Effective marketing collaterals
Effective marketing collateral's
In today's competitive environment, merely offering an excellent product or service is no longer sufficient. It is crucial to convey your value, assist your customers throughout their journey, and foster enduring relationships. This is where marketing collateral becomes essential – a variety of materials that bolster your sales and marketing initiatives. From drawing in new leads to pleasing current customers, the appropriate collateral can significantly impact your success.
Now, let’s explore 29 vital types of marketing collateral, accompanied by real-world examples from Indian businesses, to aid you in effectively promoting your brand and attaining impressive growth.
What Is Marketing Collateral?
Pre-Purchase Sales & Marketing Collateral
Business Listings & Directories
Product Vs. Product Content
Company Awards & Accolades
Sales Process Marketing Collateral
Proposal Documents & Decks
Tear & Sell Sheets / Product & Service One-Pagers
Post-Purchase Marketing & Customer Success Collateral
What Is Marketing Collateral?
Marketing collateral denotes any medium or material utilized to advertise a company's products or services. It includes a diverse array of assets, both tangible and digital, that assist the sales and marketing teams in their endeavours to attract, engage, convert, and retain customers. In essence, it encompasses everything you employ to narrate your brand's story and persuade your audience.
Pre-Purchase Sales & Marketing Collateral
These materials aim to engage potential customers and inform them about your brand and products before they consider a purchase.
1. Business Listings & Directories
Online business listings and directories play a vital role in enhancing visibility, particularly for local enterprises. They assist customers in locating their business with ease.
A local restaurant like Chai Sutta Bar can leverage Google My Business to list its locations, operating hours, menu, and customer reviews. This allows potential customers searching for "cafes near me" to discover them effortlessly.
2. Product Vs. Product Content
This form of content makes a direct comparison between your product or service and that of a competitor, showcasing your distinctive selling features.
Example: An EdTech platform like BYJU'S might create content comparing its personalized learning programs with traditional tuition classes, emphasizing its adaptive learning technology and comprehensive content.
A branded magazine enables you to convey more in-depth stories regarding your brand, industry, and values, positioning you as a thought leader.
Example: Tata Group could create a digital or physical magazine showcasing its diverse ventures, sustainability initiatives, and corporate social responsibility efforts, appealing to a broad audience and reinforcing its brand image.
Comprehensive listings of all your products, often with detailed descriptions, specifications, and pricing.
Example: Nykaa, the beauty and fashion retailer, provides extensive online product catalogues, allowing customers to browse through thousands of products from various brands, complete with filters, reviews, and high-quality images.
Research findings or collected data reports that deliver important insights into your industry or target market. This solidifies your expertise.
Example: A market research firm like IMRB International publishing a report on "Consumer Spending Trends in Urban India" provides valuable data for businesses and establishes their authority in the field.
Visual representations that grab your attention, whether it's data, stats, or complicated info, and make it simple to understand.
Example: A financial advisory firm like Motilal Oswal creates an infographic explaining "How to Invest in Mutual Funds" with simple visuals and key takeaways, simplifying complex financial concepts for beginners.
Consider creating detailed, credible reports or guides that focus on a specific subject. These often tackle a common issue and suggest a solution, which helps establish your brand as a knowledgeable leader in the field.
Example: A cybersecurity company like Quick Heal Technologies publishing a white paper titled "Protecting Your Business from Ransomware Attacks" that details the threats, vulnerabilities, and solutions, targeting businesses seeking robust security.
Single-sheet advertisements or informational brochures, typically used for local events or promotions.
A local coaching institute, such as IITJEE, distributes flyers in residential areas and schools to announce new batch admissions or scholarship programs, targeting students and parents directly.
Folded, multi-page documents that deliver in-depth information regarding a company, product, or service.
Example: A real estate developer like DLF provides a beautifully designed brochure for a new housing project, detailing floor plans, amenities, location advantages, and artist impressions to potential buyers.
10. Abandoned Cart Emails
Automated emails are sent to users who have added items to their online shopping cart but left without completing the purchase.
Example: Myntra, a leading e-commerce fashion retailer, sends personalized abandoned cart emails with product images, sometimes offering a small discount or free shipping to encourage completion of the purchase.
Webinars or presentations that inform and involve prospective clients, facilitating real-time interaction.
Example: A software company like Zoho hosting a webinar on "Optimizing Your Business Operations with Zoho CRM," demonstrating its features and answering live questions from potential clients.
12. Company Awards & Accolades
Recognition from professional associations or media, demonstrating credibility and excellence.
Example: Infosys proudly displays its "Top Employer" awards or "Best IT Services Provider" accolades on its website and marketing materials, boosting its reputation and attracting top talent and clients.
Sales Process Marketing Collateral
These materials are created to help your sales team during the active sales cycle, assisting them in nurturing leads and closing deals.
