How To: Create Basic Marketing Materials

by: Jen Udan | ChooseWhat.com

Printed marketing materials are a highly effective way to promote your business to customers, clients, business partners and potential investors.

Marketing materials are printed materials that business owners use to promote their companies and services. We have identified four main types of marketing materials:

• Paper Marketing Materials

  Examples:  brochures, flyers, postcards, business cards, menus, sales sheets, etc.

• Promotional Marketing Materials

  Examples: t-shirts, mugs, calendars, pens, gift certificates, event tickets, keychains, etc.

• Stationery

  Examples:  letterhead, greeting cards, invitations, envelopes, address labels, rubber stamps, etc.

• Signs & Banners

  Examples: banners, lawn signs, posters, bumper stickers, window decals, etc.

Every business owner or entrepreneur should use marketing materials to:

• Inform customers about your business
• Actively get more customers in your local area
• Put together a marketing package for potential investors
• Promote an upcoming event or product/store launch
• Promote your business at conferences, conventions or job fairs
• Create positive customer service experiences and build customer/client relationships

Before you Create Marketing Materials, you should:

1. Name Your Business

2. Register Your Domain Name

3. Set Up a Business Mailing Address

4. Set Up a Phone Number

5. Set Up a Fax Number

6. Set Up Business Email Accounts

Doing all of the above steps will ensure that you have the proper information necessary to promote your business on printed materials.

Online Printing Services

We recommend using online printing services because this option is fast, inexpensive and convenient. Online printing services give you online tools that help you design your materials yourself and offer a variety of options and upgrades. After you’ve designed your  materials, the service will print and ship your  order to the address you specify.

Cost:

Cheaper than specialty print shops; comparable to, or cheaper than, copy and print shops

Pros:

• Additional cost savings (They offer seasonal discounts, promotions and coupon codes that offer additional savings to already low base prices.)
• Variety of card options and upgrades
• Ability to customize and order your marketing materials yourself on your computer
• Saves time since you don’t have to drive back and forth from the printing shop

Cons:

• Shipping and delivery fees
• Standard turnaround time of 1-2 weeks. If you need your cards in 24 hours or in 1-2 days, you’ll have to pay extra.

Top Online Printing Services:

Compare top Online Printing Services.

Copy & Print Shops

We recommend copy and print shops to those who want to receive face-to-face customer service and pick up their order in-store. Copy and print shops are typically part of large chains, like FedEx Office (formerly Kinko’s) and Staples. You can walk into any copy shop and give them a design or “proof” (they usually ask for a PDF file) that they will print for you on card stock. Many of the large chain shops also offer a design center where you can design your marketing materials from scratch using their design software.

Cost:

Cheaper than specialty print shops; comparable to, or more expensive than, online printing services

Pros:

• 24-hour or 1-2 day turnaround time included in the price
• No shipping fees, unlike when you order marketing materials online
• One-on-one assistance from in-store reps when designing your materials
• Some places offer custom designs that they outsource to contract designers

Cons:

• Limited options for paper, card stock and finish

Top Copy & Print Shops:

• FedEx Office (formerly Kinko’s)
• Staples
• QuikPrint
• Office Max

Specialty Print Shops

We recommend specialty print shops to those who want high quality, custom designs/prints and one-on-one assistance. Specialty print shops have special printing equipment and offer a variety of services, such as offset printing, digital printing, wide-format printing, and display graphics. You can walk into any specialty print shop and give them a design or “proof” (they usually ask for a PDF file) that they will print for you on card stock.

Cost:

Most expensive option of all those detailed in this article

Pros:

• Wide range of print and paper options
• High-quality cards from their offset printers
• 24-hour or 1-2 day turnaround time included in the price
• No shipping fees, unlike when you order marketing materials online
• Supports local businesses (if you go with a homegrown print shop)
• Some places have in-house graphic designers who can design custom marketing materials

Cons:

• Not as many discounts or promotions as with larger chains or online printing companies

Top Specialty Print Shops:

Search Google for specialty print shops in your area.

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• Decide which types of marketing materials you need immediately and which can be purchased later when the need arises. You may want to order some marketing materials now and others later to cut down costs. Start by ordering business cards. To compare the costs of ordering business cards only, check out our Business Cards Comparison.
• Consider ordering some marketing materials online and others at your local print shop. You can usually get competitive pricing when ordering marketing materials from online printing services, but you may want to go to a local print shop for specialty paper or print options.
• When ordering from an online printing service, you can save money by ordering multiple marketing materials in a single order. Online printing services typically offer discounts on bulk orders or orders that cost over a certain amount. Take advantage of these discounts by ordering all of the marketing materials you need from just one company.