16 Marketing Material Examples (With

Tips)
Diversifying the marketing materials you use when advertising your
company can help you increase your appeal to potential customers.
Marketing materials come in a variety of forms, with each having its own
benefits and situations where it's better suited as a method. Gaining
familiarity with a broad range of marketing materials allows you to respond
to opportunities quickly and effectively. In this article, we discuss what
marketing materials are, share some common marketing material examples
and provide tips for using your marketing materials.

What are marketing materials?

Marketing materials are any products or content designed to market your
company or its products and services to potential customers. Marketing
materials can range from samples you give to potential customers to keep,
permanent installations in high-visibility areas or digital files that customers
can access. Modern marketing often benefits from the diversification of
marketing materials to meet the diverse needs of a potential customer base.

Related: 12 Marketing Tips for Your Marketing Campaign

Marketing material examples

When working in a marketing position, using an array of marketing materials
can help you achieve maximum results with your campaigns. Marketing
material types to consider for your next campaign include:

Advertising cards

Advertising cards are postcard-sized flyers commonly printed on cardstock.

You may use advertising cards as part of a mailing campaign, to hand out
while at events or when customers visit your business. Advertisement cards
allow you to feature key benefits of your product or service or to advertise
special promotions.

Billboards

Billboard marketing is a traditional form of advertising that can still be highly

effective in the right situations. You can increase the benefit of your
billboard campaign by placing your ad in a high-traffic area where customers
in your demographic might see its creative design. Using a series of
billboards noting the distance to your location as drivers approach it can
build anticipation, which may make them more likely to visit your business .

Related: 8 Types of Traditional Marketing Methods To Implement

Brochures

Brochures comprise a single sheet of paper, often folded into three sections.
By printing on both sides of the brochure, you create up to six areas to fill
with information about your product or services. Brochures can be useful
event handouts and information packets for visitors. For example, a zoo may
use a brochure that includes a map on one side and advertises some of the
premium features available to guests on the other.

Business cards

Printing business cards is an excellent way to provide professional contacts

with a physical reminder of your business. Although a business card may
also carry an advertisement for a special or a service that you offer,
business cards typically contain basic contact information to create a clean
and professional look. By keeping business cards with you at all times, you
can hand convenient marketing material to potential clients or contacts you
encounter, even outside of your usual work environment.

Emails

Sending emails is an excellent way to make professional contacts and

market your company. Many online marketing campaigns seek to gather
email addresses as opposed to make sales to customers directly. This allows
your company to populate a mailing list of potential customers to send email
campaigns to large numbers of prospective clients quickly. Many email
management systems include the ability to tag new names in your database
with different keywords to target the emails to each prospective customer.

Related: E-marketing vs. Digital Marketing: What's the Difference?

Fliers

Creating fliers to hang in areas with frequent pedestrians can be an

inexpensive way to market an event or service. Effective fliers often have
appealing graphics to encourage passers-by to stop and read and then a
quick, easy-to-understand pitch for the product or service you are
advertising. Some flyer designs include tab sections at the bottom with
contact information so that interested customers can take one and have a
physical reminder of your contact information.

Funnel pages

Funnel pages are a form of online marketing management that companies

often use with other advertising campaigns, such as social media or search
engine advertisements. Funnel pages move users through a series of steps
to make a sale or gather their contact information. A funnel also provides a
company with customer tracking data, such as how many respondents make
it through each step, and potentially increase information through linking
from social media. This helps make it a highly effective way of populating a
prospective customer list.

Giveaway boxes

Offering people the chance to win something for free can be an effective
way to earn their business. Giveaway boxes may advertise a prize drawing
or offer a special discount to anyone who fills out a slip . By writing their
name and contact information on a paper and slipping it into the box, a
customer enters themselves for the prize or special offer. This allows you to
build a contact list of potential customers from those who provide their
contact information.

Mailing campaigns

Direct mailing campaigns can be a cost-effective way to present your

marketing materials to a broad audience. Often companies take advantage
of mailing lists to target specific regions with their campaigns. Your mail or
marketing materials can take on a variety of forms, including advertisement
cards, brochures or samples of your products.

Newspaper advertisement

The decreasing market share of newspapers can be a benefit for your

marketing department, since it may lead to lower prices to place an
advertisement. By assessing the readership information of the newspaper,
you can determine if it presents an attractive demographic for your
advertised product or service. If your sales targets align with the readership
of a newspaper, it can provide a higher return on investment.

