Creative control: Dominium Management Services eliminated expensive outsourcing and created consistent company-wide marketing with its in-house design studio.

Designing unique marketing materials for apartment communities can be time-consuming and costly for many apartment owners--especially if the work must be outsourced to a design firm. However, it is difficult for a community to stand out to prospective residents without high-quality marketing.

Dominium Management Services, based in Minneapolis, found that many of its 175 communities could not afford to outsource their marketing design work. Tanya Cully, an Executive Assistant at that time, had been producing collateral materials in-house. Pam Shubert, Vice President of Property Management, recognized Cully's design talents and realized that this concept would benefit the company's portfolio as a whole.

"Our goal was to provide high-quality, professional marketing and collateral materials for our communities at an affordable price," Shubert said. "It became apparent that Dominium had the ability to complete many projects more efficiently and cost-effectively in-house."

Using Cully's talents as a full-time graphic designer, Dominium formed the Dominium Design Studio (DDS) in 2001. DDS is a unique, innovative service that provides communities with professionally designed brochures, advertisements, fliers, logos and other marketing materials at an affordable price.

Tailor-Made Materials

Prior to forming DDS, print pieces were either expensively outsourced or produced sporadically by community staff using word processing programs that were unable to produce the high-quality materials to make the communities stand out. Many smaller communities worked with minimal marketing materials.

Since its inception, DDS has evolved from a one-person, part-time position into a three-person department: a DDS manager, a full-time graphic designer and an administrator/graphic designer. Three marketing coordinators and a marketing director act as account managers for DDS projects on behalf of the communities. The department is equipped to handle the printing and finishing of design pieces.

Dominium quickly found that an in-house design department provided much more creative freedom and tighter quality control than would be possible using an outside agency. Marketing coordinators and regional property managers are directly involved in developing unique identities for their communities and can tailor marketing materials to a specific community's demographics. At the same time, DDS ensures a consistent image portfolio-wide, with adherence to fair housing regulations.

"DDS has been instrumental in helping to create a consistent branding image and message for Dominium," said Janet Rosseth, Marketing Director, Dominium Management Service. "Our corporate identity program and design standards have helped solidify the Dominium brand. Creative promotional and print campaigns have helped establish the personality behind the Dominium logo with which renters identify."

Sharing the Wealth

DDS produces marketing and collateral materials for its communities, including brochures, letterhead, business cards, outreach materials, direct mailers, print advertisements, banners and signage. A continuously updated DDS project catalog is available on Dominium's intranet for quick ideas and ordering. Dominium communities have resources readily available to quickly react to the ebb and flow of their occupancy, traffic and marketing needs.

Since its inception, DDS has received many industry marketing and design awards, including multiple Multi-Family Achievement in Design and Community Service awards for best brochure and best company newsletter.

DDS services have allowed small communities with tight marketing budgets to access professional marketing materials-without paying for design time and press runs from an outside vendor. More than 80 percent of Dominium's communities have design capabilities through DDS that they previously did not have.

Larger communities find that the DDS business model allows them to benefit from the design expertise of the department and to outsource the finishing of larger or more complex projects.

All Dominium communities reap the benefit of having an entire team of property management professionals collaborate on marketing campaigns. DDS designers are familiar with both the individual personality of each community and the marketing requirements unique to the property management industry.

"The service is not as much about a specific dollar amount or percentage saved, but more about the marketing opportunities made available to sites that would not have had the option of any design company prior to DDS," Rosseth said.

Property management companies that are looking to bring their marketing design work in-house should plan carefully and determine the needs of their communities.

"Plan ahead for all scenarios," Cully said. "Know your resources, capabilities and limitations, and always remain cognizant of the importance of the creative process as it pertains to meeting company objectives."

Kari Shideman is Dominium Design Studio Manager. She can be reached at 763/354-5500 or [e-mail].