Marketing collateral is everything from business cards to postcards, brochures, and flyers. Now that you have an idea of what marketing collateral is, it’s time to figure out why you should care about having an extensive collection of this useful informational marketing material.
Here are five reasons why you should care about marketing collateral.
1. Make Sales Handles
When prospective customers call or email you with questions, how will you know what product or service to recommend? A well-designed business card can act as a landing page for your website. If someone clicks on that card and makes a purchase, you know they have interest in your product or service.
You can also create a more unique handhold by adding a QR code to your business card. When people scan QR codes with their phones, they are usually taken to a website where they can learn more about the product or service. When a potential customer scans your QR code and makes a purchase, you know they are interested in your product or service.
2. Brand Promotion
Branding is an important part of any marketing effort. When customers see your branding in some form, even if it’s not the main purpose of the piece, they will associate it with your product or service. Branding can also take the form of a graphic that will appear on your business card, website, email, and social media platforms.
You can also incorporate the brand colors, fonts, and styles into your marketing collateral for a cohesive look.
3. Keep In Touch
Maintaining contact with potential customers is critical to gaining repeat business and growing a long-lasting relationship. You can accomplish this through social media channels like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. These platforms allow you to stay in touch with your audience and potential customers through posts, status updates, and photos.
You can also send handwritten letters. Though this might seem outdated, people still value receiving physical mail. In fact, according to HubSpot Blogs research, 66% of consumers have bought something after reading a letter from a brand. So don’t discount the power of the written word.
4. Stand Out From The Crowd
Since marketing collateral is a form of advertising, you want to make sure that you stand out from the competition. Since information overload is a major problem for consumers, you should consider using different methods to grab their attention. One way is through the use of white space. You can put graphics on your business card, but you should also leave some blank space on the card. This will help your customers easily find the contact information they need without having to hunt down a phone number or email address.
To make your business card pop, you can add a colorful graphic, but keep the rest of the space white. Since white spaces are rarely used on business cards, you will make your card stand out.
You can also use contrasting colors to attract and engage your customers. If you are worried about space, using a thick paper or cardboard for your business cards will also help them stand out.
5. Make It Easy For Consumers To Research Your Product Or Service
A lot of information can be overwhelming for consumers, so you should ensure that they have everything they need to make a decision. When potential customers are searching for your product or service, you want to make sure that they can find every piece of information they need in one place. This way, you can increase the chances of them making a purchase.
With the majority of information now being stored digitally, you can take advantage of this by creating a digital version of your business card. If you feel that your customers should have everything they need to know about your company in one place, then create an informational website or blog. On this website, you will catalog all of the products and services your company provides. Doing this not only promotes trust in your brand, but it helps potential customers easily find the information they need.
Getting Your Marketing Collateral Ready
Now that you understand the importance of marketing collateral, it’s time to start figuring out what type of content you will need to create. To start, you should create a list of all of the platforms you will use to promote your brand. This will include things like business cards, social media accounts, websites, and email newsletters. Once you have your platforms, consider which one you will use to reach your audience.
Since email is accessible to everyone, you should use this platform to communicate with potential customers. Create a marketing email list (just like you would create a sales email list) and get to work. Start by sending out a small batch of emails with a general pitch. You can also use email to follow-up with customers who have previously purchased your product or service. It is a great way to keep in touch and develop a relationship with people who have shown interest in your brand.
Now that you have everything you need, it’s time to showcase your marketing material and get the word out. If you feel that your product or service will be of interest to people in your region, then you should consider creating regional editions of your business card, letterhead, and email headings.