The printing industry has been in steady decline for a number of years, with the growing trend towards digital platforms resulting in an increase in the number of firms, including estate agents, diverting a significant share of their marketing spend from traditional print media to online publications, driven by the changing way consumers behave and how they consume content.

The enormous success achieved by the major property portals, such as Rightmove, Zoopla, and OnTheMarket, highlights the fact that  property websites are big business in this technology-driven age, with many estate agents now receiving the vast majority of their sales leads online. But traditional marketing mediums such as print and direct mail marketing are still an essential part of a business’s overall marketing strategy, according to the CEO of The Guild of Property Professionals, Iain McKenzie.

He said: “Most people use digital platforms throughout the day and are constantly bombarded with electronic communication, which can lead to a form of digital fatigue. While there is no doubt that the right digital campaigns and messaging are worth their weight in gold, breaking through the noise and getting noticed within the highly competitive digital environment is not easy.

“More traditional marketing elements such as a high-quality printed magazine could be the differentiator that gets your business noticed. The physical mailbox is a less saturated marketing space, and many people actually look forward to receiving mail through their door. According to the Joint Industry of Committee for Mail, mail has one of the highest attention rates of any media and because it requires a motor action to collect it, view it and then decide what to do with it, it provides ‘tactile credibility’, engaging more of a person’s senses and building trust in the brand.”

McKenzie continued: “Using both digital elements and more traditional marketing channels as part of a holistic marketing strategy will help agents reach a larger audience and wider demographic.

“While the younger generations have grown up in the digital era, there are generations who still prefer reading a physical newspaper over the digital version. Considering the large percentage of homeowners who would fall into this category, it makes sense to include elements like print into your marketing strategy as an agent prospecting for listings.”