Marketing materials can be expensive, and most companies struggle to find the budget they need. Offline marketing is a cost-effective alternative for businesses who want to bring their brand into the public eye without breaking bank. This guide includes our top picks from print ads all the way up through billboards!
Promotional marketing materials are a great way to advertise your business and reach out to new customers. With the help of these offline marketing materials, you can get your message across and start building a brand that people will remember. Read more in detail here: promotional marketing materials.
While social and web-based marketing channels are critical, a strong emphasis on all things digital may lead to a neglect of offline, physical marketing materials, which can still have a significant effect on your company’s performance.
Without signs or banners, how will you promote your actual storefront? What if you wanted to give out promotional materials at a trade fair or create some awesome branded stickers or products to advertise your company?
If you’re looking for tangible marketing materials, you’re in luck: I’ve put together a list of tools to help you get started producing excellent marketing materials for your company.
This list contains both services we’ve used in-house at Palo Alto Software and suggestions from actual entrepreneurs and small company owners who have utilized and can vouch for them.
A Curated List of Our 20 Favorite Marketing Tools is also available.
When I asked small company owners to identify their favorite marketing resource, the answer in favor of Vistaprint was overwhelmingly positive. It was, without a doubt, the most often recommended resource.
As a result, think of Vistaprint as a fan favorite for marketing materials and a fantastic place to start. Vistaprint is renowned for its fast turnaround, low prices, and diverse selection of products, from banners to business cards.
Moo came highly suggested as an excellent resource for marketing materials, second only to Vistaprint in terms of recommendation frequency.
“They’re the trendiest and simplest to use,” says Authoritax’s Dean Ferraro. “To see what I mean, get their free sample box. I use these for my business cards, and almost everyone who receives them says, “Wow, great card.” It appeals to me.’ That’s the impression I’m going for!”
Although Moo is somewhat more costly than Vistaprint, many of the businesses I talked with thought that the extra price was justified since the product was of better quality. If you’re willing to pay a bit extra, Moo may be the best option.
We at Palo Alto Product can directly attest for Sticker Mule, since we’ve used it to make stickers to advertise our business planning software LivePlan, as well as Bplans.
Sticker Mule was also highly recommended by several of the entrepreneurs I talked with, with consumers praising the company’s timeliness of delivery, high-quality product, free proofs, and free shipping.
PsPrint is another printing company that specializes in paper-based marketing materials including business cards, posters, and brochures. They also provide templates so you may develop your own artwork without having to hire a graphic designer.
Content Equals Money’s Amie Marse adds, “They offer a broad range of goods and have a ton of sales.”
“We plan ahead and wait for the goods we desire at a 50 percent or higher discount,” she says. Always, always, always spend a few dollars more for a hard copy proof.”
Yes, this business sells mugs, but not just mugs. Discount Mugs is a fantastic place to start if you’re searching for marketing items other than banners, signage, and business cards. They provide custom printing on a variety of items, including clothing, bags, pens, office supplies, and more.
MyCorporation’s Deborah Sweeney says, “They offer excellent goods and reasonable pricing, and they make the process so simple.” “Whether it’s for opening day, marketing to our partners and affiliates, or for our own internal team, we enjoy purchasing entertaining, branded, creative material.”
Also see: Online Tools that Make Running a Small Business Easier
There’s not a lot of room for ambiguity here; Signs.com is the place to go for, well, signs.
Jenn Burt, proprietor of boutique GypsterVeil, adds, “I utilized Signs.com for our metal sign and shop window decals.” “Their graphic designers provide excellent client service! “Extremely useful when it comes to file kinds, sizes, and logo problems.”
Uprinting, another one-stop shop for basic printing requirements, provides printing on over a hundred different product types, quick turnaround, and low prices.
Furthermore, if you intend on purchasing postcards or brochures to send to your clients, their direct-mail service may save you both time and money.
Overnight Prints, like Moo, is another option to consider if you’re concerned about receiving high-quality printed products.
“I was a previous VistaPrint client; I have nothing negative to say about them,” says Kimberly Thigpen, owner of The Bath Place. “However, the quality that I received for the basic print and paper weight at Overnight grabbed me from the first order,” she adds. “Not to mention, if you need it the next day, they can deliver it to you right away.”
Club Flyers is a good option if you need inexpensive business cards.
“If you want to go very cheap and filthy, Club Flyers is the ideal place to go,” says Dawn Reshen-Doty, President of Benay Enterprises. “They will actually print business cards and 46 postcards for free—the catch being that one side is an advertisement,” she adds.
“We use them for tradeshows, giveaway coupons, and other occasions when we send out hundreds of cards and don’t mind that our information is only on one side.”
While they do provide personalized wristbands (as well as pins, lanyards, and other items), 24 Hour Wristbands stands out for their amusing temporary tattoos, which come in a variety of sizes and are, of course, customizable.
24 Hour Wristbands also runs discounts on a regular basis, such as 10% off promotional coupons.
Brilliant DPI can assist you with both the design and printing and production of your signage and materials.
“Have an idea but lack the creative abilities to develop a design on your own?” says Shannon Steffen of Daymark Digital. Without breaking a sweat, Brilliant DPI will take you from idea to actual marketing goods. They offer anything from posters to vehicle covers and more.”
Also see Marketing Strategy and Business Plan.
Spreadshirt, which specializes in personalized T-shirts, has a large selection of styles as well as a 30-day money-back guarantee. The business utilizes American Apparel T-shirts (which are usually a favorite for their attractive fit and quality) and gives bulk purchases a discount.
WishPromo is another excellent source for tangible items other than signs and banners, according to our eCommerce Manager Corey Abramson. Think caps, lanyards, keychains, calendars, and more.
If you’re a green business—or even if you aren’t—they also offer a section on recycled and eco-friendly goods as an additional benefit.
Check out CustomInk if you’re searching for branded apparel but can’t find what you’re looking for on Spreadshirt. Their collection is far broader, ranging from T-shirts to sports jerseys, and they even provide templates to assist you with the design process.
While Staples Promotional Goods provides comparable products to many of the sites above—from office supplies to branded stuff like water bottles and tote bags—they also offer a low price guarantee, which may make it a viable choice if you’re looking for the best deal.
Canva is one of our favorite apps, and we can’t say it enough. You don’t need advanced graphic design abilities to utilize it, and creating entertaining, professional pictures for your company is simple.
Canva is a fantastic location to start generating graphics if you don’t have an in-house graphic designer, even though it isn’t exactly a resource for creating tangible marketing materials. Then just choose one of the sites listed above and print—that it’s simple.
Is your go-to source for promotional materials on the list? Is there one in particular that you believe should be included? Let us know what you think in the comments section below or on Twitter @Bplans!
Banners, signs, and more are the most effective offline marketing materials. They can be used for a variety of purposes including to promote your business, advertise your brand, or even to help with fundraising efforts. Reference: how to do your own pr.
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- canva
- vistaprint
- marketing tools for small business
- signs and banners near me
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