The Definitive Guide To Apartment Brochures

Apartment professionals across the nation share one common goal, and that's to reach and maintain 100% occupancy. How they go about making that happen, however, can range from one end of the marketing spectrum to the other. A little experience makes it clear that one of the best ways to present your community to a prospective resident is with a carefully designed and produced brochure. How is it that so many communities miss this simple, powerful and cost-effective tool?

Apartment brochures, just like the communities themselves, come with a wide range of characteristics. Whether your brochure is a beautiful, 8-page spread printed on high-quality paper, or a flyer that has been run off the same black and white copier for 10 years, they both do the same thing: tell the story of your community. The question is, will that story engage and entice prospective residents, or will it send them down the street to the competition?

Apartment brochures are important for many reasons. Of course, they show your amenities, floor plans, location, and may even include a site map of your community. But the single most important reason your apartment community should have a beautiful, well-designed brochure is because of the selling power that it provides.

You already know that prospects will usually not visit your community and sign a lease on the same day. Instead, prospects are more likely to tour your property and then move on to visit your comps. Later, they will review the marketing materials they've collected, study the floor plans and site maps, and make an informed leasing decision based on what they see in the brochures and what they remember about the properties.

A well-designed brochure stands out from all the others because it reminds the prospect of your unique features, amenities and floor plans, and gives a sense of the inviting lifestyle your community offers. If your brochure is so enticing that a prospective resident turns to it again and again, it essentially serves as a trained leasing consultant who can skillfully convert a prospect into a resident.

There are endless options when it comes to the style and design of apartment brochures, and that means some careful decisions are necessary. For example, choosing from among the many different folds, sizes and paper combinations can be challenging. Showcasing your amenities and floor plans in the best possible light calls for creative design. With our many years of experience and our professional team of designers, we've learned how to make the entire process simple, effective and fast.

Because we want the best for your property, we're providing answers to the most common questions in "The Definitive Guide To Apartment Brochures." When you make smart, informed brochure decisions, you'll see more prospects coming back to your leasing office with pen in hand. Here we go!

Paper Stock & Paper Coatings

Before we get into the sizes and folds of apartment brochures, we need to learn about the different stocks of paper and coatings that are available for your brochure. Other than the size of your brochure, paper stock is the #1 factor in determining the price of your brochure.

Paper Coatings

Aqueous Coating (AQ): Aqueous coating is a high-gloss coating that is added to paper to give it shine and durability. Unless a paper is meant to have a matte (or flat) finish, it will usually have an AQ coating.

UV Coating: UV coating is the latest, advanced paper coating option available. Usually reserved for postcards or other sturdy marketing materials, a UV coating will combine both a light shine and finish with tough durability.

Matte Finish: A matte finish provides a flat, more natural looking finish than other shiny coatings. Colors usually appear softer, and a matte finish will give a more “modern" look and feel to your brochure.

Paper Stock

100lb Glossy Book: This is the most commonly used paper stock for brochures. This stock always comes with an AQ coating and is known for its affordability and durability.

100lb Glossy Cover: If you're looking for a luxury brochure without the hefty price tag, then a cover stock is for you. Cover stocks come with either an AQ coating or a matte finish. A cover stock is much thicker and sturdier than book stock paper.

Recycled 100lb White Matte Cover: If green is your thing, then this is the paper for you. Just like the 100lb glossy cover described above, this eco-friendly paper is thick and sturdy, but can only be printed with a matte finish. Being green can be more costly, and recycled paper is a more expensive option.

14pt. Cardstock with UV: This is the paper stock that we use for printing all of our direct mail postcards. While not usually used for brochures, this cardstock is appropriate for folder-style brochures where a thick exterior is needed.

Brochure Styles

Now that you know about the different types of paper and coating options, we want to tell you about different styles of apartment brochures. You'll find that Apartment & Real Estate Promotions offers one of the most comprehensive selections of apartment brochures anywhere. We've designed brochures for apartment communities around the nation, and know what it takes to make your property capture and hold the interest of your prospects.

