What comes to your mind when you think of marketing collaterals? Are you thinking of blog posts and press releases? You will be surprised to know that marketing collateral covers much more than online material!
In recent years, brands are inclined to place a substantial focus on maintaining and marketing an online identity. While your online presence is undoubtedly significant, at the same time, businesses must take out the time to develop quality marketing collateral regardless of the medium.
Why? Well, as per Pam Moore, it takes up to seven interactions with a brand for a potential consumer to remember the business. And there is no guarantee that each of these interactions will happen online.
Whether it be meeting a salesperson and getting their business card, reading up about services of a business via their brochure, or glancing at a standee during a run to the mall, there are various ways a company can have itself seen in the physical world.
A brand must exist in the physical as well as the virtual world. And material like letterheads, print media, logos, brochures, and business cards are important in creating a business’s offline identity.
Marketing Collateral Defined
Marketing collaterals is an umbrella term used to refer to all media material that is used by a business to promote its products and services. This can range from print material like posters, flyers, and brochures and can also include digital material like e-magazines or catalogs.
The purpose of marketing collaterals is to communicate a brand message to the target audience. Note that it is imperative to be consistent in your efforts. As suggested by Forbes, consistent branding efforts can help boost revenue by 23 percent as well as ensure brand awareness among the masses.
Usually, marketing collaterals contain a call to action to divert traffic towards an action. For instance, a standee may include contact details about reaching a brand or a QR code for visiting its website. Similarly, a blog post may end with asking people to subscribe to the website or its newsletter.
But, why is it important?
Right off the bat, we mentioned that developing marketing collateral is essential for a business. And if you are an inquisitive soul, your next question is probably, “Well, why exactly is it important?”. After all, developing material is not cheap. So, we understand your need to know why you should bother investing in it.
Here are the top reasons why marketing collateral matter to a business’s success.
1. Continuous representation of a brand
Every brand needs representation. Without it, brand awareness and recognition of a business will suffer. This is true regardless of whether you are a B2C or B2B company.
For instance, in the case of a B2B business, marketing collaterals like product manuals and business cards can help sales reps in nurturing a relationship with a buyer throughout the sale cycle. On the other hand, for B2C businesses, collaterals like website content, flyers, or standees can help ensure that your brand stays with the customer throughout their consumer buying journey
For instance, while a standee or flyer can come in handy during the need recognition stage, a website can be useful collateral during the research stage. Since such material can be accessed at all times, beyond the working hours of a business, it means that the process of converting customers never stops, thanks to it.
Rather than relying on sales reps to represent a brand, marketing collateral allows businesses to express themselves, across mediums, at all times.
2. Creates a professional brand image
Regardless of which industry business functions in, the fact remains that all sectors are highly competitive. Let’s do an exercise. Think of the first two brands that come to your mind when we say shoes. The chances are you thought of Nike and Adidas. This is what businesses are up against.
To ensure that their target audience remembers them, it is imperative to create a lasting impression. And that impression must be positive. And nothing helps to form a positive perception than marketing collateral that is well-aligned with the expectations of consumers.
Something as simple as a sleek logo that sticks in the minds of consumers can make a difference. This is why marketers often advise that businesses invest in creating a memorable, relevant, and timeless logo. A solution like Logo Design Valley makes the development process easier as well.
Similarly, according to Demand Metric, over 87 percent of people feel positive about a brand after being exposed to its customized content. So, good branding efforts via marketing collateral can improve a business’s image, thereby increasing the chance of converting people into customers.
3. Communicates value proposition of a business
What tempts people from choosing one business over another? Especially when each of them offers the same products? It is the distinguishing value proposition that draws in customers. This refers to the unfulfilled need that businesses cater to.
Marketing collateral helps in explaining the value proposition of a business. It educates and informs people about the need that exists and how the brand successfully caters to this need. The best way that all types of marketing collaterals communicate the value proposition of a business is by including the tagline of the company consistently in all of its communications.
Looking at the top brands seeing how they represent their value proposition through their marketing material is an excellent way for businesses to learn the art of developing consistent marketing collaterals.
For instance, Dove isn’t just a beauty soap. It is a tool for embracing natural and real beauty. You will see that Dove’s marketing collateral also relays the same positioning.
Similarly, Nike doesn’t just offer footwear. It aims to make an athlete out of everyone. Again, you will see that its ads, social media posts, and offline campaigns all reflect this purpose. There is a lot a business can learn from their marketing tactics.
Effective Marketing Collateral: Five Tips
Merely developing collateral may not be enough. You must make sure that you create top-notch material. Here are five tips that will help.
Be obvious
Your logo, tagline, and call to action should be highlighted in all types of marketing material. They are the most critical pieces of information and should be hidden because of fluff!
Be simple
While you might be tempted to use jargon and technical words, unless you operate in B2B business, it is best to stick with simple words when describing your products and services.
Be relevant
Conduct research about your target audience and create content that is meaningful and relevant for them. For instance, if you operate in fast fashion, don’t talk about sustainable fashion just for brownie points!
Include all contact information
Whether it be email, website, your social media handles, or physical handles, include all possible touchpoints via which potential consumers can reach you.
Don’t overdesign
While you should aim for uniqueness in your marketing collateral, don’t mistake this as overdoing the design element. Use a consistent font and color template throughout your material. But, don’t add multiple fonts or colors!
In Conclusion
Marketing collateral isn’t just crucial for a business. Instead, it is a necessity that must not be underestimated. Anything that helps you in interacting with your customers is a tool. Make sure to understand its significance and design the right set of collaterals.
Represent your brand the right way and watch as your revenues soar.
Erica Silva is a blogger who loves to discover and explore the world around her. She writes on everything from marketing to technology. She enjoys sharing her discoveries and experiences with readers and believes her blogs can make the world a better place.
Find her on Twitter: @ericadsilva1
