Online marketing allows businesses to create a unique connection with clients. In the marketing world, they call this inbound marketing, or the pull. Clients are free to click on your email newsletter or targeted advertisement whenever they wish. Your marketing literally has to pull that client in.

But in the social media age, are businesses forgetting about the other side of marketing? Outbound marketing or the push uses printed material, putting advertisements and newsletters into your client’s hand. And, according to Andrew Griffiths, business blogger and entrepreneur, small businesses still need a good balance of push and pull in order to thrive.

If you’ve forgotten what it’s like to send out a paper newsletter, brochure or flyer don’t panic. Get your creative juices flowing with these four tactics to create effective printed marketing materials.

1. Post cards. Will the gesture of thank-you cards ever go out of style? The people at American Express think not. This old-school marketing method can establish a genuine connection with clients. Following a purchase, send out a thank-you card and don’t be afraid to include upcoming promotions or events as a P.S.
2. According to recent studies, eight out of ten adults prefer print to digital and 50% of millennials hope to continue reading printed copy well into the future. Experts say this is because print allows for deep reading more so than digital formats. For small businesses, a physical newsletter can go a long way; prospective clients must give it undivided focus and will therefore establish a deeper connection to the material.
3. Receipt-size flyers are a great way to keep customers engaged even after they’ve made a purchase. Slip these in with receipts, whether you’re a physical shop or an online retailer. According to Printaholic, when it comes to flyers, brevity is your friend. Today’s readers have short attention spans, so your content needs to be digestible for even the most impatient scanners. Grab them with a catchy title, focus on just one event or promotion, and use bullet points rather than paragraphs.
4. There’s a reason bands still use posters to advertise upcoming concert dates: posters allow you to reach a large audience with minimal effort. How many cars drive past that condo development every day? How many people window-shop at that local retailer? Printing and distributing posters is a great way to introduce your business to the masses. To make that introduction a good one, do your research and follow Creative Bloq’s tips for poster design.