Marketing collateral is printed materials that you create and distribute to potential customers, partners, vendors, or members of your target audience as part of your marketing strategy. These printed materials support other forms of marketing and help drive sales, establish brand identity, and communicate the value of your product or service to those you’re trying to reach. Marketing collateral can take many different forms but generally falls into the category of printed documents like brochures, business cards, flyers, posters, pamphlets, product labels, booklets, catalogs and price lists. Each has its own benefits and drawbacks depending on who you’re trying to reach with it. Which one is right for your business? Let’s explore 5 types of marketing collateral that will be useful for your business.
Why Is Marketing Collateral Important?
By creating and distributing printed materials, you’re getting your brand and your value proposition into the hands of your potential customers and helping them understand how you can meet their needs. In a world where people are constantly being bombarded with messages from brands and businesses, marketing collateral is one of the most effective ways to get your message across. For example, let’s say that you’re trying to get more people to visit your retail store. You could post an ad online, put up a billboard, send out promotional postcards or buy an ad in the local paper for the opportunity to get your brand in front of your target audience.
Business Cards
Business cards are a great way to introduce yourself, have your contact information available, and leave a lasting impression on anyone you meet. These little pieces of paper and cardboard are one of the most common forms of marketing collateral and have been around for a very long time. Business cards are generally printed on card stock, come in different sizes and shapes, and look professional. Business cards are an inexpensive and effective marketing tool that can be used in a variety of situations and scenarios: Networking events (to exchange cards with other business professionals), trade shows, seminars, conferences, conventions, product launches, appointment cards and more.
Flyers
Compared to other forms of marketing collateral, flyers are generally low-cost and high-impact. They are a great way to let people know about an upcoming event and generate interest in your product or service. Flyers should be easy to read and visually appealing to grab your audience’s attention and compel them to action. Flyers can consist of standard sheet of paper to postcards. There are several different types of flyers that you can use depending on your marketing strategy:
- Branding flyers – these flyers highlight the core values of your brand and are often used at product launches and marketing events
- Brochure-style flyers – these flyers are a more in-depth look at your product or service and the benefits of using it
- Door-to-door coupons – these flyers offer a coupon to entice customers to try your product for free or at a discounted rate
- Giveaway flyers – these flyers are designed to get your audiences to participate in a contest or giveaway that you’re hosting.
Product Labels and Wrappers
If you’re selling a product, you’ll want to make sure that your company’s brand is clear, and that the value of your product is clear as well. Labels are an important place to communicate these things. A good product label will tell your potential customers what problem your product solves and how it does it.
Labels should be descriptive and helpful, not misleading or confusing to the consumer. They should be easy to read and understand. Labels on a product should have the same goals as any other marketing material: to get the consumer to think about your product when they see its label.
Stationary
Stationary can help you to create a positive impression on your customers and partners. With a professional and high-quality stationary, you can build trust and authority with your audience. When you work with professional stationary, it helps to streamline your operations and save time and money. Choosing the right stationary for your business will help to convey the image that you want to put out to the public.
Stationary can consist of printed letters, bills, receipts, and other documents used in the course of business. They can be used to communicate with customers, vendors, partners, and employees. They can be used to give thanks, offer congratulations, or send condolences.
Brochures, Booklets and Catalogs
Brochures and booklets can be a great way to introduce your business and its products/services to new customers in more detail. Brochures and booklets are generally made up of a series of pages bound together into a single document or a larger sheet of paper folded into sections.
Catalogs are another type of marketing collateral that can be used to showcase your product line. They are often mailed out to customers or distributed at trade shows, conventions, or other events. You can create catalogs digitally or with printed pages bound together into a publication. All three of these types of marketing collateral are also great for increasing brand awareness and driving new leads and sales.
Conclusion
Marketing collateral is a great way to communicate the value of your brand and product or service to new prospects and existing customers. There are many different types of marketing collateral that you can create and distribute to help drive sales and build your brand awareness. Business cards, flyers, product labels, stationary, brochures, and catalogs are all effective ways to get your brand in front of your target audience and increase awareness of your core values and benefits. With the right mix of marketing collateral, you can help your business get discovered, attract new leads, and close more sales.