Top 14 marketing and advertising materials to drive a high-value new business

There is a great reference article here https://diymarketers.com/19-best-marketing-materials/ of which of condensed it to the essential starter kit for starting a new small business in many common sectors.

What are marketing materials?

Marketing materials cover a wide range of items that communicate your marketing message to customers. Effective marketing materials serve as a reminder to call your company and use your services. These items may include printed products like business cards, brochures, presentation folders, and catalogs. Signs, banners, and even billboards can be classified as marketing materials. Other promotional items, like t-shirts and coffee mugs, are other examples.

Why Marketing Materials Still Matter

Most small businesses don’t have the luxury of hiring sales people. This is where well developed and thought out marketing materials can do that job.

Content marketing includes all kinds of content, and marketing materials are content.  Often, they are used digitally on your website or social platforms, however, many are printed and are of increased value to your customer.

Customers want to hold and reference marketing materials about high-value purchases.

Out of sight. Out of Mind. This phrase doesn’t just apply to people, it applies to conversations and product information. Websites disappear from your screen but paper tends to stick around.You search for information or pricing and then something gets in the way and suddenly the page you were looking at is gone.

If you sell a high-priced or high-value product, you want to have printed marketing materials. Here’s why.

Printed marketing materials tend to float around.  Not only that, but if you’re selling a “high involvement” product — something that’s expensive or important such as a furnace, or a high-priced service, your customer will want to have that information close at hand.

Printed marketing materials get passed around.

One of the great things about marketing collateral is that they have a long “shelf-life” – and get passed around from one prospect to another.

Think of them as additional advertising or support for folks who refer you to their friends and family.

If you use direct marketing to sell your product or service, you want to make sure that all of your best and ideal customers have information about your company in their hands.

How to Use Your Marketing Collateral

And now for the good stuff.

Here’s my list of 19 types of marketing materials that are ideal for small businesses.  I’ve grouped these materials into five categories.  I’ve also placed these categories in order of the marketing and buyer’s journey.  This goes a long way toward helping you understand exactly how you can use each type of marketing material.

Tips on How to Use Small Business Brand Building Marketing Materials

Every small business has these brand basics but most don’t leverage them for maximum branding exposure. Unfortunately, most of these materials are taken for granted and often relegated to boxes in the back of the supply closet. Here are a few creative ways to use these staples of materials.

Examples of Promotional Materials

1. Website

• Match website to your brand design
• Have a basic website and create additional sections for different groups of customers or for different products
• Include call-to-action information so prospects can order: email, order landing page, phone, address – across the bottom.
• Include any instructions on how to buy or place an order.
• Create a FAQ
• Put clear offers at different price points to entice new customers.
• Be sure to add a copyright to designate “rights reserved”

2. Business Cards

• Add your logo and tagline to your business cards
• Be sure to include an email address with your business domain. name@yourcompany.com
• Use that valuable back-of the-business card real estate as an appointment card, price list, or print something unique and memorable about your business.
• Include extra business cards in every correspondence so that customers can refer you.
• Use a version of your business card as a sticker for envelopes.
• Add your social media URLs to the card (not just the logos).
• Put a short survey on the back of your business card
• Keep a list of referral partners and give them enough cards.
• Include in invoices and correspondence and bags.
• Add your price list to the back of the card.
• Put helpful info on the back.
• Add a coupon on the back.
• Place a promotional offer on the back of the card i.e. free consultation.
• Leave your card in relevant businesses i.e. banks, libraries.

3. Letterhead & Envelopes

• Is there a phrase or tag line that you always use in your business? Slap it on the letterhead and the envelope.
• Send personal letters/notes to customers on letterhead
• Create a letterhead design that makes your sales presentations pop.
• Use letterhead for printing invoices.
• Create notecards as letterhead for more information communication
• Send direct marketing mailings on letterhead and insert brochures, coupons, etc.
• Match your envelopes with your letterhead.
• Add unusual script or text on your envelopes to make them stand out.
• Consider larger branded envelopes for presentations.

4. Brochures

• Match brochures with your brand design
• Have a basic brochure and create additional brochures for different groups of customers or for different products
• Include call-to-action information so prospects can order: email, order landing page, phone, address – across the bottom.
• Include any instructions on how to buy or place an order.
• When you update brochures, send them out to customers along with a friendly letter on your letterhead. Your customers will love it.
• Create a block of text that contains contact info for questions.
• Put clear offers at different price points to entice new customers.
• Be sure to add a copyright to designate “rights reserved”

5. Outdoor Signs

• If you have an outdoor sign, make sure that it’s in good shape; lights working, letters and writing visible from a distance.
• Keep outdoor signs simple and eye-catching
• Stay away from ALL CAPS – use a mix of fonts in different styles or sizes.
• Define the purpose for your outdoor signs and stick to it.
• Be specific about your offers- what, how much, until when.
• Add point-of-purchase signs to drive customers to featured products.
• Use window decals to clearly display hours of operation.
• Add humorous or colorful outdoor tent signs featuring specials.

