Design of the times: competition in today's high-tech market.

The digital era has had a profound impact on the way real estate is marketed.

The ease with which consumers can access digital imagery means sales are generated through photos, floor plans and artwork rather than copy.

The effect is similar to that of advertising on television; consumers want to see your product, even when they're nowhere near it.

Competing in this high-tech, image-inundated market is a pricey undertaking.

This is especially true for smaller firms and start-ups which are increasingly teaming up with professional "graphic design marketers" to maximize their impact within a specified budget, both on paper and online.

Know Your Product, Know Your Audience

Before meeting with a graphic design marketer, make sure you know what you can spend and how many brochures you will need; the higher the quantity, the lower the cost per unit. This variable will dictate how much you can spend on other costs, such as materials, packaging, method of delivery and web-based marketing.

What is a "Comp"?

Once you and your designer decide on strategy and concept, the designer will begin work on a comprehensive mockup, or "comp" of the printed brochure. The comp is a visual draft of the project that is edited and approved before production begins.

Reviewing the comp places the final authorization to proceed in your hands, so while the designer will have a proof reader look over the comp before it is delivered, it is ultimately up to you to catch any mistakes before going to press.

It is not uncommon for designers to ask for 50 percent down; after all, they are essentially loaning money by going to print before receiving payment in full.

Pocket-Sized Product

Your web site does not need to be flashy, but it should be clean, beautiful and, most importantly, easy to navigate.

If you are selling a specific product, such as a newly constructed condominium, you will need photos and/or architectural drawings and floor plans. It is not uncommon for new product to be sold pre-construction, which means developers and brokers are increasingly finding themselves pitching property with renderings and floor plans alone.

The collateral must be lush, so clear and inviting that the prospect can easily project himself into the apartment and feel good.

This has led the majority of buyers to expect a virtual walkthrough, whether the building is completed or not.

This trend can only snowball as more portable devices are equipped with internet browsers and dial-up becomes a thing of the past. The site should also list building facts, amenities and availability.

When the focus is the firm rather than the product, as is often the case in the commercial sector, a "corporate identity" page (home page) is now standard. The home page should prominently display a mission statement and include links to "about us," "principals & team" and "contact info" pages.

Over the past few years, it has become more commonplace for residential brokers to come out with personalized marketing strategies separate from their brokerage firms. Many brokers have launched their own websites featuring biographic information, listing details, recently sold properties, market information, awards and statistics.

They also feature an area where the agent muses over anything industry-related in his or her own words in a "web log" (or simply "blog").

An insightful blog will appeal to an increasingly tech-savvy client-base and portrays the professional in sync with the times. It also creates opportunities for global exposure. Although they are hosted by a separate Internet Service Provider (ISP), these websites, generally, carry a link to the brokerage firm to which the broker belongs.

It is not without expense, but at this stage a personalized website carries tremendous cachet and can be a very smart marketing tool.

Put it Online, Put Fewer on Paper

Developing and hosting a website makes financial sense when the target audience is large, but the expenses involved make this an impractical strategy for promoting a specific product or service to a more narrowly defined group.

A popular alternative is e-mail flyer (e-flyer) marketing. The e-flyer is six to ten visually appealing pares which combine a web-based marketing strategy with the more traditional brochure--minus the cost of paper and printing. They can be e-mailed directly to your contacts and are stored on your graphic designer's server, thereby slashing web hosting costs while reaching your audience instantaneously.

And since it is web-based, it can also be used as a mini-website, making web-based marketing and home pages affordable and practical for even the most modest budgets.

BY MARILYN MILLER,

PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER

MARKETING THRU GRAPHICS