Marketing isn’t always delivered via electronic, online and print media. Sometimes, you’ve got to put something in someone’s hands.

Flyers, brochures and sales sheets are within that subset of print pieces known as “marketing collateral.” These are part of the advertising strategies that reinforce your brand identity during trade shows, sales calls and presentations, or when placed on countertops and coffee tables or at point of purchase, among many uses.

Each piece should be consistent in message and in design, supporting your brand’s image. Marketing doesn’t just draw a picture or tell a story, after all — it serves a purpose.

Marketing for businesses lays the groundwork for sales conversion. If your marketing materials aren’t a fit for what your sales team needs, however, your sales team might create their own pieces on the fly. That happens quite often. There’s a widely quoted statistic from the American Marketing Association that says salespeople spend 30 hours a month searching for or creating for their own marketing materials.

Let’s say your sales person is face to face with a customer, knows what the customer is seeking, and creates the piece that presents the solution. Is that a problem? It could be if the custom-made piece misses the mark on overall brand identity — and if the sales person has lost time.

If advertising and marketing plans are closely connected with sales needs, they’ll support sales conversion as well as the overall brand identity. Advertising collateral might be used one on one instead of in broad media, but they’re also part of the overall marketing program that brings in new leads and retains current customers. So make sure they fit within your brand identity.

Need our help? We’re 24 Communication, a branding and advertising agency in Montgomery, Alabama. Give us a call and let’s talk.