Taking brochures digital
Telling stories is essential for brands of all kinds, and historically this was often in the form of a brochure. But in this digital age, print is no longer the only way to go. With so many different channels available, it’s a matter of what resonates most with a brand’s audience and ultimately, produces better results.
Many property developers are sticking to their guns and continuing with print, which still has its place. Customers are able to literally feel a brand in their hands, appreciating the quality of the paper, the smell of the ink and everything in between.
However some are opting for a hybrid approach, combining print with like-for-like, online pdfs. And a few are leaving print behind completely…
This digital evolution has been embraced by NuLiving, whose data over the past few years has suggested that, especially post Covid, buyers no longer have the same appetite for a physical brochure. But, a standard pdf wasn’t deemed special enough either…
Botany Gardens
As part of our wider branding and campaign creation, NuLiving approached us to create a digital brochure for Botany Gardens, their new collection of 3 & 4 bedroom shared ownership homes in Purfleet, Essex. To align with their digital-focused content strategy, they wanted something that was easy to navigate, interactive, engaging, adaptable and most of all, fun.
The foundation of this brochure was, as always, the content. Like with any brochure; for the customer, it still became a journey of discovery. The development page on NuLiving’s website only told half the story, so we had to dig deeper into both the product and place, to get across the rich, vibrant nature of the local and wider area, as well as the fantastic opportunity available to potential buyers.
Less doesn’t always have to be more
When building print brochures, one of the challenges we often face is trying to include all the right information within a limited amount of space. Tough decisions have to be made about what gets left out. Whilst we’re believers in quality over quantity, we were able to implement certain functionalities that allowed us to include more content than ever before.
Certain pages feature clickable buttons that expand into dedicated content boxes. From details about the local area to specifications and travel times, it allowed us to communicate as much information as we liked without sacrificing the integrity of the design. We also utilised these as call to actions, allowing readers to get in touch easier and faster, thereby maximising potential leads.
Tools not rules
There’s also a zoom tool that allows the reader to change the size of the layout, making it a more accessible and inclusive reader experience. Plus there’s a search bar, which is ideal for finding what they’re looking for without having to manually comb through every page. It is also both shareable and downloadable; no more lending their sole copy to a friend or family member and risk it disappearing forever.
Although we had a range of interactive tools to choose from, we remained mindful of the content throughout and would only build functionality that enhanced the narrative. We ensured they would blend together as one to bring the brochure to life and create a memorable user experience.
A measure of success
The benefits for readers are clear, but there’s an added bonus for developers themselves: the analytics. Digital brochures provide powerful insights into reader behaviour and preferences, with the ability to track KPIs such as opens, page views and shares.
The brochure also aided the eventual sell-out success of the new shared ownership homes on their launch day! Brochures that are available prior to launch, that help pre-qualify leads and tell the whole story, exciting potential purchases along the way, can only help the sales process and mitigate any buyer remorse too.
So where do you stand on print vs digital and are you adapting them into your off-plan sales journey? Let us know via Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook.
Link to the brochure – https://secure.webpublication.co.uk/359067/1822997/
