The 5 Strategic Types of Marketing Collateral You Should Create in 2022

The past few years changed the way marketers normally reach their customers. We must now capitalize on enhancing our digital experience while maximizing profit and exposure. But how do we achieve this? The best way is to use what we have learned to create easy, accessible information about our products, services, and the corner of the market we occupy.

According to a recent study by Microsoft, the average human attention span has dropped to less than 8 seconds in this post-pandemic, digital age.

Let that sink in.

So, how can you ensure that your content gets a wider reach and continuous engagement?

The short answer is to create visually appealing, easy-to-digest content that helps your customer with their specific pain points. It is more complicated than it sounds.

Your content aids in solidifying your business identity in the marketplace. Diversifying the content allows you to reach the intended audience across their entire journey. Even before your ideal customer picks up the phone or email to get in touch with you, they’ll scope out and engage with your content.

Remember, your content is no longer just a piece of marketing or sales collateral. It should serve a purpose.

If you already have a well-known brand or company, there is still a need to approach different audiences with the appropriate marketing collateral. Targeting different audiences with the right marketing materials will help you generate leads, promote new products and campaigns, entice new customers, re-engage existing ones, and make yourself more publicly known. You can leverage your knowledge and expertise in various ways; content diversity creates avenues to reach multiple audiences with the same information.

Assess Your Current Position

Before you select which marketing collateral to use, here are a few things you must consider:

What is your current brand/company goal?

Increase Brand Awareness? Promote customer loyalty and engagement? Lead generation and sales? Your content strategy must at least address these explicitly to help your decision-making process. When you can identify and prioritize those goals, your direction becomes clear.

Who are you targeting and what do you want them to do?

Understanding your target audience and customer base will help you narrow down the best type of marketing collateral for your business. Your business might not have the capacity to handle more than one type, so it is best to assess which is more cost-effective and prudent but also aligns with your goals and objectives.

How does your target audience fit the stages of your sales funnel?

You are not just publishing marketing collateral for the sake of it. There must be an intended return.  Do you need more leads? How will this convert to any potential sale or future client? Making the connection is important, especially when you are ready to create the content.

What types of marketing collateral will drive the audience to answer your call to action?

Understanding your target audience means you already have an idea of what drives them to make certain decisions.  So, implementing your collateral should come with ease and a successful return on investment.

What decision do you want the users to make?

This is where you must decide on the steps you want them to take. Is this a download, a purchase, and a contact us type of call to action? Again, all this must be carefully considered based on your target audience’s needs and how they align with your overall strategic goals.

How do you incorporate the marketing collateral into your website?

This is a conversation for your web development and branding team. Adding new content to your website may require additional personnel to facilitate the publishing of your collateral but also to maintain its lifespan based on customer engagement. The key is to ensure that the marketing collateral is at least in alignment with your overall goals and you have the support to keep it going.

Be clear on your goals and objectives and properly assess whether you have the infrastructure to deal with implementation and maintenance. The goal is to be able to present your audience with your best possible content for an intended return whether it be a newsletter sign up, a purchase, or social media engagement.

Below are some of the best and more effective types of collateral to incorporate into your marketing campaigns. You already have the content; the next step is to capitalize on that knowledge and expertise.

E-Books

eBooks are a great way to flex your authority on certain topics. An eBook that is connected to your marketing strategy positions your brand as authentic and knowledgeable.  They serve as a major educational tool that your audience can use, increasing your chances of establishing a return customer. It also opens the door for new audiences to discover your brand.  Ensure that your cover is striking but relatable. An averrable eBook has between 2000-2500 words so your content must be clear, concise, and easily understood.

Blog posts

While eBooks fall in the category of long-form content. Blog posts are an easier, quicker way to keep your audience engaged. Hosting a blog on your website also establishes your brand authority. Blogs have become increasingly popular largely due to their effectiveness to drive traffic, increase brand awareness, and introduce new products and services.  Having a blog establishes and builds trust with your audience.

Newsletters

Another great way to increase your website traffic is to send a newsletter to your audience.  Your website should have an option to collect your visitor’s email address. Email is personal and another effective way to engage your audience.  Most brands use email marketing to bolster their content strategy. According to Bigcommerce.com, effective newsletters are informational, not sales-driven. The goal is to provide value without the lure of a sales pitch. That way, your audience remains engaged.

Landing Pages

We recently updated our blog with a post A Guide to Landing Page SEO Best Practices. A landing page is a destination web page, created for a specific purpose, often driven by a marketing or sales campaign, to convert web visitors to a lead or contact. You can direct a visitor to that specific page after they click on a call to action in an email, social media post, paid search ad, or any third-party channel.

Case studies

According to HubSpot, case studies are an invaluable asset when it comes to establishing proof that your offer is of good quality.  They are especially useful for individuals approaching the consideration stage. Pulse Solutions highlighted that the more relatable the client is to another prospective client, the stronger the power of persuasion in that case.  You can build on your case studies by following up with clients and hosting this as part of your home page or on a standalone page.

This list is by no means exhaustive. However, your goal is to identify the most effective ways to maximize your visibility, engagement, and retention through your content.  Overall accessibility is key to your success. Ensuring that your content is not only relevant to your business but relatable to your audience.

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