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October 7, 2015

Are You Prepared to Tell Your Story?

Submitted by Kelly Glass

Being prepared in business is one of the most important contributors to success. And, whether you “begin with the end in mind” as Steven Covey wrote in “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” or you look to the routines of some of today’s top women in business, planning ahead is critical to closing deals.

But besides qualified leads, a charming personality and expertise in your field, how else can you arm sales when they are meeting with potential new customers? Marketing collateral is one important part of a winning strategy.

Branded Marketing Collateral is an Excellent Way to Tell a Company's Story

Certainly “marketing collateral” can mean different things to different business people. But as a leader in creative and marketing services for companies that serve SMBs, Idea Custom Solutions recommends that quality printed materials like brochures, product overview sheets and compelling flyers be part of your marketing mix.

Now if you're accustomed to hearing mostly these days about programmatic advertising, landing pages and responsive websites, keep in mind that printed materials aren't a marketing tactic at odds with today’s online tactics. Marketing collateral not only complements a company website and digital marketing efforts, it is also an important part of telling the brand story to ideal customers.

As Tawheed Kader, CEO of ToutApp, wrote on Entrepreneur Magazine’s website last month, your firm’s marketing collateral is one of the most potent tools to position you as an expert in your line of business.

 “Don’t let your leads go to waste,” Kader says. “You want the leads you’ve spent time building into the funnel to convert and drive revenue for the business. This starts with arming sales with the materials that team needs to close."

In addition to creating written content on topics that matter to your customers, Kader writes that everything from infographics and product sheets, to videos and even eBooks have their place in the arsenal for sales. Moreover, Kader points out that you should listen to your salespeople and gather information about their experiences with clients.

“Sales team members need marketing to help them create these assets. For aligned companies, this is the point where they lean on hyper-specific content: in-depth blog articles, customer testimonials, interactive content and case studies — which in turn work harder at this point in the funnel.”

As knowledge management goes, one writer for Business 2 Community recommends that marketing collateral be accessible to the entire salesforce. B2C contributor Katrina Pfannkuch writes that “When you create an effective management system for marketing collateral, you can leverage the true power of your most valuable asset — content.”

The best approach, Pfannkuch adds, is to consider the ideal customer. What “pain points” or problems come up for customers in your business? What problems does your business solve? By creating marketing materials that address key issues your customers face, you “come to battle” with the best weapons and tools. Furthermore, make sure to categorize your marketing collateral, for easy access, by product as well as by the solution it provides.

No matter what your sector you are in, Idea Custom Solutions is committed to helping entrepreneurs and the businesses they serve through design of marketing materials and eye-catching visuals. Consult with us to find the best way to tell your story.

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