With the end of the financial year almost here, now’s the time to get creative with your promotional materials. Imagine if you received a gorgeous custom postcard in your letterbox with a discount code on it, along with a personalised, handwritten message? Would you be likely to read it? Maybe go instore or online and check out what’s on offer? Experts say yes. 

That’s because printed marketing materials are back in a big way, and if you nail the design and your offering, these promotional assets – which may be able to be claimed as business expenses at tax time – can help you stand out, impact how people view your brand and even catapult your business to the next level, says creative director Tara Ladd from Your One and Only. 

“It really depends on your industry and what you do,” she says, “but there are so many cool things you can do with marketing materials to engage your customers.”

What Are Marketing Materials and What Do They Achieve? 

Marketing materials are essentially items you use to communicate with your customers. In printed form, they could include branded letterhead and business cards, brochures, flyers, banners, promotional fridge magnets and everything in between.

These beautifully designed, tactile offerings are having a moment, says Tara, and a quirky custom asset like a loyalty card helps engage your customers’ senses, and associate something tangible with your brand.

“Digital became the trend for a while, but there’s definitely a place for printed marketing materials,” she explains. “The problem with the digital space is brands send too much – they’re trying to get your attention and it has the opposite effect. On the flip side, a creative printed mailout is likely to have far better cut-through. It’s something physical to look at, hold onto – research shows if you’ve got something tangible in your hands, you’re more likely to remember it.”

SEE ALSO: Tech to Buy Before End of Financial Year

 

The Marketing Materials a Service Business Needs

Be creative! Custom postcards are important marketing materials to buy before EOFY. 

Whether you’re an accountant, dentist, freelance consultant or tradie, promotional marketing materials are probably already part of your marketing budget – or should be.

“A dental surgery, for example, could create branded educational flyers or brochures, or professionally designed forms that a patient fills out in the waiting room,” says Tara. “Service businesses are also more likely to need a branded letterhead.”

Tradies, who may be often on building sites or visiting homes to do quotes, can’t go wrong with professional car signage and slick, well-designed quotes and invoices. “A branded compendium to hold your documents will always look good,” she continues, “as will a branded graph pad if you use those to sketch ideas or jot down dimensions with clients.”

If you’re a freelancer or consultant, custom postcards as part of your onboarding can be really effective as a ‘surprise and delight’ measure, especially if you send it with a chocolate bar or a little curated gift, says Tara. “We all want Google testimonials, but they’re hard to get,” she explains. “A link sent in an email can be easily lost or deleted, but a cool ‘thank you’ postcard with a QR code on it and a personal, handwritten message makes it easy. They can just scan it with their phone and give you a review on the spot.”

 

The Marketing Materials a Retail Store Needs

For online retailers, printed promotional materials can become part of the customer experience. 

The last Black Friday sales showed just how easily digital events can backfire for retailers, says Tara: “Everyone was inundated with emails and [there’s a risk that people] tuned out.” She suggests direct mail options, like a custom postcard, for existing customers as a retention strategy, or printed catalogues with discount codes that highlight key products or a new clothing line, if you’re a fashion retailer. 

Attract attention to your store by re-creating your logo for your front window or adding a message plate listing opening hours near the door.

And if you’re a store with a shopfront and an online presence, branded packaging with intriguing copy and a striking look and feel can help your printed marketing materials cross over into the digital space. This could extend from branded mailers – you can design stickers to use on generic mailers – to branded ribbon or tape with your social media handles on it, says Tara.

“Unboxing videos are huge on social media and we’re really starting to step into that customer experience realm,” she continues. “So if your packaging looks beautiful and someone records themselves opening it up to see the product they’ve bought from you, and they put it on their socials, that becomes user-generated content. This builds retention and grows your brand loyalty.”

SEE ALSO: Office Furniture to Buy Before End of Financial Year 

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The Marketing Materials a Hospitality Venue Needs

Update your cafe’s marketing materials before EOFY and go into the new year with a fresh look.

If you’re a restaurant, cafe or bar, you’ve got lots of options for getting customers’ attention – starting with A-frame signs on the footpath, as well as menus, coasters, window posters, stickers or even a customised hand sanitiser station. And don’t underestimate the power of the pun, she adds. 

“For example, I’ve had Guzman y Gomez stickers sitting on my iMac for the past two years,” Tara says. “One says, ‘Can we taco about it?’ and the other says, ‘Avo nice day!’ They popped them into the takeaway bag when I ordered Mexican and because they’re cute and funny I haven’t chucked them. That kind of fun, pun-inspired marketing can be really effective.”

If you own a cafe, you might also want to consider specialty shapes for printing items like loyalty cards, she adds. “Changing from a standard shape to a square or circle can create a bit of impact, and the same thing goes for the orientation,” says Tara. “A lot of people have vertical wallets these days, so going vertical can give it that extra oomph and interest.”

We’re also starting to see events, expos and festivals coming back, she says. “If you have a presence at events, you’ll want to think about the most effective ways to get exposure – and that’s with things like banners, which are great to promote a key message,” says Tara. “There are heaps of styles and sizes to choose from.”

 

Create Your Own Marketing Materials

Update your marketing materials with Officeworks printing and claim them as a tax deduction.

If you’d like to DIY your printed marketing materials, it’s easy to do on the Officeworks website. Simply click on Print & Copy in the top menu, choose the collateral you’re after, and select your size, material and the ‘pack size’ (how many you want to print). You can bring a design of your own or create one using the Officeworks x Canva collaboration, then upload and create a print order. It will state on the product page the estimated delivery time, or you can opt to pick up your order at a store near you. 

SEE ALSO: Ask An Expert: How to Use Officeworks X Canva For Business

 

There’s also the option of engaging the Officeworks graphic design team if you have an idea that’s a little beyond what you can create yourself. 

“If you want a really professional, beautiful look, a designer can produce that for you and you can organise the printing,” says Tara. “The beauty of a retail printer like Officeworks is that they’ll do one-off pieces and smaller print runs, whereas other print houses will have a minimum.” 

What To Try 

Make a Claim At Tax Time

If you’re upgrading the marketing materials you need to run a business, you may be able to claim those items on your tax return at the end of the financial year. 

This is general information only and does not constitute financial or legal advice. Other requirements under the law apply. Seek professional financial and/or legal advice to determine the right outcomes for your business.