Top 3 Underused Printed Marketing Materials

Printed marketing pieces, or collateral, are an invaluable resource to just about any business. They not only allow you to properly explain your strategy, but also allow you to align your messaging in a simple, clear and effective way. Below are the top three underused printed marketing pieces.

Hang Tags - Perhaps the most underused are hang tags. Usually thought of as an attachment to clothes, hang tags actually have far more uses. Hang tags can be used as business cards, bookmarks, flyers and more. They are a great way to stand out and even better way to bring attention to a certain product. So think of them as something more than just a price holder, and think of unique ways to include them in your marketing efforts.

Postcards - Postcards are perhaps the best way to market yourself to just about anybody. Due to their form they can be easily mailed and distributed to just about anybody. However, postcards must always follow a simple design, and very little copy in order to be optimally effective. As a result, try and use as much imagery as possible and write in bullet points wherever possible.

Brochures - Brochures are perhaps the best way to sell your product. They walk the reader through a set of actions, and have the ability to motivate the recipient to act immediately. This will not only help in getting your point out to more people, but will also help in spreading your message across a wide variety of demographics.

Remember, printed materials are only as successful as you make them. As a result, devote the proper amount of time, energy and money to ensure that your printed collateral is of the highest quality. It is also important to recognize that your marketing collateral, no matter what form, is a representation of your brand. So be sure that you choose the highest quality, design, paper and printer.

Melanie Turner is a Business student at Columbia University and employee at 1800 Postcards. She has also been a Researcher at Deloitte Consulting where she worked with expert marketing teams on Fortune 500 clients. As a growing expert in the field of marketing, Melanie aims to provide insights and resources to Small Businesses.

She has worked with top agencies in brochure design projects for Fortune 500 clients. Brochures are a great marketing tool and there will be more articles to come about how to use them effectively for your business.