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Annual Marketing Guide for small businesses

ANNUAL

Marketing Guide

A Smarter Way to Connect with Customers

Not all marketing works the same for every business. The most successful strategies are built around how your customers actually think and behave.

Some customers already know you—they just need a reason to remember you. Others don’t know you yet—they need to see your name, understand what you do, and trust you before they ever reach out.

The goal isn’t to do more marketing. It’s to do the right kind, at the right time, for the right audience.

Who Is My Target Audience?
Not everyone is your customer, so a focused approach leads to better results. Your strongest opportunities may come from existing clients who already trust you and are likely to return or refer others. Or, your ideal audience may be new households in a specific area who simply haven’t discovered you yet. When you clearly define who you want to reach, your marketing becomes more intentional and effective.

How Often Should I Reach Them?
Consistency matters more than frequency alone. For existing customers, regular touchpoints throughout the year help you stay top of mind without feeling overwhelming. For new audiences, it often takes multiple impressions before someone recognizes and trusts your business. A simple, steady cadence will always outperform one-time outreach.

What Is the Most Effective Way to Reach My Customers?
The best method depends on how your audience interacts with your business. Some customers respond best to useful, keepable items that stay in their home, while other businesses benefit from timely, event-based or seasonal messaging. High-visibility pieces build familiarity, while targeted mailings help drive action. The most effective strategy often combines both—staying visible while reaching out at the right moments.

Stay Visible All Year

Stay top of mind with pieces your customers keep—​so your information is right where they need it, when they need it most.

Household Tips MagnetCards
Useful resource guides customers will keep

  • Send anytime, especially after a transaction or introduction
  • Ideal for staying visible on the fridge year-round
Shop Household Tips

Magnetic Calendars
Daily brand exposure for an entire year

  • Send in late fall or early winter (Oct–Jan)
  • Best for top clients, VIPs, or annual touchpoints

Tear-Off Calendars
Daily brand exposure with rotating tips

  • Send in late fall or early winter (Oct–Jan)
  • Best for top clients, VIPs, or annual touchpoints

Magnetic Calendar Planners
A daily-use tool that makes a great handout

  • Send in late fall or early winter (Oct–Jan)
  • Best for top clients, VIPs, or annual touchpoints

Seasonal Connections

Show up in a helpful, relevant way during the seasons your customers need you most. For timely services, send something they'll use regularly to become the one they remember.

Baseball Schedules
162 games for clients to reference

  • Send in March, just before the season starts
  • Great for broad audiences and creating yearly anticipation
Shop Baseball Schedules

Football Schedules
America's most popular sport

  • Send in August, just before the season starts
  • Great for broad audiences and creating yearly anticipation
Shop Football Schedules

Basketball Schedules
82 highly contested games

  • Send in September, just before the season starts
  • Great for broad audiences and creating yearly anticipation
Shop Basketball Schedules

Hockey Schedules
82 games to make a run for playoffs

  • Send in September, just before the season starts
  • Great for broad audiences and creating yearly anticipation
Shop Hockey Schedules

Soccer Schedules
Fastet growing sport in America

  • Send in January, just before the season starts
  • Great for broad audiences and creating yearly anticipation
Shop Soccer Schedules

Spring Ahead / Fall Back Postcards
Simple, timely touchpoints that feel helpful

  • Send 2–3 weeks before seasonal time changes
  • Keeps communication consistent without being sales-heavy
Shop Spring Ahead Postcards
Shop Fall Back Postcards

Business Holiday Cards
Build connections and share appreciation

  • Send during the holiday season through New Year's: Nov - Jan
  • Invite your team to sign each card for a personal touch
Shop Business Holiday Cards

Recipe Postcards
Engaging, shareable, and keeps your brand around longer

  • Great before holidays, summer gatherings, or seasonal shifts
  • Works well as a softer, relationship-building touch
Shop Recipe Postcards

Timely Marketing

On-demand marketing for the moments that matter. The perfect piece to send when you have something to share, promote, or celebrate right now.

Just Listed Postcards
Show activity and build credibility
Send to apartment residents to garner new clients during slow seasons by inviting them to look for homes in the same neighborhood.

  • Send immediately after a listing or sale
  • Reinforces momentum and local expertise
Shop Just Listed Postcards

Just Sold Postcards
Show activity and build credibility
Send to potential clients to communicate, "I can sell your house quickly, too!"

  • Send immediately after a listing or sale
  • Reinforces momentum and local expertise
Shop Just Sold Postcards

Brochures
Share a detailed message about your business, services, or offerings

  • Introduce your business or explain services in depth
  • Great for leave-behinds, consultations, for follow-ups
Shop Brochures

Flyers
Promote a specific message, event, or offer

  • Best for timely announcements, events, or limited-time promos
  • Easy to distribute widely to generate awareness or immediate interest
Shop Flyers

Community & Local Connection

Position yourself as a trusted, local resource and build connections with the community your business depends on.

Event Schedules
(Farmers Markets, Local Events)

Useful, hyper-local information customers appreciate

  • Send at the start of a season (spring/summer)
  • Builds community connection and relevance
Shop Event Schedules

Directories
High-value, practical reference pieces
(Emergency Numbers, Local Restaurants)

  • Send as a welcome piece or annual refresh
  • Often kept long-term for quick access
Shop Event Schedules

School Calendar Magnets
Highly valuable for families

  • Send late summer (July–August) before school starts
  • Strong retention and repeat visibility
  • Schools may help with distribution
Shop School Calendars

Yard Signs
Showcase your presence in the community and build trust through real, visible connections.

  • Reinforces credibility by highlighting homes, projects, or clients you've worked with
  • Great for events, sponsorships, and local visibility where your audience already is
Shop Business Yard Signs

Professional & In-Person Marketing

Business essentials that support face-to-face interactions and strengthen your brand presentation.

Presentation Folders
Organize and present your materials in a polished, professional way

  • Ideal for consultations, proposals, or onboarding new clients
  • Reinforces credibility and keeps your info in one place
Shop Folders

Notepads
Keep your brand visible with an everyday item clients will reach for often

  • Great for leave-behinds or client gifts that stay on desks or counters
  • Provides long-term visibility without feeling promotional
Shop Notepads

Business Cards
Share your contact info quickly and make a strong first impression

  • Essential for networking, meetings, and everyday interactions
  • Easy to hand out so your information is always within reach
Shop Business Cards

Thank You Cards
Show appreciation and strengthen relationships with a personal touch

  • Perfect after a sale, appointment, or referral
  • Helps turn one-time clients into repeat customers and advocates
Shop Business Thank You Cards