FLYERS WON’T GO AWAY ANYTIME SOON
Despite the general disdain from home owners towards flyer marketing, marketing experts told CNA TODAY that the practice is likely to continue in the long term, because it remains a practical and targeted marketing tool not just for property agents, but for anyone looking to advertise their services.
The main reason is that they are relatively low-cost and can be distributed widely to maximise effectiveness.
Professor Lawrence Loh, director of the Centre for Governance and Sustainability (CGS) at NUS Business School, said that flyers offer broad reach but they can also be customised to target specific estates.
“For example, some brochures include the estimated value of your property based on recent transactions, so it’s not just generic marketing. It can be quite specific,” he added.
“They continue to use flyers because it’s a low-cost method. And in many ways, it’s like playing the lottery. You send out a bunch and if one hits, it’s like striking the jackpot.”
Dr Seshan Ramaswami, associate professor of marketing education at Singapore Management University, said physical flyers work best when promoting services mainly relevant to people living nearby such as a tutor or a car wash service in the neighbourhood.
He acknowledged that flyer distribution leads to “tremendous wastage”, since only a small fraction of recipients would likely be genuinely interested.
“But if the costs of designing, printing and distributing are low, it might still be worthwhile, because even a very small rate of conversion may result in a large profit.”
Given the prevalence of digital marketing, Dr Ramaswami noted that there is indeed fatigue in advertisement exposure on all media and it is best to focus efforts on finding customers digitally. This may mean regularly uploading and bumping up posts on mobile applications and online marketplaces.
“But these ads work best for those who are already in the market to buy or to sell.”
He added that a flyer placed in someone’s mailbox with a message of “ready buyer for your flat” could spark consideration from a home owner who had not previously thought of selling – a “serendipitous” effect that digital ads are less likely to achieve.
As for the tension between home owners frustrated by the frequency of such mail drop and agents trying to earn a living, Prof Loh pointed out that a blanket ban on flyer distribution is not feasible, since other parties advertise a variety of services through similar means.
He proposed an opt-out mechanism as a potential solution, where residents who do not want to receive flyers could display a designated sticker indicating their preference.
“We could even have a bureau or registry to manage this, then it would be a win-win solution. Agents also don’t have to waste their resources on flats that opt out.”
With this mechanism, Prof Loh said that there can be proper grounds for residents to lodge complaints by submitting evidence to the authority in question.
To curb wastage, Dr Ramaswami suggested that placing print ads on notice boards, at building entrances or lift lobbies, or in paid outdoor spaces such as transit stops, could be a more efficient way to reach potential customers for services.
“The trick is always to distribute in ways that are as targeted as possible.”
Ultimately, whether a marketing practice works or not depends on the consumer, which in this case is the homebuyer. As long as realtors continue to see results from methods such as spam marketing, some of them will persist.
Among the agents who spoke to CNA TODAY, not all are convinced of the effectiveness or worth of flyers.
Mr Nikmat, for example, has given up on flyers after spending around S$5,000 without a single sealed deal.
“There were phone calls, yes, but no conversions. I’m not patient enough to keep bidding S$1,000 and another S$1,000 a month. About two years ago, I stopped. I figured out a better way through social media.”
