If you hand out marketing materials at trade shows, networking events or conferences, you know what a pain it is when they’re outdated. And with technology changing at the speed of light, your product or service offerings may be changing pretty quickly too.
How do you keep your marketing materials up to date without going over budget?
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Affordable Ways to Keep Your Marketing Materials Current
Print On Demand
Whether you physically print your marketing materials yourself or outsource the design and printing to a company like Vistaprint, don’t print more than you can use for a given event or time period.
Sure, it’s tempting to print thousands to save a bit of money per sheet, but if you end up with 9,000 outdated fliers sitting in your garage, you’re not really saving money.
Marketing materials ideal for smaller print runs include:
- Business cards
- Brochures
- Fliers
- Media kits
Ask yourself what the maximum number of any item you will need for an event is. Printing fewer now means you can make changes next time, then print a new batch.
Create Easily Modified Documents
If you hand out the same flier at every event, you can leave it as-is so you can use it for multiple events. For a more custom piece, it’s easy to change out the event name on the document without modifying your marketing copy.
Don’t reinvent the wheel every time you need marketing materials. Reuse what you’ve got and update your files for each event.
Consider storing your files in Dropbox or other cloud-based storage so that anyone who needs to access the files can get to them easily.
Get Access to Your Native Art Files
Even if you’re not a graphic designer, you need easy access to your art files – in every format possible. Even if your designer moves to Tahiti, if you have the files, a new designer can make modifications without redesigning and charging you for it.
Ask for files in these formats:
- PNG
- AI
- JPG
- EPS
- TIFF
- BMP
- RAW (if you have photos)
Making sure you get a copy of your files at the completion of each project means you’ll be able to use them in future projects without having to track down a graphic artist you may have worked with just once.
Whether you work with an independent graphic designer or a site like 99designs, you’re entitled to all versions of your design.
Review Your Materials Regularly
You may not even realize your marketing materials are out of date. Make a point of reviewing them every quarter or at regular intervals that give you plenty of time to keep them updated and printed in the proper quantities to ensure they accurately reflect the products or services you offer, as well as your company contact information.
Review the materials for grammatical errors. Have co-workers read through the documents, too. The more eyes reviewing your materials, the less chance you’ll miss an error that might be printed on hundreds or even thousands of fliers and brochures.
Marketing materials are often the first impression people have of your brand. Take the time to make sure they’re always up to date, professional and error free.
Printing Brochure Photo via Shutterstock
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