Going Green in Real Estate
7 June 2024
Written by Acme Mag
As a society, we know now more than ever the importance of shifting towards eco-friendly practices. Corporate social responsibility has never held as much weight in business success than it does today. However, in real estate this is something we struggle with.
We want to make better choices for the environment, but our legacy involves printing, printing and more printing. If your brand is trying to sell the message you’re eco-friendly whilst sending out thousands of DL’s or having multiple property brochures at an open home – you might be missing the mark.
To see what we mean, let’s look at a different industry. Coca-Cola recently launched a campaign focusing on crushing cans and recycling. However, most people know that crushing aluminum cans actually makes them harder to recycle, resulting in a huge amount of backlash. Similarly, receiving a DL in the mail when you’ve made a move towards sustainability might do damage to your brand.
We’re not saying you can’t send out any print marketing or that signboards are a thing of the past. In fact, the humble signboard still remains the hallmark of our industry. But you can make greater efforts towards your sustainability. For example, consider limiting the capability for customisation on your signboards so they work on any property at any time.
If you’re still not convinced, think about it more logistically. If someone is driving home and sees a new signboard in the area they want to buy, they’re not going to pull over and read all the property. They’ll likely go onto realestate.com.au, check the latest listings in the suburb, or even use the map function to find the exact property. If it’s less important than ever to have all the details on the signboard, why not go down a more sustainable path?
Now we know DL runs are important. It keeps your brand at the forefront for potential vendors in the area, but it’s time to evaluate how many you absolutely need to send, and if there’s a better way to reach your audience.
Do you need to send one every time a property sells in the area or can you make a bigger impact with one well designed print piece? Can this piece be printed on recycled paper? There are numerous considerations so just consider how you can be more thoughtful. Even curating a smaller list of addresses rather than sending out what can be perceived as spam can not only help the environment, but reduce costs too.
So you’re cutting down on signboard sizes, you’re cutting down the DL distribution, what can you replace it with? It’s 2024, lean on digital. With social media, email marketing and your own website, you can reach more people than ever before in a more personable way. For example, taking the budget for your small DL campaign, and putting it towards a Facebook and Instagram ad is not only going to use less resources, but can get your message in front of more eyes for the same price.
At the end of the day, public opinion is shifting. Our job and duty not only agents – but as people of the planet – is to shift with it. So start small.
Ready to go green and want to know how the best do it? Check out our article on honing in on your values with Adrian William.
