Stationery is the oldest part of an agent's marketing and, among the most affluent clients, still among the most noticed. A handwritten note on a good card after a showing is remembered. A business card that feels right in the hand is kept. A letter on well-made letterhead sent with an offer or a listing proposal signals that the agent takes care.

None of this requires extravagance. It requires a small set of pieces, designed as one family, printed on proper paper and used with intention. This article sets out what that set should include and how to design it.

The four pieces

A complete stationery set for an agent is short.

  1. The business card.
  2. The note card, folded or flat, with envelope.
  3. The letterhead, with a continuation sheet if needed.
  4. The envelope, which may be used for letters and for mailings.

Some agents add a compliments slip, a thank-you card for closings, or a presentation folder. These are optional and can wait.

All of them should use the typefaces, colors and lockup from the rest of your personal brand system. If your stationery looks like it belongs to a different person than your flyers, the system has a gap.

The business card

The card is the smallest piece and the most handled. Keep it simple. The type choices behind the card are covered in choosing typefaces for an agent brand beside a brokerage brand.

What goes on it

  • Your name, in the display face.
  • Your title, if you use one: for example, the license designation your brokerage permits.
  • A phone number and an email address you actually answer.
  • The brokerage name and office, as the brokerage and Illinois advertising rules require. Business cards are generally treated as advertising, and the brokerage identification is expected. Confirm the specifics with your managing broker. See our guide to Illinois advertising rules.
  • A website address, if it is short and useful.

What stays off

  • Your photograph. At the high end, it is rarely needed and often dates a card.
  • A slogan.
  • A long list of services or credentials.
  • Social media handles for every platform.
  • Icons for phone and email. The context makes them clear.

Format and paper

A standard size is fine and fits wallets and holders. Thicker stock gives the card presence without any other device. A heavy uncoated paper in white or off-white is classic. Some printers offer layered stock, which can look refined when handled with restraint. Edge coloring, letterpress and blind embossing are available. Use at most one of them. Two begins to look ornamental.

Both sides

The reverse can carry a single graphic element, a pattern, a simple mark or a solid color. It can also be blank, which in many contexts looks entirely confident. If the reverse is used for contact details, keep it clean.

The note card

The note card is the quiet workhorse of luxury agent marketing. It is the card you write on after a showing, a closing, an introduction or a milestone in a client's life. Its value comes from being personal, so it should not look like marketing.

Design

  • A flat or folded card, in a size that fits comfortably in a pocket envelope.
  • Your name or monogram at the top or on the fold, in the display face, very discreet. A small mark is enough.
  • No brokerage name on the card itself in many cases, since it is personal correspondence, not advertising. This is a place to check with your managing broker and, if needed, add a small brokerage line on the envelope flap or the back. Policies vary.
  • Plain interior, with room to write.

Writing on it

A short handwritten note takes two minutes and is a mark of care. Write with a good pen, in plain language. Keep it short: a thank you, a specific memory of the showing, a simple wish. Avoid sales language. A note that mentions a property in order to market it is no longer a note. See also listing remarks that describe the house for the tone to carry across.

The letterhead

Letterhead is used less than it once was, but remains valuable for formal correspondence: listing proposals, offer cover letters, thank-you letters to clients, letters to sellers or neighbors.

Layout

  • Your name at the top, in the display face, with the lockup used in the smaller form.
  • Contact details in a quiet line at the foot, not crowded at the head.
  • Generous margins, with enough space for a typed letter and a signature.
  • A continuation sheet with only your name or monogram, for letters of more than one page.

Print or digital

Most letters are now sent as PDFs. Provide a digital version of the letterhead as a template your assistant can use, with the same typefaces and margins. Provide printed sheets for the occasions when a physical letter is sent. They should match so closely that nobody can tell which is which.

The envelope

Often forgotten and highly visible. A good envelope has:

  • Your return address and name on the flap or the face.
  • A color or lining if desired, in line with your palette.
  • Matching paper to the card or letterhead.

Envelopes for mailings, such as invitations or announcements, follow the same rules. Mailings are advertising and carry the brokerage identification. See open house invitations for the related design thinking.

Paper choice

Paper does more than any other variable to make stationery feel right.

  • Weight. Heavier stock feels more considered. Avoid thin or glossy paper.
  • Surface. Uncoated paper with a gentle tooth takes pen well and has a quiet presence. Smooth stocks look cleaner and suit modern designs.
  • Color. White, off-white and soft cream are the standards. Strong colors rarely last.
  • Consistency. The same paper family across all pieces, so they feel related in the hand.

Ask the printer for samples. Handle them before choosing. A specification on a screen tells you very little.

Finishes

Finishes are optional and best used sparingly.

  • Letterpress gives a physical impression into the paper. It suits simple, typographic designs.
  • Engraving is traditional and expensive in effect, though not required.
  • Foil can look dated unless used very sparingly.
  • Edge painting adds a line of color on a thick card.
  • Blind emboss is subtle and often the most elegant.

Pick one. The best stationery is recognized by the quality of the paper and the design, not by a catalog of treatments.

Compliance in short

Stationery that markets your services or a property is advertising. The brokerage identification is expected on it. Personal correspondence, such as a handwritten note, is treated differently, but policies vary and a brokerage line on the envelope or reverse is a safe habit. Ask your managing broker, and follow the brokerage's standards for approved use of its mark. How the brokerage mark sits beside yours is covered in co-branding with your brokerage.

Copy follows fair housing principles as in all marketing. See Fair Housing-safe listing copy.

Ordering and quantity

  • Start with a modest run of each piece. Needs change, details change, and brokerages change. See moving brokerages.
  • Keep the artwork in a clearly named folder, with print-ready files and the specifications of paper and finish.
  • Re-order in small batches when stock runs low. Stationery that travels with a listing belongs to the larger luxury listing launch kit.
  • Use a single printer where you can, to keep color and paper consistent.

A short checklist

  • Card, note card, letterhead and envelope designed as one family.
  • Same typefaces and palette as the rest of the brand.
  • Business card carries the brokerage identification.
  • Note card is personal and uncluttered.
  • Paper heavy, uncoated or smooth, in a quiet color.
  • At most one finish.
  • Digital letterhead provided for daily use.
  • Small first run.

What it says

Stationery does not close a sale. It does something quieter. It tells a client that you pay attention to details, and a client who believes that about you will extend the belief to the rest of your work. Our personal brand work includes a full stationery set, designed to match the rest of your system and prepared so it can be reprinted when your circumstances change.