richard Schardt
Keller Williams Realty - Kernersville, NC
Triad NC Real Estate

Eric, Thanks for your post and ideas, I agree with your list of suggestions. I am going to check back to read further responses.

May 20, 2008 12:55 PM
Eric Kodner
Madeline Island Realty - La Pointe, WI
CRS, Madeline Island Realty, LaPointe, WI 54850 -

Charles -- Print layout can be a challenging activity!  A lot of newspapers and magazines will offer to design an ad for you, but in general I'd recommend that you do it yourself or hire a graphic artist.  I've seen publications do a poor job over and over again.  They just want your ad placement money!

May 20, 2008 07:43 PM
Eric Kodner
Madeline Island Realty - La Pointe, WI
CRS, Madeline Island Realty, LaPointe, WI 54850 -

Richard -- I plan on writing more on this subject as time goes along.  Agents are still using print and some need help with graphic design.

May 20, 2008 07:44 PM