Articles: marketing materials

This collection answers one question asked in many ways: what actually stays with a client. A disc, a catalogue, a business card, a memory stick or something useful on a desk - each has a different life span and a different job. The articles compare them without exaggeration, using examples from small businesses, clinics and trade show stands.

What to prepare

The right set depends on where you meet people. Local advertising calls for something you can hand over on the spot, while a trade fair calls for something that survives the trip home in a bag full of leaflets.

• business card - the simplest way to leave your contact details behind
• leaflet or poster - when you need to reach the streets nearby
• catalogue or sample folder - when someone has to compare before deciding
• branded memory stick - your materials plus an object that gets used
• a small gift - it works when it suits the trade, not when it is merely cheap

Why some things stay and others do not

Three reasons come back. The first is touch: paper that feels good, or a solid object, lifts the impression of a brand before anyone reads the headline. The second is legibility - letters large enough and backgrounds clear enough that an older customer, or one with weaker sight, can read the message in comfort. The third is content: a customer opinion, the story of a real job or a short example of working together beats a list of adjectives.

If you are starting out, choose two things instead of seven and do them properly - the rest can always follow once you see what people reach for.