You have heard us talk pretty extensively about managing printed marketing collateral through a Collateral Management System or CMS.
And this month we thought we would take a step back to make sure you all understand what we mean when we say collateral.
Marketing collateral is any media material used to promote a company’s products or services. This includes everything from print materials like posters and flyers to digital content like catalogs and digital magazines. Anything you can use to communicate your company’s brand message is considered marketing collateral.
Here are nine items that we felt lent themselves to making a splash when it comes to using print to promote and feature your brand, organization, or product.
- · Event magazines – can you imagine a tradeshow or conference without a guidebook, agenda, or schedule? No way! Your event will be that much more manageable and memorable when you provide a tangible collection of information to help your guests or members navigate the experience.
- · Case studies – every satisfied customer is a story. Every problem solved is a testimonial to your success. Case studies are a fantastic way to communicate these wins and strengths to your customers and prospects. Print them AND make them available digitally for mailing, handing out, and sharing on social media. Talk about evergreen content!
- · White papers – are you an expert on a particular issue or trend in your industry, or are you really good at researching and distilling a subject down for people to understand? If yes, then YOU can write a white paper. Here is a great piece on getting started. Again, you can print them for distribution and make them available on your website and social media.
- · Corporate brochures – We think this one explains itself, no?
- · Product catalogs – If a picture is worth one thousand words, imagine what your products in a well-designed catalog can do for your business. It does not have to be Sears catalog size, even sixteen pages is plenty for some product lines.
- · Proposals & presentations – Retention is crucial when you are making a pitch to a person or organization. Even if you are presenting virtually, you can underscore the main points by sending a printed version to the recipients to make sure they have embraced key takeaways.
- · Corporate magazines – Even companies born on-line are getting in on this action. Successful lifestyle brand YETI produces a gorgeous magazine that is small part catalog, yes, and it is also a feature magazine shining a spotlight on people and organizations that amplify their brand message. Expect many others to follow suit.
- · Newsletters – Again, this one is most likely a “speaks-for-itself” kind of product. Internal and external newsletters serve different purposes. Internal newsletters are great retention tools and method to recognize high performing team members. It is also a terrific way to communicate with remote workforces and keep cohesion among departments.
- · Member magazines – Alumni associations and non-profits tend to optimize this collateral tool well. Whether monthly, quarterly, or even annually, a well-designed high content magazine solidifies member satisfaction and provides other avenues for fundraising, event promotion, and recruitment.
If this blog incited you to brainstorm with colleagues about some new ways to enhance the customer experience or create new revenue streams for your company, then our work here is done.
Partnerships with print providers like us here at Brooks Litho will ensure that the details like paper stock, finishing and distribution come off without a hitch!
