Variety is the spice of life – and it’s also a secret ingredient for your organization’s marketing success. That’s because having a unique set of carefully considered marketing materials will really diversify your brand to help you stand out.
Of course, there’s no denying internet advertising is the go-to for most brands and businesses, expected to account for 65% of ad expenditures in 2024. But that doesn’t mean you should put all your eggs in the online advertising basket. After all, why constantly compete for your audience’s attention in an overcrowded space when you could also reach them elsewhere?
Today I’m going to take you through 10 effective marketing materials (with examples) to help you choose the ones that work for your business.
Here’s a quick overview of what’s to come:
- An introduction to advertising material
- Physical advertising materials
- How to review advertising materials
- Digital advertising materials
What is advertising material?
Advertising or marketing material is any material that you use to attract customers and advertise your products or services. But it serves a much bigger purpose than that.
Here are just some of the ways that custom marketing materials can help you create a successful brand management strategy:
- Build brand identity – Think of marketing materials as the face and voice of your business. Shaping your brand through logo development, graphic design decisions, fonts, color schemes, and other visual and tonal elements.
- Consumer education – Advertising materials can help inform your target audience about the benefits, features, and proper use of your offerings.
- Credibility – When your audience sees professionally designed materials, they are more likely to believe that your business is trustworthy and competent.
- Sales increase – And the biggest benefit of all! You can use marketing materials to engage your customers in a more streamlined and meaningful way, which will hopefully boost that bottom line.
Marketing materials come in lots of different forms, but they can generally be broken down into two main categories:
- Physical advertising materials
- Digital advertising materials
Now, let’s dive into some examples of each!
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Share content, get feedback, and manage approvals with Filestage.
Physical advertising material examples
Physical marketing material is basically any piece of marketing content used to engage with your target audience offline. They might not be as popular as digital marketing materials these days. But printed materials have some definite perks, like feeling more human and less intrusive to your audience.
No matter the size of your business, physical advertising materials are an effective way to connect with customers and leave a lasting impression.
1. Business cards
Image source: Creative Boom
Never underestimate the power of a well-designed business card! Yes, this type of marketing collateral has been around forever. But that’s because it works. And business cards are still super popular with most companies that have contact with external businesspeople.
This example from a Montreal-based fashion label, Matière Noire is brilliant because it shows how a little creativity can breathe new life into an old medium. Showcasing their quality materials and high level of craft in a memorable way.
Business cards traditionally make an appearance in professional settings like conferences and networking events. But the right kind of business card can be used by smaller, independent businesses for B2C communications too. By collaborating and displaying them in other local businesses in your community, for example.
From sustainable seed paper to braille stickers, there are lots of creative ways to connect with customers, clients, and fellow professionals using this marketing material. Of course, more customization comes with a higher production cost. But clever design can do wonders for even the simplest of executions!
2. Direct mail
Image source: D&AD
Direct mail is the perfect marketing material to add to your next marketing campaign. And while a lot of businesses opt for email, the tangible aspect of direct mail can greatly increase engagement rates among potential customers.
This example from Nestlé for their Kit Kat Chunky bar shows that no matter the size of your business, you can always add a personal touch to your communications. They even turned a static advertising material into an interactive experience by inviting customers to redeem their Kit Kat from a local newsagent.
This particular direct mail example doubled as an ingeniously tantalizing food ad. But with the right execution, you can use this type of media to advertise almost anything!
3. Point-of-sale displays
Image source: Pinterest
Point-of-sale displays are a dynamic marketing material that can support the sale of your products in a physical retail environment. They can be positioned in supermarket aisles or closer to the checkout, depending on your business goals.
This point-of-sale ad from Coca-Cola is obviously pushing the possibilities of point-of-sale to attract maximum attention. But there are much simpler execution options out there to work for every budget.
If you have an upcoming product launch, promotion, or simply want to increase brand awareness in store, this marketing tool is definitely a good one.
4. Press ads
Source: The Verge
Press advertising materials, like print ads in magazines or catalogs, come with a bunch of benefits for businesses. You can use them to promote a product or service, educate your audience, and even advertise a special offer.
Press ads allow you to both expand or specify your audience. For example, if you want to reach as many people as possible, you might put your press ad in a mainstream newspaper. Alternatively, if your aim is to connect with young parents, you can put your ad in a catalog tailored to that exact demographic.
This content also tends to get more time and attention because of the simple fact that people are actually willing to read what you have to say.
Finally, this kind of advertising material gives you the space to really get creative with your marketing content. Like this cracking example from IKEA. Pee or no pee, press advertising materials can certainly get you some positive results!
5. Posters
Source: Digital Synopsis
Posters are printed marketing materials, most often displayed in urban areas with a high footfall. They can be used to promote a whole range of stuff from products and events, to health and safety guidelines, and lots more.