Promotional items

Purchasing large quantities of inexpensive but useful items with your

company's name and logo on them, such as pens, notepads and stress balls,
can be an excellent way to keep your company in the mind of prospective
clients. A company may use promotional items when attending trade events
or making direct sales visits to potential customers. By leaving a physical
item with the potential customer, you provide them with a reminder of your
company the next time they need your product or service. If they enjoy
using it, this may also generate goodwill for your company.

Social media channels

Social media marketing is organic marketing you conduct by posting to your

organization's social media. You can also market with paid placements
where you pay the platform to provide consumers with your company's
content. Social media marketing also benefits from the high levels of detail
available from online users, as it can provide you with valuable customer
data like demographic info and their consumer preferences.
Related: What Is Social Media Marketing?

Video productions

Video production is an important form of marketing material, though the

delivery methods have changed in recent years. While television advertising
remains an effective option, your video materials may also serve as social
media content or as the basis for the company's video advertising format.
Creating hubs for your video content allows you to build dedicated viewers
and increase the number of views that each video you post receives.

Websites

A company website provides you with the opportunity to establish your

brand and advertise the products or services that you provide. It's also a
convenient way to provide contact information for potential customers.

Besides creating a site for your company, you may build individual sites for
specific products or services you offer. This can allow you to provide them
with a unique focus or even their own branding and identity separate from
other elements of your company. In all cases, working to improve your
search engine optimization and the usability of your pages can increase the
performance of your website as marketing material.

Window displays

If your professional location includes public-facing windows, you may choose

to place advertisements or other marketing materials in them. Marketing
displays may take on a variety of forms, from direct applications to window
glass or physical displays behind the windowpane. A well-composed window
display can catch the attention of passers-by and prompt them to come
inside to learn more about your company's products and services.

Yard signs

While some government officials use yard signs for political campaigns,
businesses can also take advantage of them as marketing material. It's
important to keep the information on the sign simple and clear so people
driving by receive the intended message. Commonly, yard signs feature a
single statement or offer. Some signs may also include a method for viewers
to contact you, such as a website or phone number. To increase the time
that viewers are likely to see the signs, consider placing them at an
intersection with a stop sign or stoplight.

See your instant resume report on Indeed

Get recommendations for your resume in minutes

Tips for making marketing materials

These tips can help you use your marketing materials wisely:

 Know your market: Market research allows you to better understand

your potential customers and what they are interested in so your
marketing materials meet their needs and preferences.
 Track your results: Adaptation is an important component of
effective marketing management. Monitoring performance data for
your different marketing materials can help you identify what works
well and where you can make improvements.
 Create reasons to care: A primary goal for marketing materials is to
create a lasting impression. Offering a deal or advertising exceptional
service quality gives the consumer a reason to remember your
company as exceptional.
 Establish a brand: Maintaining a strong, consistent brand identity for
your marketing makes it easier for consumers to know what to expect
from your company. This can increase your appeal, as it makes you
more reliable.

Explore your next job opportunity on IndeedFind jobs

4 Benefits of Investing in Promotional Materials

Companies that use promotional materials as part of their marketing
strategy are more likely to have increased sales and a great return on
investment (ROI).

According to the 2020 ad impressions study, when it comes to promotional

face masks, one that costs $5 will have a cost per impression (CPI) of just
over 0.1 cents.

It’s also reported that the average number of impressions a promo mask
receives is over 4,000!

Clearly, promotional items are one of the best ways to advertise a

businessand increase brand recognition.

Let’s have a closer look at those benefits as well as a few more.

Benefit #1: Enhance brand recognition and brand recall

The first benefit is the increased awareness and

recognition promotional products can offer a brand.
Image Source: ASI

Brand recognition is one of those things every business seeks but is not
always easy to get.

It’s the extent to which a consumer can identify a brand just by looking at
the logo, a tag line, packaging, and even hearing an audio cue like a jingle.

There are countless companies with very strong brand recognition, like
Coca-Cola and McDonald’s.

Obviously, this didn’t happen overnight, nor was only one marketing method
used; but promotional materials played a big role in achieving this.

That’s because brands can apply their logo on an item that their customers
will use regularly.

That could be a free pen or a mug, for example.

They’re continuously reminded of the brand and are more likely to

remember it when they need a product or service.

Makes sense, right?

Let’s move on to the second benefit.

Benefit #2: Strengthen and deepen customer relationships

Building strong ties with customers is key to creating long-lasting

relationships with them.

That’s exactly what promotional materials do best.

After all, people love receiving gifts and when it’s from a brand they like, it
adds an extra thoughtful touch and further strengthens their bond with it.

Actually, according to the study we mentioned earlier, 57% of consumers

reported that they’ve kept promo products for more than five years.