Tips on How to Use Sales Presentation Materials

The next phase of the sales and marketing process is to educate your prospects. This set of materials is especially handy for high-involvement purchases (such as industrial machinery or high-end home purchases).

While I’m featuring printed collateral here, all of these materials are easily adapted to your digital marketing as well.

Treat these as content marketing.

That means your primary focus is the customer and what information they need to make a good decision (and choose YOU over the competition).

6. Sales Sheets / Product Sheets

• Use your branding style sheets and fonts.
• Make fonts and colors are easy to read.
• Feature your USP for each product or service.
• Focus on your marketing message in product descriptions.
• Include client and customer testimonials.
• Explain or show product applications.
• Create “Offer Tables” that spell out what’s included at different levels.
• Include pricing information or links to pricing information.
• Spell out what level of support is offered for each product or service.
• Include links to product order pages.

7. Slide Deck & Explainer Video

• Have a custom-branded slide template for everyone to use.
• Create a branded signature talk to post on LinkedIn that features your marketing message and typical problems solved.
• Include a basic call-to-action for the audience to download the presentation and a free resource.
• Prominently feature an irresistible offer for sharing.
• Convert your slide deck into a 90-sec explainer video.
• Include a link to your video on your business cards and brochures.
• Incorporate your video into sales presentations.
• Include a link to a video.
• Include a link to a sales page where customers can place orders.
• Share your explainer video on social media and your website

Conversion Focused Materials

Your marketing materials are like a 24/7 sales rep who is there to speak on behalf of your business. So make sure that you’re adding all the information your customer will need to contact you and buy from you.

When creating your flyers, postcards and menus keep customer conversion at the front of your mind.  Put yourself in your customer’s shoes. Then, imagine your customer with one of these objects in their hand.

• What problem is your customer solving?
• How have they tried to solve the problem?
• What is your unique way of solving that problem?
• What’s the payoff or benefit to your customer?
• What action do you want them to take?

8. Flyers & Post Cards

• Create a branded flyer template.
• Print professionally on glossy heavy paper.
• Create flyers for each customer segment.
• Use flyers for special offers.
• Create informational flyers for specific products or services.
• Add customer testimonials to flyers.
• Add coupons or free offers to flyers to entice foot traffic.
• Staple customer receipts to flyers and place in a bag.
• Mail new flyers to customers inside invoices or other communication.
• Create a PDF of your flyer and send links to customers via email.
• Distribute your flyers to complementary local businesses.
• Mail to customers.
• Visit neighborhoods to deliver or leave at door.
• Post online on Instagram or Pinterest.

9. Menus

• Add a story about your business.
• Make them EASY to read. Use larger fonts.
• Avoid overlays or print screens.
• Stay consistent with your brand.
• Create PDF or printable menus to download. Invest in great descriptive menu copy.
• Post your menu on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.
• Post pictures of your menu items on social.
• Encourage customers to post their orders on social – have them add a hashtag or mention you for a discount.

Customer Support Materials and CRM

A lot of businesses either skip or skimp on these elements.  But adding at least one of these to your customer support materials can improve customer loyalty and drive referrals.

10. Thank You Cards

• Invest in professionally printed and branded thank you cards.
• Add a handwritten note.
• Include a Thank-You gift, product sample or gift certificate.
• Send cards after – a referral, a problem you solved, a big order.

11, Loyalty & Gift Cards

• Many loyalty programs are online, if you mostly sell offline, stand out with a “hard” loyalty card or gift certificate.
• Print high-end, gift certificates
• Send out $25 – $50 gift certificates to existing customers. This encourages them to come back and bring someone.

12. Posters

• Create posters about how your business makes your customers “feel”.
• State your message in as few words as possible (no more than 5).
• Use posters as a decorative feature in your offices.
• Highlight your company values and mission.
• Feature employees.
• Feature customers and add a testimonial.
• Craft an irresistible offer and make a poster out of it. (Think value-meal).
• Choose the right location – make it relevant.
• Create posters focused on how you serve customers.
• Put your company info and relevant URLs at the bottom of the poster. Make it visible and easy to find.
• Create artistic posters and use them as promotional awareness builders.

Examples of Awareness Marketing Materials

Promotional materials — aren’t just for trade shows! Think of promotional marketing materials as reminders and prompts for prospects to become customers.

Get more return on your investment from trade show promotional products by incorporating them throughout your whole business.

13. T-Shirts

• Optimize your log or create an icon. of your logo that is easily embroidered or printed on clothing.
• Select approved clothing items that can have a logo, tagline or other branded language
• Trip the reciprocity trigger with branded clothing gifts to prospects.
• Print a special offer on branded clothing and have everyone wear it for a period of time.Encourage employees to wear branded clothing at work and in their personal life.

14. Vehicle branding.

• Spread the visibility of your brand to other useful items – your vehicle is prime real estate to advertise your business.
• Include a website, phone number, and service area.

Now that you are inspired it’s time to get started. Contact Product Pixel Design for a free consultation on how to market your new business.