By Brian Flook, MIRM Power Marketing & Advertising

I often hear marketers say that print media is dead, but is it? I’m quite sure I saw a weekend real estate section in my local newspaper.

Now, I’ve been helping builders market their homes and communities for more than 23 years — long before any of us knew about the Internet, social media or Google. And I firmly believe that you still can, and should, successfully use print media in your marketing.

Because so many builders have pulled their print ads to focus on the Internet and social media marketing, there is ample opportunity for those who continue to use print.

Here's my big secret on how to use it successfully — offer the right home in a location that your consumers want at a price they're willing to pay and then advertise and market it properly. Essentially, know your product, understand your buyers’ preferences and craft a powerfully denominated, compelling message for your audience. It’s that simple.

To successfully generate traffic, you first must understand that advertising is both an art and a science. The challenge in ad design is creating a message that will penetrate your target audience’s brain.

The Art of Print Advertisements

The art of advertising centers on the emotional content of your ad. Be sure it reaches out and grabs your prospects by the jugular and commands them to, "Read this ad or you will regret it." Here’s how:

• Express your message — with power. Which ads grab your attention and make you read them? Headlines that are graphically reinforced are the most important factor in grabbing your audience’s attention. First, make sure your headline expresses a powerfully compelling selling message that focuses on the benefits that are important to your target audience. Then, use a powerful graphic to visually reinforce and strengthen your message.
  
  
• Don’t fill space just because it’s there. Now that you have a powerful headline, don’t overload your ad by stuffing it with every possible image and word you can think of. That will only confuse or distract your prospects.
  
  Instead, focus on one compelling message. Make the ad strong and concise — and don’t be afraid to use a little white space. When used properly, white space will guide your audience, showing them where to land, what to read next and how to relax.
  
  
• Photography matters. Good photography isn’t good enough. Only great photography sells. So spend the extra dollars on great photos. Also, more often than not, one large image has more power than four smaller ones.
  
  
• Limit the number of typefaces in your ads. Too many typefaces can become a distraction and irritant to your prospects. I recommend that you use no more than three different typefaces in your ads — preferably one or two. You can use different type fonts, such as bold and italic, but avoid using more than a few different typefaces.

The Science

The science of advertising centers on gathering the knowledge about what makes a message compelling and applying it properly.

• Remember what generates traffic to your homes — and use it. Great looking ads often win awards, but that doesn't mean they will deliver traffic.
  
  Instead, strategically meet your consumers’ housing needs by creating and marketing a compelling selling message that speaks directly to them.
  
  
• Reputation isn’t everything. A good reputation won’t get prospects to your model home. An ad about a home at the right location with the features they want at a price they are able to pay will.
  
  I understand the importance of a great reputation. It is extremely useful to help close the sale — but a reputation won’t generate traffic.

Concentrate on Perceived Reality

When showing a new home to potential buyers, you actually want them to concentrate on their perceived reality — essentially, how they will use and live in their new home — rather than a sterile laundry list of its features. Your ads should focus their perceived reality as well.

• Paint a picture that incites emotion. Your ad might suggest a particular scenario: “Can’t you just see yourself serving a buffet-style Thanksgiving dinner on this spacious, beautiful countertop? It’s durable enough to hold hot, steaming bowls of turkey gravy, a green bean casserole, stuffing and creamed potatoes. And there’s more than enough room to accommodate a large platter of sliced turkey and those delicious desserts your family loves.”
  
  Yes, your kitchen features durable, hard-as-nails countertops and a state-of-the-art range, refrigerator and dishwasher. But your prospective buyer pictures her family happily gathering around the kitchen counter, eagerly piling their plates high with food cooked in her beautiful new kitchen. If your ad conjures that image for her, you win.
  
  
• Determine the perceived reality of your prospective buyers. I often say that, whatever people believe — whether it’s true or not — is what they will act upon.
  
  Successful advertising requires that you first understand the mind of your consumer. Then, through artistry, you can lure them in and close the deal with a message that is so compelling they cannot resist.

So, is print advertising dead?

It’s weakened, yes, but it’s not dead. The Internet is the king of new-home marketing now, but the weekly newspaper real estate section will still generate traffic — if you apply the right rules to your print advertising.

Brian Flook, MIRM, is president of Power Marketing & Advertising, Inc., an advertising, marketing and sales consulting firm for home builders and the real estate industry. He is also an industry speaker and trainer who has been featured at the International Builder’s Show every year since 1996. He is also the author of the marketing book, “Master What Matters: How to Create New Home Marketing That Guarantees Increased Traffic.”  For more information, e-mail Flook or visit www.power-marketing.com.

This article originally appeared on the NAHB Sales and Marketing Channel.

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