That’s a pretty impressive stat and further reinforces our point that
promotional materials can really enhance customer relationships.

A core reason why this happens is that customers feel like you – as a brand –
really care about them and associate you with a positive experience.

Besides that, they feel like you understand their needs and appreciate them;
which almost immediately distinguishes your brand from competitors.

All in all, promotional materials can really be a game-changer when it

comes to creating and strengthening customer relationships.

Author’s Tip: Don’t forget to be creative and think outside the box when
creating promotional materials; choosing eye-catching products can offer
your brand a great advantage.

Let’s continue with the next benefit.

Benefit #3: Boost employee morale

Building amazing and long-lasting relationships with customers is crucial,

but doing the same with employees is also a vital part of any successful
brand.

Branded swag does all sorts of things in relation to boosting employee

morale, including:

 Uniting internal teams

 Welcoming new hires
 Enhancing brand recognition

With over 80% of executives and employees saying that having engaged
and motivated employees is the top factor that contributes to a company’s
success, we understand that companies shouldn’t underestimate the power
of branded swag as a way to show their employees that they are valued and
appreciated.

Many companies hand out branded products to employees to thank them for
their excellent performance, to congratulate, or even encourage them; after
all, we all have bad days and some extra motivation is always welcome.

Whatever the case, promotional materials can really boost employee morale
which will, in turn, produce better results for the company.
According to the PPAI 2018 consumer study, 97% of employees that are
satisfied in their jobs and work environment are very likely to represent their
company outside the workplace by wearing the company’s swag in public.

Image Source: PPAI

How can brands harness this, exactly?

One idea is to give away freebies.

It’s possibly one of the simplest, yet highly effective, promotional items
ideas.
Another idea would be to offer them a branded swag box.

What’s better than having your employees proudly use or wear the products
you gave them?

All in all, showing your employees that you recognize their hard work is
essential for a positive work environment.

Hence why promotional materials and employee appreciation ideas are

always handy when brands want to motivate and thank their team
members.

Let’s continue with the last benefit we have for you.

Benefit #4: Cost-efficient marketing tactic

It’s true that not all businesses have the same budget when it comes to
marketing.

For instance, a large corporation can integrate social media tactics, paid
advertisements, sponsorships, promotional materials, and many more into
their strategies.

Meanwhile, a new business with limited funds has to be more selective when
it comes to its marketing strategy; and promotional materials are often an
integral part of it.

That’s because it’s cost-efficient, meaning that brands can invest a relatively
small amount of money and receive great returns on their investment.

The most important reason why this happens is that when brands give
promotional materials to their customers and employees, they – in a way –
become brand ambassadors for the company.

Imagine going to an event and receiving an awesome branded tumbler from

one of your favorite companies.

You wouldn’t just use it at home, but also at the office, and anywhere
outside.

This means that it’ll catch the attention of other people too, which further
increases brand awareness.

Promotional materials are also long-lasting compared to social media

advertisements, for example.

As we covered earlier, 57% of consumers reported that they’ve kept promo

products for more than five years and, according to the same study, 40% of
them have kept them for more than 10 years!
If that’s not affordable and effective marketing, then we don’t know what is.

Now it’s time to move on to the list of key promotional materials we’ve
created for you.

Writing Instruments
Various writing instruments can be useful for professionals working at
home or in the office.

Image Source: Gemline

While it’s true that electronic devices such as laptops and smartphones are
now our main means of working and taking notes, notebooks and pens still
hold their value.
That’s exactly why writing instruments are a popular choice when it comes
to promotional materials.

They can easily be branded and handed out at events and conferences,
either alone or as part of a set, which might include more promotional
products.

Additionally, they more often than not appeal to a business’s target

audience; after all, every professional, individual, or student can get great
use out of them.

A fascinating stat is that 50% of the promotional items owned in the US are
writing instruments, such as promotional pens.

Image Source: ASI

For your next event or tradeshow, branded writing instruments are a must!

Author’s Tip: When it comes to conference and event swag, make sure to
hand your swag out before the start, so attendees have something to take
notes with.

Tote Bags
Tote bags are an excellent choice when it comes to promotional materials,
as they’re both useful and stylish when promoting a brand.
Swag Pack Builder

They can work as fantastic bags for grocery shopping, at the office, the
beach, the gym, and even as a tote backpack.

Their functionality as well as their relatively large surface make it a no-

brainer for brands; they can easily add their logo on them and hand them
out at events or to their employees as a thank you gift.
It’s no wonder why brands are such fans of tote bags; a few examples
include ASOS, Nude, and BALR.

