B2B marketing material: collateral damage?
Marketing collateral is an experiential – see it, touch it, hear it – part of B2B brand communications and there is generally more of it than in B2C – you don’t get a sales presentation or an e-mail when you buy your baked beans.
B2B collateral covers a wide range of material and there’s a summary of some key bits at the end of this post – seems a bit dull to start with a longish list up-front.
Especially when the damage this stuff can do is so much more interesting…
Producing collateral: be careful what you target
Working backwards from the customers’ experience is a powerful way to guide the entire process of producing collateral that actively supports the brand. Does this stuff actually represent what a B2B company contributes to its customers’ continuing success?
Or is it all just an aspirational wish-list, based on how companies would like to be seen and acknowledged in their market?
Fragmentation: dangerously bad for brand-consistency
Nothing weakens a brand more than inconsistency. Poor delivery of expectations and the consequent erosion of trust is one of the commonest examples: we have all been attracted by a piece of brand-communication and then repelled by the actual purchasing or ownership experience.
Equally, inconsistency across different types of collateral dilutes the brand’s impact in the market. What the brand represents becomes unclear and less credible.
Some things change, some don’t
Collateral plays a vital part in delivering and reinforcing consistent brand messages. Think of the number of e-mails that are sent. Just on their own, they create a constant opportunity for highlighting brand messages, strengthening market reflections and encouraging further interaction – ‘Go to www.xyz to see the latest about…’
Core brand messages change infrequently. For example, logos and slogans remain fairly constant and should form the cornerstone of all collateral – the logo on an e-mail should be same as the logo on a delivery note and a website. Also, the format and content of collateral like corporate brochures remains fairly constant because of cost and the constraints of production.
In contrast, digital collateral offers the opportunity to maintain high levels of relevance around the core messages. Presentations, websites and e-mails can all be used to deliver ‘instant’ messaging that addresses current issues relating to products and services, forthcoming events, opinions and developments within the market.
Singing the same song?
Achieving collateral consistency is not an easy task. The amount of work and associated costs will depend on how a brand is currently represented across each of the components. However, maintaining consistency should be a lot easier than achieving it in the first place.
In terms of presenting consistent branding, the following list covers most of the collateral used within B2B marketing:
- Sales brochures
- Presentations
- Business cards
- Product data sheets
- White papers and case studies
- Press material
- Corporate profiles and brochures
- Annual and financial reports
- Quotations, tender submissions, RFI’s
- Invoices, credit and delivery notes, warranties, contracts
- Posters, signs, banners
- Websites, e-mail, multi-media material
- Display material, flyers and handouts
- Promotional items
Back to The Long Hello: making B2B marketing work for the bottom line
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