How to prepare initial marketing materials

Time to Get Real: Creating Your First Marketing Materials

This is an exciting step! It’s where your business idea starts to feel tangible. Up until now, your brand has been a collection of ideas, colours, and fonts. Now, you’re going to turn that identity into physical or digital items that you can hand out, put up, or share online. These first materials are all about making a great first impression and letting people know you’re open for business.

Why You Need Marketing Materials from Day One

Even the simplest materials can make a big difference when you're starting out. They:

• Look Professional: A well-designed business card or flyer shows you’re serious about your venture.
• Spread the Word: They give potential customers something to take away and remember you by.
• Provide Key Information: They make it easy for people to find your website, email, or social media pages.

Before you begin, you should have already completed tasks like defining your brand's look and feel and designing your business logo. You'll need these core assets ready to go.

How to Create Your Initial Marketing Materials

Follow these steps to get your first assets ready for launch day.

1. Decide What You Actually Need

   You don't need to create everything at once. Think about how you’ll be interacting with your first customers and prioritise what’s most useful. For example:

   • If you’re a service provider (e.g., consultant, plumber, dog walker): A professional business card is a must-have for networking. A simple flyer for local noticeboards can also work wonders.
   • If you sell products online (e.g., handmade crafts, prints): Think about small postcards or slips to pop into your packaging with a thank you note and a link to your social media.
   • If you have a physical location (e.g., a café, shop, stall): Flyers or posters with your opening date and a special offer are essential.
   • If your business is purely online: Focus on digital assets. This includes profile pictures and banner images for your social media pages, and perhaps a branded email signature.
2. Gather Your Key Information & Assets

   Get everything in one place before you start designing. You’ll need:

   • Your final logo (in a high-resolution format like .png or .svg).
   • Your brand colours and fonts.
   • The essential text: business name, what you do, phone number, email address, website, and social media handles.
   • Any high-quality photos of your product or service.
3. Choose Your Design Tools

   You don't need to be a top designer to get a great result. Your main options are:

   • DIY with online tools: Websites like Canva or Adobe Express are brilliant for beginners. They have thousands of templates you can adapt with your own branding, making it easy to create everything from a business card to an Instagram post.
   • Hire a freelancer: If you have a small budget and want a more professional touch, you can find freelance designers on platforms like Fiverr or Upwork who can create your initial materials for a reasonable price.
4. Design and Proofread

   When designing, remember that less is more. Keep your design clean, simple, and easy to read. Make sure the most important information stands out. Most importantly, proofread everything! Then, ask a friend to proofread it too. A typo on your first 250 business cards is a mistake you don’t want to make.

   Your marketing materials should have a clear 'call to action'. This is just a simple instruction telling the reader what to do next, like "Visit our website," "Call today for a free quote," or "Follow us @YourBusiness".

5. Get Them Printed or Published

   For printed materials, UK-based online printers like Vistaprint, Moo, and Printed.com are popular, affordable, and deliver to your door. They have clear instructions on how to upload your design files.

   For digital assets, it's as simple as saving your designs and uploading them to the correct social media profile or website section.

A Final Tip: Start Small

It’s tempting to order 1,000 flyers because the price-per-item is lower, but it’s smarter to start with a small print run. This allows you to test them out. You might find you want to change the phone number, tweak the design, or add a new service. Starting small gives you the flexibility to adapt as your business grows.