Marketing collateral

Marketing collateral, in marketing and sales, is sometimes considered the collection of media used to support the sales of a product or service. Historically, the term "collateral" specifically referred to brochures or sell sheets developed as sales support tools. These sales aids are intended to make the sales effort easier and more effective.^[1] The brand of the company usually presents itself by way of its collateral to enhance its brand through a consistent message and other media,^[2] and must use a balance of information, promotional content, and entertainment.^[3]

Overview

Common examples include:

• Sales brochures and other printed product information
• Visual aids used in sales presentations
• Web content^[4]
• Sales scripts
• Demonstration scripts
• Product data sheets
• Product white papers

Marketing collateral differs from advertising in that it is used later in the sales cycle, usually when a prospective purchaser has been identified and sales staff are making contact with them.^[5]

Typically these are made to follow the same corporate identity as other corporate publications^[6] including:

• Complimentary packing slips
• Business cards
• Letterhead

Physical systems for storing and managing marketing media are known as enterprise content management (ECM) systems.

See also

• Marketing resource management
• Marketing operations management
• Enterprise marketing management
• Enterprise content management

References