Interactive tools that assist prospective clients in calculating the expected return on investment from your product or service.
Example: A solar energy company like Tata Power Solar offers an online ROI calculator where users can input their electricity consumption and get an estimate of savings and payback period by installing solar panels.
Testimonials from happy clients commending your product or service, foster trust and reliability.
Example: An online learning platform like Unacademy features video testimonials from students who have successfully cleared competitive exams after using their platform, highlighting the real-world impact of their courses.
In-depth descriptions of how your product or service assisted a specific client in accomplishing their goals, typically incorporating data and metrics.
Example: Wipro published a case study detailing how their digital transformation services helped a leading Indian bank streamline its operations, showcasing the challenges, solutions implemented, and measurable results.
16. Common Objection FAQs
A detailed compilation of commonly asked questions along with their responses, proactively tackling possible concerns and objections.
Example: An insurance provider like LIC has a detailed FAQ section on its website addressing common queries about policy coverage, claims process, premium payments, and surrender values, easing customer doubts.
17. Pitch & Discovery Decks
Sales teams utilize presentations to introduce the company, assess client needs, and demonstrate how their products can assist.
Example: A startup like Ola Electric uses a sleek pitch deck to introduce its vision for electric mobility, present its product road map, and explain its business model to potential investors or partners.
Visual presentations that showcase the features and functionalities of a product are frequently utilized during product demonstrations.
Example: A SaaS company like Freshworks uses a product demo deck during a sales call to showcase the user interface, key features, and workflow of its customer support software, tailored to the prospect's industry.
19. Proposal Documents & Decks
Formal documentation specifying the recommended solution, scope of work, deliverables, and pricing for an individual client.
Example: A digital marketing agency like WatConsult submitting a comprehensive proposal document to a prospective client outlining a proposed strategy for their social media marketing, including timelines, deliverables, and cost breakdown.
20. Tear & Sell Sheets / Product & Service One-Pagers
Brief, one-page documents that emphasize the main features, advantages, and unique aspects of a product or service, making it simple for sales representatives to share.
Example: A pharmaceutical company like Sun Pharma provides sales representatives with one-pagers for new drugs, summarizing their efficacy, dosage, and patient benefits to share with doctors.
Physical promotional materials are dispatched directly to potential clients via the postal system.
Example: A premium real estate developer sending personalized direct mail brochures to high-net-worth individuals, inviting them to an exclusive preview of a new luxury apartment complex.
Concise, physical cards featuring key contact information, essential for networking and creating a lasting impression.
Example: Every professional across India, from an entrepreneur running a small business to a CEO of a large corporation, uses business cards at networking events, meetings, and conferences to exchange contact details.
Branded email signatures featuring contact information, a company logo, and typically a call to action.
Example: An employee at HDFC Bank has an email signature that includes their name, designation, bank logo, and a link to the bank's latest loan offerings or mobile banking app.
Promotional items or branded merchandise provided to potential clients or customers.
Example: Jio distributing branded t-shirts, caps, or pens at college festivals or tech events, increasing brand recall and creating a sense of community among users.
Post-Purchase Marketing & Customer Success Collateral
These resources emphasize customer retention, promoting repeat purchases, and transforming customers into advocates for the brand.
Deliveries made to new clients often comprise a welcome letter, information about the products, and small tokens of appreciation.
Indian Example: A premium credit card company like American Express sends a welcome kit to new cardholders, including the physical card, a guide to benefits, and perhaps a small welcome gift or voucher for a partner brand.
Sequential instructions or educational content intended to support new customers in starting their use of a product or service.
Example: A digital payment app like Paytm provides an interactive on boarding guide within the app, walking new users through setting up their wallets, making their first payment, and exploring different features.
Documents demonstrating the different approaches customers can take to use your product or service for resolving specific issues or reaching various targets.
Example: A project management software company like Kissflow creates use case guides demonstrating how different departments (e.g., HR, IT, Marketing) can leverage their platform for specific workflows, showcasing versatility.
Brief animated or live-action clips that effectively and briefly demonstrate the functionality of a product or service.
Example: Zerodha, a discount brokerage firm, creates explainer videos on its YouTube channel detailing how to open a demat account, place a trade, or understand different investment instruments, simplifying complex financial processes.
Routine email messages delivered to subscribers, sharing updates, news, suggestions, and marketing content.
Example: The Hindu, a prominent newspaper, sends out daily or weekly email newsletters to its subscribers, summarizing top news stories, editorial picks, and exclusive content, keeping its audience engaged.
By thoughtfully crafting and deploying these 29 categories of marketing assets, Indian enterprises can significantly elevate their brand promotion efforts, skillfully navigate the customer journey, and ultimately promote sustainable growth in the dynamic landscape of the Indian market.
