Fine Art of Flyering

April 12, 2007 Blog 12 comments

As I was opening the door to my home recently, out popped this slip of paper which looked like a hastily scribbled personal note.

When I looked closer at the details, I realise that this was actually a printed flyer and not a request from my relative. Yes, it wasn’t blue ink but print! While the language left much room for improvement, the note does catches one’s attention. It appears to be a genuine request for help, with the offer to pay high cash price for a unit in my estate. Pity that I am not in a hurry to sell though.

Compare that flyer to this one.

This second example is much more typical of a property agent’s work. It contains information on his range of services (buying, selling or renting properties), talks about the existing rental rates for various categories of flats, and also assures potential customers that they know their paperwork.

Then, there are those who go all the way, like these agents from PropNext, Singapore’s largest real estate firm.

You can see that this third flyer has the photos of the two agents, a comprehensive list of recently transacted prices around my estate, and even examples of units up for grabs. They also have a catchy web URL www.lovelyproperty.com.sg which offers various FREE services. Talk about going the whole hog!

If you were looking to sell your property, which flyer would you respond to?

By Walter
Founder of Cooler Insights, I am a geek marketer with almost 24 years of senior management experience in marketing, public relations and strategic planning. Since becoming an entrepreneur 5 years ago, my team and I have helped 58 companies and over 2,200 trainees in digital marketing, focusing on content, social media and brand storytelling.

12 Comments

  1. Gotta stay away from the cheesy stuff… mailers have to make it work within the first few seconds, so the first simulated handwritted flyer is awesome to me. 🙂

  2. I think e 1st one is more like doing the transaction without agent so a bit risky.
    In the ‘safety’ way, I think e 3rd one will be better. But when come to buy/sell house, normally we will still go back to the agent that we knew.

  3. Kevin,

    Interesting point of view. I was definitely more attracted to the “handwritten note” so it scored for attention generation. However, the credibility portion seems a bit lacking compared to the other boring marketing approaches taken.

  4. pauline and tigerfish,

    looks like you guys are more comfortable with the tried, tested and familiar. Its actually what I experience in Singapore too as most of our consumers tend to be more conservative. Well, whatever works may be more important than generating buzz sometimes.

  5. cool insider,
    Having moved more than 7 times and am contemplating another one …hehe…. I think I’m a specialist on this.

    I have my own property agent to serve me, she looks out for choice buys and updates me constantly on the market movement. It’s better to work with a fixed agent. (lol, who moves as much as I do?)

    Talk to more agents before making your decision.

  6. the choice the better, but i certainly give the first a miss. but if you already familiar with the property market, the first one will be fun to try out ;P

  7. eastcoastlife,

    Didn’t know you are a serial house mover! I guess if you do have the financial means, it can be quite an interesting experience to upgrade.

    For us, we are actually pretty happy and comfortable with our house here in a mature HDB estate and may hang on for quite some time. I am quite easily contented in terms of material pursuits.

  8. slurp! Ha ha…. My intention was to see if people will be attracted to the first flyer and then to respond. In advertising, if you follow the AIDA acronym – Attraction, Interest, Desire, Action – you would know that the first example attracts more than the other more humdrum ones.

    However, it may not necessarily result in action on the part of the consumer. This is the constant paradox that folks like me in Marketing Communications struggle with all the time.

  9. i myself will be drawn by the first one. with more personal touch.

    the nest 2, seriously,, too many of the similar.. i hv given up looking at this brochure.

  10. zeezee, I suppose there could be a difference in perception between different folks. I personally found Winnie the Pooh more attractive too though like eastcoastlife I also prefer to stick to an agent.

  11. The first one is what is known to a Propnex trainee as an “Ah Beng” flyer.

    More personal touch? Maybe but given the fact that it is “PRINTED”, there is a great chance that it is also an agent when you called up. He/she is trying hard to seek your attention and the flyer did the trick.

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