Useful Resources

(From the tutorial, Marketing Your Online Business in the "Real World")

"301 Direct Mail Tips, Techniques, and Secrets" by Bill Myers is an excellent source of information, and it's very direct and to-the-point. Lots of great tips and ideas. Sometimes you can find copies on eBay.
The Direct Contact Marketing Group (DCMG) offers list broker information and services.
To learn how to design effective, professional business cards: read Business Card Breakthroughs.
US citizens: The United States Postal Service website offers helpful information about postage rates, shipping fees, small business discounts, and a variety of online tools to help make your offline marketing campaigns faster and easier.
Canadian citizens: The Canada Post website also offers a lot of excellent information for small business owners. Contact them to request a booklet that describes all the standards you'll need to know if you create your own brochures, postcards, self-mailers, etc.
Entrepreneur.com offers some great articles on direct mail that are well worth the time to read. Articles on where and how to build a mailing list, tips on creating an effective message, and much more.
For 'do-it-yourself' types: Geographics.com offers a wide variety of specialty paper, including postcard and notecard paper, for example, and 'pre-folded' brochures. You design your postcard, card, brochure, etc. using any software such as Microsoft Word, then simply run them off on your printer. Much of the stuff offered on this site is also available in local office supply stores.
For professional printing services: if you have a little room in your budget, plus proven ad copy, ExtraValue.com is a good place to investigate. They produce quality postcards, business cards, "snapcards", and more at reasonable rates. Many beginners find this too costly an option at this point… but it's something to keep in mind for later.
The Trade Show News Network is an extensive and searchable site of trade shows from across the world.
VistaPrint offers all sorts of promotional and marketing materials for your business. The quality is decent and they offer 'do-it-youself' templates to make it easier to design professional-looking materials (if you have your own graphic artist, you can upload your own design too). Use these links for a 25% discount: USA | Canada

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