give your marketing collateral a spring refresh

© Deluxe Enterprise Operations, LLC. Proprietary and Confidential.

Give Your Marketing Collateral A Spring RefreshPresented by Kimber S. Powers, Marketing Training SpecialistDeluxe Small Business Services


Here’s What We’ll Cover• What is marketing collateral

• Types of marketing collateral

• Reasons and ways to refresh your brand materials

• Key steps to refresh

• Useful resources


What is marketing collateral? • Any tool (physical or digital) that is used to market or sell

your products/business

• Purposed to promote your brand messaging as a takeaway for customers/consumers

• Often includes CTAs

• Used as part of soft or hard sell tactics


Types of SMB Marketing Collateral

• Brochures/Direct mail• Packaging• Marketing ‘Slicks’ • Downloadables• Email marketing campaigns• Promotional materials • Press/media kit


Reasons to refresh your brand collateral• Your target market is not being reached

• Your current branding is inconsistent with products or desired market messaging

• Desired growth of product line or business

• Interest in changing brand perception & reputation


Steps to a Good Collateral Refresh: Start to Finish


Step 1: Audit Your Marketing Materials• Branding Identity – Logo, Slogan, Brand Catchphrase, bylines

• Physical collateral – includes tallying volume of any current brochures/direct mail materials

• Online collateral – Where can these be accessed? By whom?


Step 2: Define Your Strategy & Vision• Think big, think long-term

• What do you want to convey to your market?

• How does your brand work against competitors

• Where are you trying to take your product/ business?

• Do you forecast any bigger changes in the near future?


Step 3: Develop a Strong Brand/Style Guide• Serves as the blueprint for all of your

brand efforts, usually 1-5 pages long

• Includes finalized plans on fonts, brand colors, logo positioning, etc.

• Guides team(s) on ways to reach audiences

• Generates consistency and standards for your business


The 3 C’s of Marketing Collateral• Consistency

• Creativity

• Communication


B2C v. B2B Collateral

B2C Collateral• Focuses on product(s), features, and benefits

• Uses language that speaks from a buyer’s perspective

• Often includes statistics and buyer behavior data

B2B Collateral• Focuses on services and benefits

• Uses language that speaks from a client’s perspective

• Often includes testimonial quotes


Step 4: Figure Our Your Potential Costs• Will your refresh require external

services?

• Factor in costs for even smallest expenses – i.e. paper type, envelope style, mass mailing costs

• Remember demand is higher at peak of summer and holiday seasons


Professional Consulting: Yay or Nay?

Pros• Expertise

• ‘Fresh eyes’ on your brand

• Guidance throughout refreshing process

• Many services available now specifically for small businesses

Cons• May not specialize

specifically in your niche

• Packages are often all-inclusive

• Lack of depth on your target market


Step 5: Create a Solid Timeline

•Factor in an estimated time for each specific task

•When are key deliverables due?

• Is your refresh centered around a specific date or event?

•Budget in time for testing/soft launch


Step 6: Learn to Effectively Delegate• Create master project management

document

• Designate task specific leaders

• Set deliverable deadlines – and stick to them

• Open communication is key on large tasks

• Solo business owners can scale down tasks to juggle demands


Step 7: Create Compelling Copy• Remember – design attracts, copy sells

• Focus on tone and ‘brand voice’

• Speak to your audience, not at them

• Consider how, when, and where your copy will be read

• Be catchy and creative, but not cheesy


In addition to copy…• Aim to include at least one CTA

• Impactful images

• Distinctive colors

• Establish the importance of your logo

• Testimonials – ideal for nonprofits

• Buttons – buttons.verticalresponse.com – It’s FREE!


Step 8: Test Drive Your New Materials

• Seek feedback from an objective source

• Consider A/B testing for online collateral

• Soft launch 2-3 weeks prior to refresh release

• Count on loyal customers to provide valuable feedback


Step 9: Launch with Ease• Determine your release date & publicize it

• Assemble ‘last-minute assistance’ squad

• Ensure all deliverables have an appealing date and time

• Forecast potential roadblocks including technical issues – minimize launch issues


Summary• Understand your current collateral landscape

• Create a vision and strategy for your refresh

• Implement change using key steps that will help you refresh

• Great copy always sells best

• Consistency throughout the entire process is KEY


Resources• Verticalresponse blog – branding, marketing, etc.

http://www.verticalresponse.com/blog/

• CMO Insider – Creative Marketing Infohttp://www.cmo.com/articles/2012/12/5/how-to-plan-for-a-logo-refresh.html

• GatherContent Style Guide Tipshttps://blog.gathercontent.com/tone-of-voice-guide

• Holiday/event logos: http://www.verticalresponse.com/small-business-services/custom-logos/themes

http://www.verticalresponse.com/blog/

http://www.cmo.com/articles/2012/12/5/how-to-plan-for-a-logo-refresh.html

http://www.cmo.com/articles/2012/12/5/how-to-plan-for-a-logo-refresh.html

https://blog.gathercontent.com/tone-of-voice-guide

https://blog.gathercontent.com/tone-of-voice-guide

http://www.verticalresponse.com/small-business-services/custom-logos/themes


UPCOMING WEBINARS

• April 26 – Subject Line Savvy

• April 28- Grow Your Email List Like a Pro

• May 12 – Social Media & Your First Year in Business

• May 18 – Writing Compelling Content for Small BusinessesRegister on Deluxe.com/blog or www.verticalresponse.com/more