Effective marketing materials are often a forgotten piece of your marketing strategy.
In this article, we’re going to focus on printed marketing materials and how you can use custom marketing materials to support your marketing strategy.
What are print marketing materials?
Print marketing materials, also known as marketing collateral, are tangible materials associated with your business that people can see, and touch and pass around. They are designed to promote your brand and remind people of your company when they need your products or services.
Benefits of print marketing materials
Using print marketing materials can help your company, brand or product achieve the following:
Build brand recognition: You can use print marketing materials to present your brand colors, logos and design in different formats to either distribute or display. This helps people recognize and remember your company and products whenever they see those colors or designs.
Reach a wider audience: Print marketing materials get around. People keep them, pass them around, leave them on tables, post them on windows and community boards.
Stand out: When your competitors are spending all of their marketing dollars on digital marketing, your investment in printed materials will set you apart and give you an advantage.
Eye catching visuals: Print gives you the ability to share photos and other visuals that give potential customers a level of tangible proof of what you’re selling. You can provide detailed information about your product or service in a way that helps them visualize your product in their life.
Promote special offers: You can use print materials to advertise special discounts or other offers that might attract new customers. These materials could include coupons or discount codes that potential customers may redeem in person or online.
Sales tools:
Of course, the biggest benefit of all, is that print marketing materials increase sales. Promotional marketing materials’ job is to sell.
Your prospects and customers use these materials as a selling tool to share with other decision makers, or to evaluate the product or service to see if it’s a fit. Even just to dream about owning what you’re selling.
How do You Know if Custom Marketing Materials Will Work for You?
Here’s the secret to effective marketing materials — they help your target audience choose you. For your print to be successful, you have to make sure that it answers your customers buying questions such as:
- What does it look like
- What sizes and colors are available
- How much is it
- How do I order
Typically print materials are most effective if you run a brick and mortar store. But online businesses can use them too.
While it’s often assumed that these marketing materials are printed — you don’t have to be the one to print them. You can format your
Types of print marketing materials
There are many different types of print marketing materials that you can use to promote your business. Here are some examples:
1. Brochures
Brochures are great marketing tools for any business. Whether they’re printed on paper or digital, brochures are effective at getting people’s attention. A good brochure should have a clear message and call-to-action (CTA). If you want to get noticed, make sure your CTA is prominent and stands out.
2. Posters
Posters are often overlooked, but they can be powerful marketing tools if done right. When designing posters, think about what kind of information would be useful to potential customers. Keep things simple and use bright colors to draw attention. Make sure your poster includes a strong CTA.
3. Flyers
Flyers are inexpensive and easy to create. They’re perfect for businesses looking to advertise their services or products. Flyers work best when they’re distributed near high foot traffic areas, like grocery stores or coffee shops.
4. Business Cards
Business cards are small enough to fit in almost everyone’s wallet, making them ideal for handing out to clients, friends, and family members. Use your card to give someone your contact info, including email address and phone number.
5. Catalogs
Catalog sales are still popular, especially among consumers who shop online. If you sell clothing, accessories, furniture, or home goods, consider using catalogs to promote your company. Include images of your product, along with descriptions and prices.
6. Social Media Posts
Social media posts are a great way to share news and promotions with your audience. Create relevant content that encourages users to click through and visit your website. Be careful not to overdo it; keep your social media posts short and sweet.
7. Postcards
Postcards are a great way to drive traffic to a location. Use them as coupons with an irresistible offer to attract people to come to get whatever you’re offering.
8. Stickers and Labels
Stickers and labels are an excellent, creative and low-cost way to feature your brand logo, unique features and specials on your products.
Stickers and labels can make basic packaging looks custom and unique.
9. Greeting Cards
Greeting cards are a great way to show your customers that you appreciate them. They can also be used as a marketing tool to promote your business. Customized greeting cards are perfect for special occasions, such as holidays, birthdays, and anniversaries. You can also use them to thank customers for their business.
Include a CTA
Make sure your print marketing materials include a clear call-to-action (CTA). Your CTA should be prominent and easy to spot. It should tell the reader what you want them to do, such as visit your website or call your business.
Use High-Quality Images
Print marketing materials are often more effective when they include high-quality images. People are visual creatures and they’re more likely to remember your business if they have a good image to go with it. If you’re using pictures of your products, make sure they’re clear and well-lit.
Include Discounts and Special Offers
Including discounts and special offers in your print marketing materials is a great way to encourage people to use your business. Everyone loves a good deal, so make sure your offers are tempting enough to get people to take action.
10. Door Hangers
Door hangers are a great way to reach potential customers who might not be reached through other means. They’re also perfect for businesses looking to increase foot traffic. When designing door hangers, make sure your information is easy to read and includes a strong CTA. You can also use them as coupons or special offers.
