Editor’s note: This is part one of a two-part best practices series.
In February I made a polite demand to put focus on good design. Things should not only look good, but your entire marketing strategy should look and feel consistent. This goes beyond what typeface you are using.
Is your brand consistent?
When you look at your online presence (Facebook, Twitter, website, blog) and compare them to your printed marketing collateral, do they all carry the look and feel of your brand? The simpler the better! Don’t go crazy with a ton of typefaces and colors. Unit Realty Group in Boston is a great example of this. They are consistent on all facets.
Unit Realty Group’s website, Facebook, Twitter and business card showing consistency in their overall brand.
Be careful with DIY design:
- There is nothing worse than seeing stretched or warped type and logos. Stop the madness! Never, under any circumstances, should you stretch type or your logo. Instead, play with size, style, color and kerning (kerning is simply the space between two individual letters). As for your logo, have a couple variations of your logo on hand. Perhaps a horizontal logo and one that will fit more to a box form.
- Utilize the services that may be provided by your brokerage or title company. Heck, even a freelance designer would be willing to help and point you in the right direction (I promise, we don’t bite). We love nothing more than to make things look cohesive.
- As my fellow design nerd Heather Ostrom (@RosevilleRockLn) would say, “Look past the Kinko’s of the world!” I’m all about local. Start setting up a relationship with a local printer that can ultimately be your go-to person when you need marketing materials printed. Quality printing makes all the difference.
- Learn to appreciate negative space vs. filling up every spare inch on any of your marketing pieces (including your website). What is the call to action? What information is most important? You don’t want to end up with an eyesore.
Let’s recap!
- Keep it simple. Think about your font and color and stick with it on all marketing pieces for your real estate business.
- Never stretch your type or logo. Ever.
- Ask for help! You need quality marketing pieces, and there are plenty of people out there who actually enjoy this stuff (like me!).