The Tri-Fold Brochure

The tri-fold brochure is the original apartment brochure. Regardless of size, all tri-fold brochures have 6 panels with one that is usually reserved for a mailing label. Smaller sized tri-folds (8.5" x 11") are capable of displaying up to 6 floor plans while listing all of your property amenities. Select a larger tri-fold (11" x 25.5") when you want to either increase the size of the floor plans, or just display more versions. Because tri-fold brochures are so versatile, they make a great fit for just about every property. An 8.5" x 11" tri-fold brochure fits into conventional size racks and envelopes, making them great for outside marketing and direct mail.

Pros: Affordable, versatile, professional and perfect for outside marketing.

Sizes Offered: 8.5" x 11", 8.5" x 14", 11" x 17", 12" x 18", 11" x 25.5"

Paper Stock Options: 100lb Glossy Book, 100lb Glossy Cover, Recycled 100lb White Matte Cover.

The Half-Fold Brochure

The half-fold brochure isn't new to the apartment industry, but it has certainly been rising in popularity. Usually printed on a thick, cover paper stock, the half-fold brochure can provide any community with a luxurious look and feel without a hefty price tag. The generous 11" x 17" size is what makes this brochure so popular. It can display your floor plans, amenities, site map, location map and plenty of property photos with room to spare!

Pros: Perfect for when you have a large number of floor plans, affordable but looks and feels luxurious, and different enough to stand out in a crowd.

Sizes Offered: 8.5" x 11", 8.5" x 14", 11" x 17", 12" x 18", 11" x 25.5"

Paper Stock Options: 100lb Glossy Book, 100lb Glossy Cover, Recycled 100lb White Matte Cover.

The Folder Brochure

A folder brochure is the way to go if you want to really set your community apart from the competition. This huge 9" x 12" or 9" x 14.5" folder-style brochure accomplishes a variety of tasks with style and class. Not only will your folder brochure show off your property photos and community information, it also comes with a pocket that holds floor plans, site maps and copies of the leases you sign!

Pros: Shows the prospect that your community has style and class unmatched by the competition, and provides plenty of room to include all of the information and materials that you give to prospects (credit apps, leases, site maps, etc.).

Sizes Offered: 9" x 12", 9" x 14.5"

Paper Stock Options: 14pt. Cardstock with UV or Matte Finish, 100lb Glossy Cover with AQ Coating.

The Booklet Brochure

There's only one thing that a prospect will feel when you hand them your community's custom booklet brochure: impressed! Custom-made to meet your property's needs, a custom booklet brochure is guaranteed to show off the best your community has to offer. No matter how many floor plans, features and amenities or maps you include, we can help you create a booklet brochure that captures the very essence of who you are and what you offer. In other words, you can have a unique booklet that separates you from the crowd.

Pros: Custom-tailored to your community with a one-of-a-kind design that guarantees you won't share your brochure style with any of your comps.

Sizes Offered: Custom to your community.

Paper Stock Options: Custom to your community.

Other Apartment Brochure Styles and Folds

Space doesn't permit us to cover all of the styles and folds of apartment brochures that are available, but be aware that there are still many other choices available. Below you will find illustrations of other types of common apartment brochures that we offer at Apartment & Real Estate Promotions. All of these folds are available with the options listed at the end.

The Accordion Fold

The Gatefold

The Double Gatefold

The Double Parallel Fold

The French Brochure

Sizes Offered: 8.5" x 11", 8.5" x 14", 11" x 17", 12" x 18", 11" x 25.5"

Paper Stock Options: 100lb Glossy Book, 100lb Glossy Cover, Recycled 100lb White Matte Cover.

We hope that you have enjoyed “The Definitive Guide To Apartment Brochures." In our many years of experience, we have learned that an informed client makes good decisions, and we are happy to spend as much time as necessary to help our clients make wise choices. We combine your requirements with our experienced and professional design and print services to create high-quality marketing materials that turn prospects into residents and keep your occupancy rates high. We also promise to provide you with the best customer service in the industry. If you still have questions about which brochure is best for your community, give us a call at 1-800-973-3317 to talk to an apartment marketing expert. It may just be the best decision you make all day!