Printed materials will always be the most popular marketing tools. Before the dawn of the Internet, entrepreneurs sent word of their products and services around through brochures, flyers, and business cards. However, their popularity suffered a bit because of digital and social media marketing. Here are a few tips you can use to make the most out of your business cards.

1. Specify the purpose of your card. The trend now is to make it a multipurpose business card. For instance, customers can use it as a bookmark or an inspiration card. Whatever the purpose is, it should never undermine its communicative purpose.

2. Surprise potential clients with whats ON the card. You can give out trivia or codes to make your cards more useful. You can also add a tracker or discount coupon that customers can use when they check your website or contact details. Now, there are barcodes that they can scan for a freebie. Who says you cant combine print advertising and high technology?

3. Add testimonials for credibility. You can include one strong and interesting statement from a person of credibility. Testimonials have an instant effect they impress future clients.

4. Add a cause. Support women, children, or animals on your card. Create a social impact while you market your product and service.

5. Add a photo or a logo. The logo becomes the face of your brand. Each element of your logo speaks volumes about you. You can also consider including a professional-looking photo of yourself, so clients will find it easy to recognize you.

6. Make the handoff a moment to remember. Instead of hurriedly giving out the business cards, think of various gimmicks to creatively exchange your card with clients. You can do a quick interview with them and give them your card as you say the call to action.

7. Show clients your style and personality with your card. The designs you pick also say a lot about your marketing style, and your demographic. For example, younger clients like a pop of color in the cards, while older clients tend to prefer more streamlined and minimalist designs.

8. Protect your cards. The thing with lightweight cards is that they can be easily lost. Cards printed on PVC, or those with plastic laminations may be handier.

9. Know where to give out you cards. You can pick events with a lot of people, such as conventions, bazaars, mall sales, and school fairs. You can also stand in one corner and have a pop-up booth so people can take a good look at your goods, then let them pick a business card to contact you.

There are numerous ways to make your business cards work for you. Despite the advent of social media marketing, business cards still work, but only if you use them to your advantage. Make your cards look cool and professional.

In the world of digital marketing, printed materials are still as good investment as any. Many businesses find printed marketing pieces effective, especially in reaching customers that are not as computer savvy, or those who do not have the time or interest to go online regularly.

Below are the best seven printed marketing materials that your company can use:

1. Business cards – While a business card is a professional way to introduce yourself to a client, its also a great way to advertise your brand. Design your card so that it presents your brand logo clearly. This way, your contacts are reminded of your business whenever they see your card in their files, even after they have already saved your contact details in their phonebook or database.

2. Posters – A poster is an easy way to announce a new promotion, a discount, or any other special offer your business may have. Take advantage of the size of the poster and use large fonts and bright colors to attract the attention of your customers.

3. Brochures and flyers – These small sheets of paper are among the best ways to market your business. Aside from the usual content, including company name and logo, brief description of your brand, bestselling products, make sure to include one or two testimonials from satisfied customers. Dont forget to include your contact and social media details so potential clients will know how to reach you.

4. Postcards – In an age where e-mails and electronic cards are prevalent, a postcard makes for a meaningful gesture. It tells your customers that you hold them in high regard, enough to send a postcard instead of an email. Your company logo and business name dont need to appear prominently in the card, but lay them out strategically so that the receiver will still see them.

5. Branded letterhead and envelopes – Letterheads and envelopes with your companys details show professionalism, which your clients and business partners will appreciate. This is doubly important if youre sending out a business proposal to a new customer and you need to make a good impression.

6. Pocket folders – Some businesses underestimate the effectiveness of pocket folders in marketing their brand. However, this is a great marketing tool because clients are likely to reuse them one time or another. They will be reminded of your brand once they do.

7. Catalogs – Catalogs contain a complete list of all your products, or at least the bestselling ones. When you distribute these to customers, you introduce them to your merchandise, complete with details like dimensions, color options and price.

Printing marketing materials may appear backward to some companies, but you should never underestimate their effectiveness. When you utilize them properly, youll find that non-digital materials are great supplements to digital ones in promoting your business to your target consumer base. Just make sure that before hiring a printing company, you conduct extensive research on them. This will ensure that youll work with the most reliable one.

Is direct mail marketing still effective? Varied answers to this question have been put forward. For this discussion, however, the belief is that its still an effective marketing tool. Here are some pointers for maximizing the use of direct mail in marketing.