Posters can be as small as an A4 page or much, much bigger. But regardless of size, you’ll need to use an eye-catching design, a striking headline, or both to get noticed by passersby. QR codes are often included in these print marketing materials so folk can get access to more info and head off on their merry way.
How to review your advertising materials with Filestage
Filestage is an approval software for marketing and creative teams that helps you collaborate, review, and approve a load of different marketing materials. This includes everything from images and video files to documents, live websites, HTML content, and more.
The intuitive software is easy to use and speeds up your review process for an effective approval workflow. So your team can get to the best finished product faster than ever. It also integrates with the apps you already use. So you can review and collaborate across entire marketing campaigns in one place.
Here’s how to review your advertising materials in five simple steps:
- Create a project, upload your files and add a due date
- Invite your reviewers or send them a link (no need for them to create an account)
- Let reviewers add their feedback and make suggestions in the comments
- Use the comments as a to-do list as you make amends on the next version
- Upload the new version to Filestage and repeat the process as needed
Digital advertising material examples
The sky’s the limit when it comes to connecting with customers online.
Digital advertising and marketing materials are simply any marketing content in a digital format. This type of medium has the benefit of being cost-effective, instantly accessible to your audience, and more environmentally friendly when compared with printed materials.
With that said, let’s find out what types of digital advertising material might best suit your business.
1. Display ads
Source: Samsung
Display ads are probably the simplest type of digital marketing materials. They’re essentially like the billboard ads of the internet. Usually showing up as banners, popups, or flash ads on apps and websites.
Visually, these ads can comprise of image, text, video, and even some interactive elements. They’re designed to grab attention and encourage users to click through to your landing page. And because of their versatility, these ads work for a range of businesses who want to raise brand awareness, convert sales, or retarget potential customers.
Here’s a handy checklist for creating a great banner ad:
- Catchiness – grab attention with humor, color and clever copy
- Clarity – keep your message simple and single-minded
- Creativity –make your ads stand out with a concept that’s unique to your brand
2. Social media graphics
Source: Finances Online
Social media marketing is a must for most organizations these days.
That’s because growing your following on social media not only allows you to reach new audiences, it helps you build more meaningful relationships with loyal customers too. And if you want to stay on top of your key social channels, high quality graphics are a great place to start.
The biggest benefit of having a batch of branded graphics is that they’ll keep your visual identity consistent. This can work wonders for your brand recognition and customer loyalty in the long run.
More good news? Well, when you create marketing materials in bulk, you also cut down costs, time, and resources. Perfect for small businesses!
Depending on your marketing budget, you could either hire a graphic designer or work with existing templates to create a set of visuals to use for cover photos, profile pictures, carousels, static posts, and paid or organic ads.
3. Online video ads
Video ads are typically short video clips that play before, during, or after online video content. They can take the form of in-stream, social media, pre roll ads – the list goes on.
Of course, production costs will be higher than that of your static marketing materials. But the ability to precisely target your audience, tell stories, and track your performance can make video ads well worth the price tag.
This Unskippable Geico ad is just one brilliant example of all the ways you can play with your chosen video ad format.
Want to see more like this? Check out our roundup of the best Geico commercials.
4. Interactive ads
Source: Instapage
Most people see a lot of promotional marketing materials everyday. And as a result, they’ve gotten pretty damn good at ignoring them. So it’s super important that digital marketers regularly rethink their marketing strategy and the way they interact with their target audiences online.
Interactive ads can help you shake things up by inviting consumers to engage with your content in an immersive way. Turning traditional advertising into an activity. This kind of marketing material allows you to tell stories, enhance personalization, and create more memorable experiences.
Here are some of the other key benefits of interactive ads:
- Generate leads
- Boost brand likeability
- Gain customer insights
- Encourage social sharing
5. Website
Source: Wayside
The snazziest collection of marketing materials won’t be much use without a great website to match. This really is the backbone of your business no matter your size, industry, or ambitions.
A website is your platform for targeted messaging, sales conversions, and seamless integration with other marketing channels. This is essential for your marketing strategy and, more importantly, your customers’ user experience.
Sure, creating a user-friendly website will take more time and effort than any of the other marketing materials on this list. But trust me, it’s one of the best investments you can make. You can either code one yourself, drop your content into a template, or hire a professional to do either.
Final thoughts
Choosing the right advertising materials for your organization takes some time and consideration. And to stay ahead of the game, you need to regularly update your marketing collateral to keep your brand feeling fresh. I hope this article has helped you choose the perfect set of advertising materials for your business. And if you’d like to see how Filestage can speed up your review and approval process across each piece of content, start your free trial today →