11. Photo Prints
Photo prints are a great way to show off your products or services. They’re also a great way to get customers interested in what you have to offer. When designing photo prints, make sure the photos are high quality and well-lit. You can also use graphics or text to add interest.
12. Apparel
Printed apparel is a great way to show your customers that you appreciate them. They can also be used as a marketing tool to promote your business. Customized clothing is perfect for special occasions, such as holidays, birthdays, and anniversaries. You can also use them to thank customers for their business.
13. Flags, Signs, and Banners
Flags, signs, and banners are a great way to get your business noticed. They’re also perfect for local businesses looking to increase foot traffic. When designing flags, signs, and banners, make sure your information is easy to read and includes a strong CTA. You can also use them as coupons or special offers.
14. Letterhead & Envelopes
Letterhead and envelopes are a great way to show your customers that you’re a professional business. They’re also perfect for businesses looking to increase foot traffic. When designing letterhead and envelopes, make sure your information is easy to read and includes contact information that the customer can use to quickly get help on what they are looking for.
15. Car Magnets
Car magnets are a great way to get your business noticed. Think of them as mobile advertising. Make sure that the car magnets you use have a large and easy to read phone number and/or website.
16. Post-it® Notes
I just LOVE sticky notes as marketing materials. Sticky notes are a simple way to draw your customer’s attention to information you want the to see and focus on.
Here’s a real example. Recently, a company did a test where they sent out 3 versions of a survey. The first had a post it note, the second used a handwritten note on the cover page and the third had nothing on it. The results were:
- The Post-it note group had (76%) returned
- The handwritten only group had (48%) returned
- (36%) in the no message group had the survey returned
17. Labels
Labels are an often ignored bit of marketing real estate. But they are a powerful marketing tool. Labels build on your brand’s story. I like to think of a label as a business card you slap on your product. Another benefit to a well designed label is that it build familiarity with your brand with existing products.
What people don’t talk about is the fact that you can customize labels to feature any specials or new products that you want to promote.
18. Promotional Merchandise
A small business can use promotional merchandise to market their business in a few ways. First, they can give away merchandise as a way of saying thank you to customers for their business. They can also use it as a way to get customers interested in what they have to offer. Promotional merchandise is also perfect for special occasions, such as holidays, birthdays, and anniversaries.
19. Presentation Folders
Digital marketing and websites have all but done away with one important marketing material that is responsible for more B2B sales than any other — Presentation folders.
Presentation folders are a wonderful way to communicate your company name, brand message, products and services.
Your sales people will love working with a presentation folder and so will your customers. It’s like a touch, feel, and write on slide deck that can easily guide your customer through the buying journey.
What to put in your presentation folders:
- Case studies
- Product and service sheets
- Pricing tables
- Competitive feature comparison tables
- Your selling process — how you work with customers
- Team bios
- Any events that you participate in
- Other marketing materials that are seasonal and changing
20. Invitations
Again, anything that you’d send an email for, you an send a printed marketing material — invitations are a great example. Instead of an email, send printed invitations to your best customers for any special event.
Don’t worry, it’s not expensive, you can create an invitation online and have it mailed to your customers by using a variety of services. I recommend Postable and Shutterfly.
21. Rack Cards
Rack cards are flyer-sized postcards that feature your business, products or services through a partner or other related business.
If you’ve ever walked into a hotel lobby plucked a brochure from the lobby display — you’ve engaged with a rack card.
Local businesses are great at partnering with other businesses in their town, and rack cards are just one more easy way that your local business community can create partnerships.
22. Loyalty Cards
Loyalty cards come in all shapes and sizes. You can use a plastic credit card system to track customer purchases or you can use a basic business card that employees can punch every time a customer buys a product or a service.
23. Direct Mail
This is another high-ROI marketing tactic that small businesses can use to stand out from the competition. While your competitors are sending emails that don’t get opened, you can send direct mail pieces that put your branding in front of them in a way they can touch, feel and imagine in their life.
24. Water Bottles
One of the best branded merch you can give at trade shows is custom branded water bottles.
Whether they are actual bottles of water with a custom label or custom printed water bottles — customers love them.
25. T-Shirts
T-shirts are another fun promotional product that you can give at a trade show, to customers. You can even provide custom printed t-shirts to employees to wear at work.
Marketing Tips for Marketing Materials
WOW — bet you didn’t think there were more printed marketing materials than business cards! As you can see there are — so how do you make sure that they are working for you. Here are my tips
- Make them eye catching
- Give them a cohesive look
- Offer special deals
- Use professional design services
- Give them away at trade shows
Conclusion
Printed marketing materials can be a powerful way to reach your customers and drive sales. They are also a great way to show off your brand and create a cohesive look for your business. Make sure that you use professional design services so that your marketing materials reflect the high-quality of your products and services. And don’t forget to give them away at trade