Know your audience

This is always the number one bit of advice from experts know your audience well. Who is your audience? If somebody is likely to get interested in you and your products/services, hes a part of your audience.

This is basic in marketing: not everyone should be put on your list. Purge your list to the point that there is no room for doubt about the remaining names. If thats hard for you to accomplish, seek help from marketing services, but beware of scams. Read reviews before talking to leads service companies.

Add value

Give your audience a reason why they should buy your products now. The way to do that is to offer them good value in return for their effort, time and money. Your promotions should include bonuses, rebates, discounts, sales and anything that can make your products compete with other products.

Make your offerings time-limited. It can prod your audience to make an urgent decision and allow you to do a quick, short-term performance evaluation of your campaign. Those ends Saturday night at midnight, last day and ends today phrases have worked miracles for many.

Make an impression on paper

You can establish a good level of credibility by the way you present your product through paper. Create impressive designs that will make you stand out. Study the basic designs but dont limit yourself to just the basics. Learn to be creative and different.

Do that for all your campaigns, always thinking that each is an opportunity to make a statement about your brand and your company.

Pick the right medium

Part of knowing your audience is to know the marketing material they best respond to. Is it to a brochure, a postcard, or a greeting card?

Be personal when sending greeting cards. You can send Christmas cards or other holiday-related cards, but go the extra mile by sending cards with congratulatory messages for a milestone achieved in the business or for a new baby in the family.

Brochures are great mediums for self-introduction. Your potential customers would like to know you better before they even have the chance to meet you in person. Such a strategy may encourage them to make a thorough check on you by conducting research.

If your records are clean, theyll put their trust in you without you having to personally speak for yourself.

Aside from those mentioned above, tools you can use for direct-mail are stickers, business cards, envelopes, magnets and letters. Get free sample kits from marketing service companies. From these kits, youll get more ideas on how you can shine and make meaningful connections with your mail.

Going online is not the only way for you to reach your target audience if you are running a business. In fact, you can expect offline marketing to be just as effective. Here are just some of the most effective offline marketing techniques that are guaranteed to make your business flourish despite the fierce competition:

Direct Mail

A lot of small business owners use direct mail as a means of increasing traffic to their websites or retail stores. To take advantage of this technique, you need to attract potential customers. You can do so by ordering the mailing lists of those who are most likely to buy your products.

Marketing through direct mail often includes sending order forms, brochures and sales letters. Just make sure that youre sending them to qualified leads to increase your chances of converting them to actual, paying customers.

Commercials

Many businesses are still willing to invest their financial resources and time on offline commercials and ads (TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, etc.). This is a smart move as you can still expect these ads to work at present. Local media advertising is an effective way to increase brand awareness. However, its crucial for you to put a modern spin on the old-school strategy.

If you plan to advertise on television, for instance, make sure to produce valuable and useful content, which not only advertises your products. Your goal should be to inform and entertain, while still ensuring that your target viewers remember your brand.

Networking

When it comes to networking, its still necessary to opt for face-to-face contact, as this can significantly increase the traffic to your site. This especially holds true if you inspire or encourage your new connections to get to know more about you, your brand, and your company. Letting your connections see the face behind your brand can establish a deeper sense of loyalty. That said, never underestimate the significance of a formal handshake.

Grab an opportunity for face-to-face networking by taking part in the local chapters of your organization or association, especially those where you will most likely see your target audience.

You can further augment this form of networking by participating in national conferences. This will let you get to know more people and establish solid and loyal relationships with them, which is good for your business.

Print Publications

While it cant provide you with the same benefits that youll get from your search engine optimization campaigns, print publication is still one of the most effective offline marketing techniques. It requires you to obtain relevant placements in journals and magazines, especially those linked to your industry. Aside from increasing the visibility of your brand, this also works effectively in showcasing your expertise.

Make print opportunities a vital part of your marketing strategy. Make sure to keep track of opportunities in both the printed and online versions of the publication.

However, its crucial to be selective in your print publications. Choose those that your target audience will find useful. The publication should also be a reliable source of relevant information.

Mentioned in this article are just four of the most effective offline marketing techniques that you can apply in your marketing campaigns. All of them can help you tap a huge number of potential customers, making your business grow and become more profitable.