How do you get customers to trust your brand?

Beyond Business Cards: How Hiring a Designer for Your Marketing Will Make Your Brand Sing

Posted March 19, 2021

In Blog, Print Marketing Tips, Strategy & Improvement Tips

Small business ‘marketing’ is a big umbrella.

While much of the current buzz centers around digital marketing trends like SEO and social media, don’t neglect the bread and butter of your old standby: marketing collateral.

Though you may not be familiar with that term, you’ve surely seen it in action – and you probably already have some.

In a broad sense, marketing collateral refers to the collection of materials used to support a product or service. This can include everything from business cards and brochures to web content, white papers, eBooks, and much more, depending on what it is you’re selling.

It’s SO important to make sure you direct the same amount of care and attention to these marketing pieces that you give to the rest of your efforts.

Why does good marketing collateral matter?

From a designer’s perspective – and from a business perspective – nothing is too small to be made beautiful and brought into line with your brand so that everything performs in harmony.

Your prospective customers will see that your company cares about every little detail of the messaging. That encourages them to trust that you’ll take great care of them as well.

The goal of marketing collateral is the same as the goal of all good marketing: to make it easy for your audience to understand how you help them.

To present a clear brand image that conveys what you do and builds trust. To ensure they know you feel their pain and will solve their problems.

Three reasons to hire a designer for your marketing collateral

Why waste time and money on sloppy, hastily-created materials that make your customers and prospects confused?

Investing in high-quality marketing pieces will be more effective and give you the results you want.

Here are 3 things a visual designer will do:

Create hierarchy and order.
A good designer will help pare down your messaging and present it clearly, cleanly, and in an effective order. She will help you cut text that isn’t necessary, and visually organize what’s left to be compelling, readable, and invite action.
Help your logo play its role.
Most business owners designing their own materials will actually give too much space to the logo.

Even if you have the perfect logo, its role is to tell a quick visual story that inspires curiosity. Your message will still be the most important thing. A visual designer will know how to best utilize your logo to make your core message shine.
Craft consistency.
Any Collateral that doesn’t fit with your established brand story creates a disconnect that may cause your audience to wonder if it comes from the same company. This pause, even if momentary, creates an opening for them to move on.

Consistent collateral unmistakably connects your audience to the brand they know and trust.

What kind of collateral do you need?

While every business is different and may require specific pieces, here are a few types of marketing collateral I frequently create with my clients:

Storytelling brochure. This piece of collateral goes beyond slapping your logo on a piece of paper and announcing that your business is open. It outlines your products and services while telling a story that connects with your audience so they know you understand their problem and have just the right solution to make their lives easier.
Exterior signage that tells people in an instant that they’ve found the right place.
Interior signage. Displaying your logo or tagline indoors reinforces your messaging and gives your office a beautiful, bespoke feel when clients come to meet you or shop. This also translates to event booth design and signage for when you’re on the road.
Advertising. Make an impact quickly with outdoor ads (like digital and traditional billboards, bus stop advertising), printed ads (like magazines and trade publications), digital ads (banner advertising, email marketing, and social media), and anywhere else you can think of (like packaging tape and shipping labels).
Promotional items. Notepads, pens, t-shirts, gifts, coffee cups, fleece blankets… you name it, there’s probably a company that can create it. A designer will make sure that when you do, it looks on point.

No project is too small to be done beautifully.

To inspire trust from your customers, each piece of your marketing strategy should be done exceptionally well.

Whether it’s an item that your clients will keep on their desk for years, or a business card that may get lost in their bag, every piece of collateral you create should tell the strong, clear, and consistent story of the brand you’ve poured your heart into.

This makes it worth the time, energy, and money that it takes to do it right.

I design these collateral pieces as part of more comprehensive branding work with my clients. Grab my project start guide to see if I’m the right designer to help tell your story.

Key Takeaways:

Marketing collateral refers to the collection of materials used to support a product or service. It can include everything from business cards and brochures to web content, white papers, eBooks, and much more.
The goal of marketing collateral is the same as the goal of all good marketing: to make it easy for your audience to understand your message and act on it.
Nothing is too small to be made beautiful and brought into line with your brand so that everything sings in harmony.
Investing in high-quality marketing pieces will be more effective and give you the results you’re looking for.
Hiring a designer to develop your marketing collateral will help you get your message across cleanly and clearly while building the trust your brand needs.