The Print Buyer’s Guide to Marketing Materials
Written By: Katt Woodworth
In today’s world, marketing plays a major role in the success of your business. Choosing the right marketing material can help you reach new customers, while choosing the wrong one can waste both time and money.
That’s why it’s important to understand what each printed marketing piece is designed to do. In this month’s article, we’ll look at some of the most common marketing products and when you should use them.
Start With the Goal
Before choosing a marketing piece, ask yourself one simple question:
What do I need this to accomplish?
Do you need to promote a sale? Explain your services? Share your contact information?
Different marketing materials are designed for different goals, so knowing what you want to achieve is the first step toward choosing the right product.
Business Cards: The Networking Staple
Business cards are designed to do two things:
introduce you and provide your contact information.
Their small size makes them making them perfect for networking events, meetings, and everyday interactions.
Most business cards include your name, company, contact information, website, logo, and sometimes a QR code.
Flyers: The Fast Messenger
Flyers are one of the most cost-effective ways to distribute information quickly.
They’re commonly used for sales, events, grand openings, and community announcements.
A good flyer combines an attention-grabbing headline, key details, and a clear call-to-action to encourage readers to take the next step.
Brochures: The Information Hub
When you need more space than a flyer can provide, brochures are often the answer.
Whether they’re bi-folds or tri-folds, brochures allow you to organize information into sections, making them ideal for explaining services, showcasing products, or providing detailed information to potential customers.
Postcards: The Mailbox Favorite
Postcards are designed to put your message directly into your audience’s hands.
Because there’s no envelope to open, recipients see your message immediately.
They’re commonly used for sales promotions, grand openings, reminders, and direct-mail campaigns.
Rack Cards: The Display Rack Workhorse
Rack cards are the tall, narrow marketing pieces commonly found in hotels, visitor centers, and tourist attractions.
They’re designed to grab attention quickly and provide just enough information for someone to take one with them for later reference.
Banners & Signs: The Attention Grabber
If your goal is to get noticed, banners and signs are hard to beat.
Whether you’re promoting an event, advertising a sale, or attracting attention to your storefront, large-format graphics help your message stand out from a distance.
Promotional Products: The Long-Term Reminder
Promotional products such as calendars, magnets, bookmarks, and notepads keep your business in front of customers long after they’ve received them.
These items are great for building brand awareness and staying top-of-mind over time.
A Quick Reference Guide
| Goal | Recommended Piece |
|---|---|
| Networking | Business Cards |
| Promote an Event | Flyers |
| Explain Services | Brochures |
| Direct Mail Marketing | Postcards |
| Display Information | Rack Cards |
| High Visibility | Banners & Signs |
| Long Term Branding | Promotional Products |
Building a Complete Marketing Toolkit
Sometimes the best solution isn’t a single product.
A grand opening, for example, might use postcards to reach local customers, flyers to advertise the event, a banner for visibility, and business cards for networking.
Each piece serves a different purpose and works together to strengthen the overall campaign.
Choosing the Right Piece
The best printed marketing piece isn’t necessarily the most expensive—it’s the one that helps you achieve your goal.
Whether you’re introducing your business, promoting an event, or building long-term brand awareness, choosing the right print product can help your message reach the right audience more effectively.