What Types of Marketing Collateral Your Business Should Have

Small Business Online Marketing Tips By

Whether you have a brick-and-mortar business, a service

provider or an online store - you need marketing collateral.

By this, I mean documents about your business, products or services that will help people remember your business and make an educated buying decision.These documents should be in printed and digital forms, to increase ease of distribution.

Marketing collateral is as imperative as having a website.It’s something tangible that increases a business’s validity and professionalism, while also serving as an informational tool and a reminder to buy.

Make sure that your marketing collateral focuses on these main points:

• What makes your business special and great?• What products and services do you offer?• Why should people choose your products or services?• What differentiates your business from the competition?• Do you offer any sales, discounts or financing options?• What do your customers enjoy about your business?• How can people purchase your products or services? (AKA:

Where is your business located and how can people contact you?)

Figuring out which types of marketing collateral your business needs could be tricky to someone who isn’t a marketing professional.So let us help!We have compiled lists below that show which types of marketing documents will benefit your business.

If you own a B2C (business-to-consumers)Business Cards: No matter your type of business, you should have at least a general business card that has your business name, logo, address, website, email address, phone number and business slogan. It also would be a good idea to produce a business card for each employee that interacts with potential customers.

Product or Service Sell Sheet: One-page sheet (can use both sides) to summarize your main products or services, or even all of your products and services.

Tri-folds: In-depth brochures with text and pictures describing your company, products or services and contact information.

Success Stories: Brief case studies, reviews or testimonials about how your products or services helped other customers achieve their goal or otherwise benefited them.

If you own a B2C Page 2Warrantee Sheet: If you sell products or

services that come with warrantees, make sure you have this information readily available.

Product Specs Sheets: If you sell or manufacture complex products, then it would be a good idea to have one-page sheets full of very detailed information (size, weight, different components, different materials, etc.) for each of your products.

Newsletters: If you have the capacity to create newsletters, they often have a good open rate when used in e-mail marketing, but newsletters are also great to put on your website, your social media pages and to have printed to give to paying customers.

Upcoming Events or Sales: Creating eye-popping flyers about upcoming events or sales is a must-have if you want to entice people to spend money on your business again. This works for both brick-and-mortar stores, service providers and online stores.

If you own a B2C Page 3Presentation Folders: If you offer products and services that require a lot of information given to a prospective customer, then get professional folders created (with your brand’s colors and logo) to fill up with all of the documents. This will not only make your prospects happier, but it will show that you prefer to be organized.

Presentation Folders: If you offer products and services that require a lot of information given to a prospective customer, then get professional folders created (with your brand’s colors and logo) to fill up with all of the documents. This will not only make your prospects happier, but it will show that you prefer to be organized.

Company Fact Sheet: Have an interesting company history or company culture? Have multiple business locations? Create a company fact sheet to display this type of information.

If you own a B2C Page 4Company Awards and Publicity: If your business has won any type of award or was recognized for an honor, it would be beneficial to make a one-page sheet that lists these awards or honors. Also, include any times your business was mentioned in the media. Put links to the articles on your website, frame any newspaper or magazine clippings of your business and put them on a wall in your store or corporate headquarters to show off.

Press Kit: On your website, have a downloadable zip folder that contains: your business’s logo, pitch letter, press release, company fact sheet, product fact sheet, business cards, articles written about company and company background info. This is what the media will download if they are interested in writing a story about you or your business. Having a press kit readily available is important especially if your business is extraordinarily unique, gaining quick popularity or a first-of-its-kind.

If you own a B2B (business-to-business)Business cards: Definitely create a general business card that has

your business name, logo, address, website, email address, phone number and business slogan. In addition, the CEO should have a business card, the manager and any other sales team members who interact with potential customers.

Brochures: In-depth brochures professionally-designed with text and pictures describing your company, products or services and contact information.

Product or Service Sell Sheet: One-page sheet to summarize your main products or services, or even all of your products and services.

If you own a B2B Page 2Cost Comparisons: If your sell sheets don’t include cost comparisons with

competitors, then create another sheet to show how your products or services will give your target audience’s the most bang for their buck. Do not create this type of sheet or display this information if it will hinder your sales efforts.

Product Specs Sheets: If you sell or manufacture complex products, then it would be a good idea to have one-page sheets full of very detailed information (size, weight, different components, different materials, etc.) for each of your products.

Case Studies: Persuasive one-page documents that explain how your products or services helped a particular client solve a problem and attain a goal, often with a testimonial and technical information, commonly written in the before/after format or problem/solution format. These are essential to have in digital and printed form.

If you own a B2B Page 3White Papers: Persuasive marketing

documents about your products or services that are commonly written in a problem and solution format. These are also essential.

Press Release: Have your company’s most recent or most critical press releases printed and ready to be handed to a potential client or investor.

Client list: Only create this if it will help you rather than hurt you.

Reference list: Many businesses ask for a reference list. Make sure that the people and/or businesses you include on this list

know that they’re on this list. Sometimes a testimonial sheet will compensate.

Warrantee Sheet: If you sell products or services that come with warrantees, make sure you have this information readily available.

Company Fact Sheet: Create a company fact sheet to display more intimate company information, such as company culture, company history, biographies on the founders, etc.

If you own a B2B Page 4Presentation Folders: Create brand-matching presentation

folders that can easily hold all of the documents that you or your sales team will hand to prospects. For digital files, you can get USB sticks created to hand out to prospects.

Company Awards and Publicity: If your business has won any type of award or was recognized for an honor, it would be beneficial to make a one-page sheet that lists these awards or honors. Also, include any times your business was mentioned in the media. Put links to the articles on your website, frame any newspaper or magazine clippings of your business and put them on a wall in your store or corporate headquarters to show off.

If you own a B2B Page 5Newsletters: Make sure that your company newsletters are on your

website and available in printed form.

Upcoming Events: Create eye-popping flyers (in digital and printed form) about upcoming events your business is holding or upcoming events or tradeshows that your business while be exhibiting/participating in.

Press Kit: On your website, have a downloadable zip folder that contains: your business’s logo, pitch letter, press release, company fact sheet, product fact sheet, business cards, articles written about company and company background info. This is what the media will download if they are interested in writing a story about you or your business.

Lastly, it is important to figure out how, when and where do our prospects prefer to receive this type of information.

Do enough people enter your store for you to distribute marketing documents in flyer form? Or is email better?

Some businesses prefer to offer serious prospects a log in for their website to access certain data, such as white papers.

Some businesses have sales people who meet in-person with prospects, so marketing documents can be handed out then.

Do not forget to consider different ways to distribute the marketing collateral once you have it created.It is not helpful if your marketing collateral sits in your office or if no one clicks on the links on your website.Create it, print it, use it and often refresh it.

Use Them and Distribute Them

Need help writing these documents or designing them?

We would love to help!

Thank YouAre you a small business owner and would like

strategy, marketing, content or design assistance?

Please contact us:bloominari.com | 619-354-1118 | info@bloominari.com