Printed marketing collateral

Printed marketing collateral is not a thing of the past.

With the advent –or perhaps more appropriate, the deluge– of digital marketing, many businesses entertain the thought of jettisoning their printed marketing collateral altogether. After all, who needs printed marketing collateral when you’ve got a new website, a great email campaign and other digital marketing programs? You do. That’s who.

Before we get into why you need printed marketing collateral, let’s define what it is—printed marketing collateral is defined as a supply of media used to support the sales of a product or service. This supply of media can be either in hard copy (printed and mailed or hand delivered to customers and prospects) or online (digital format that can be printed at the discretion and convenience of the customer or prospect). Either way, printed marketing collateral serves a number of key purposes in marketing your business.

Even with computers, tablets and smart phones, people (your customers) still like getting, holding and reading printed marketing collateral. Equally important, printed marketing collateral plays an important role in creating, sustaining and/or growing a profitable relationship with your customers. Beyond the personal sales pitch, a printed piece extends, assures, confirms, validates, and/or reinforces your message, and by its very nature, it does so over time, unlike a digital message that’s easily and quickly clicked away. A printed piece also helps drive response while shortening the sales cycle.

Now that you have a better idea as to the importance of printed marketing collateral, what types of materials do you need? Well, at the bare minimum, you should have the following, ready to hand or send out—

• Business cards
• Brochures
• Sell sheets
• Presentation folders
• White papers
• Case studies and success stories
• Advertisements
• Product spec sheets
• Press releases
• Media alerts
• Annual reports and more

As you can gather, there are many different types of printed marketing collateral. And they’re not free to create and produce. The million-dollar question is: how many pieces of printed marketing collateral do you need to have, to keep your business growing?

To get a better idea, carefully consider these questions—

• Who is your sales target?
• How and when do your customers buy from you?
• What tools do your salespeople need to sell more effectively?
• What types of collateral material would best move your prospects through the sales cycle?
• How, when and where do your prospects prefer to receive that information?

Digital on-demand printing can be a big help to your business.

Whatever numbers you come up with, there’s no getting around the fact that you need printed marketing collateral. Fortunately, there are ways to control the cost. One of the best ways is with digital on-demand printing. Recent advancements in digital on-demand printing offer companies like yours a host of money- and time-saving advantages, such as—

• Shorter print runs
• Faster turnaround
• Reduced costs associated with storage, distribution and outdated materials
• Ability to quickly produce and update literature
• Ability to get products or services to market more quickly
• The benefit of printing only the amount you need, when you need it

Are you ready for some printed marketing collateral?

Before you launch a new and crucial printed marketing collateral initiative, keep in mind that all of these valuable materials should send a focused, compelling message that synchronizes with your brand and its promise. Please make sure every piece of collateral stays consistent in terms of style, tone, voice and graphics. The more uniform your collateral pieces are, the more effective they’ll be in supporting your sales strategies and tactics, and in growing your business.