We really can’t blame them!

According to a study, promotional bags generate over 3,300 impressions

over their lifetime and 50% of consumers who received one are more likely
to do business with the brand.

If you weren’t already sold on them, the fact that totes are eco-friendly gives
them a big boost in popularity; they can be used for many years and are
usually made out of cotton instead of plastic.

Let’s move on.

T-shirts
T-shirts are probably one of the first things that come to your mind when
you hear about promotional materials.

They’re a very popular choice since everyone loves a nice t-shirt; you really
can’t go wrong with it!

Simply make sure to have various sizes of them – such as small, medium,
large, and so on – add your company logo on top, and you have yourself a
beautiful promotional item.

You can go for full- or multi-color ones, unisex or not, crew neck or polo
collar, as well as with sleeves or without.

The possibilities are really endless, making t-shirts one of the most flexible
promotional items out there.

Don’t forget to go for high-quality ones, personalize them, and make them
stylish!

Author’s Tip: Why not use t-shirts as a fundraiser to help raise money for
a chosen cause?

Let’s continue to the next item we have for you.

Tumblers
Tumblers are one of the most favorite drinkware items people have and
they never stop being in demand.
 Swag Pack
Builder

Ideal as a summer promotional item, tumblers keep cold drinks cool and can
be taken anywhere; from the office to the beach.

That’s exactly why brands love personalizing them with their logo and
handing them out as promotional materials.

They’re also one of the most eco-friendly choices out there; they’re usually
made of stainless steel or metal.

Tumblers combine practicality and style in one, so make sure to go for high-
quality ones and keep them stylish when branding them!

Moving on to the next item on our list.

USB Flash Drive

Yes, it’s true that most people nowadays save files on the cloud, but USB
flash drives still remain a great choice for tech swag.

Image Source: PCNA

They’re great for saving important files as backups or opening presentations

on someone else’s computer.

Whatever the reason, you’re bound to find a way to get great use out of USB
flash drives and that’s exactly why many brands love to use them as
promotional products.
They’re also flexible since they come in many shapes, sizes, and colors, so
brands can customize them as they wish according to their guidelines.

Author’s Tip: Flash drives are ideal for virtual and live events, conferences,
and trade shows

Let’s now continue with the last product on this list.

Hand Sanitizer
Ever since the pandemic began, wellness goodies have been very popular
when it comes to promotional materials and hand sanitizers are no
exception.

Image Source: Gemline

If you’re looking for a product that combines hygiene and an opportunity to

promote your brand, then hand sanitizers should be a no-brainer.

Firstly, it’s something that’s bound to be used by everyone; so you don’t

have to worry about it not being liked.
It’s also a very flexible item since it can come in the form of gel or spray, as
well as in small or larger bottles.

Even after the pandemic, you can still personalize and give out hand
sanitizers at post-covid events; after all, hygiene will always be in fashion!

Author’s Tip: We suggest combining hand sanitizers with other wellness

items, such as face masks.

We’re now moving on to the next material.

Post-its
Post-its are great for people working at home or the office, as well as
anyone studying or who has a busy schedule.

Image Source: PCNA

After all, modern-day lives can be so hectic that we sometimes need

constant reminders about our tasks and chores.

That’s why Post-its – or sticky notes – are so handy; they’re so easy to use
and super helpful.
You can write down a reminder for something and post it like a sticker
anywhere you like, whether that’s an office desk, a mirror, or a wall.

They can be particularly useful for online meetings and presentations as well
since it’s not always easy to remember your points, questions you may want
to ask, or topics to discuss.

Post-it notes on the edge of a laptop screen can be life-saving!

The fact that they’re so widely used and seen on a daily basis makes them
an excellent promotional material for brands to take advantage of and add
their company name and logo to.

They can easily be handed out at events, work as tradeshow giveaways, or

be given to employees at the office instead of handouts, flyers, and
bookmarks.

Let’s move on to our next item.

Business Cards
The value business cards offer is no secret; they’ve managed to stay
irreplaceable over the years.

Image Source: Design Hill

They usually contain key details such as an individual’s contact information,

job role, company name, and logo, as well as contact information for the
person.
What’s more, business cards are often part of a wider branding practice
where companies try to be as innovative as possible and make them stand
out, instead of using the same templates that everyone else does.

That’s why they’re an integral part of promotional materials that businesses

opt for; they not only have branding purposes, but act as an active sales
promotion item, since leads and prospects can be generated.

According to a statistic, sales increase by 2.5% for every 2,000 business

cards handed out.

It’s clear that business cards are very useful promotional materials that any
business or professional can offer.