Written by branding specialist Debbie O’Connor
Consultant, Strategist, Keynote Speaker. Source: whiteriverdesign.com
Branding is a multi-facetted discipline. We’ve already discussed the importance of a logo in branding as well as how to write a brand story. Now we need to talk collateral. So what exactly is collateral?
Collateral usually refers to the collection of printed promotional material that ranges from business stationery, brochures, annual reports and adverts through to your direct mail, newsletters and signage to name a few.
1. First impressions
The reality is that most of us have business cards that we hand out to prospective clients or at networking events. I network a lot and have had some fabulous and some not-so-fabulous business cards thrust into my hands. This one little piece of first impression collateral can make the difference between someone deciding to use your business or not.
2. Story telling
Having the right collateral for your business tells the client a story. If for example you build custom, architecturally designed homes, yet your promotional material is a DL brochure printed in-house on your ink jet printer and badly folded, the story that the client will ‘read’ about your brand is far from the impression you want to project.
3. Target audience
Collateral that is tailored to your primary target audience will position your brand correctly. As mentioned above, you need to make sure that what you are selling matches the quality and standard of your collateral. Lets take restaurants for example. There are so many out there to choose from. Some are positioned as family friendly, trendy and hip, casual/cafe style dining with others catering to the top end of the market. They are all in the same industry but you wouldn’t expect them to have the same type of collateral.
4. Sales
Now that you know who your target audience is, you’ve got some great brochures that tell the correct story about your business, you’re now ready to make a good impression! The amazing thing about good impressions is that they often turn into sales. The more sales you have, the more the business will grow. Big brand businesses didn’t build their brands off the back of shoddy printing and no strategy.
5. Consistency
Your brand needs to be consistently followed through all these areas of your collateral. This will ensure that not only does the look stay true to the brand, but that the message does too. You need to ensure that all of your collateral matches so that if I were to pick up your business card, then head to your website or later see your sign written vehicle on the road, that they would all match.
If you need help with your businesses printed collateral then give the team here at Jenkin Print Media a call on 03 9434 3061 to speak to our friendly staff or email us your enquiry at info@jenkinprint.com.au and we can help you strategise, put together and print any project you need done.