For mobile entertainers, properly designed business cards and banners are important to gaining new clients. They quickly communicate the key benefits of your business and services to potential clients in a visually compelling manner. That’s the value of marketing collateral.
With many DJ companies, developing marketing collateral is imperative and plays an important role in the sales process. Besides business cards and banners, here are some other materials you can provide a customer:
- Printed product or service information (i.e., brochures, flyers, postcards, etc.)
- Educational whitepapers and event tips
- Sales presentation visual aids (i.e., PowerPoints, videos, image galleries, portfolios, etc.)
- Case studies and press releases
- Infographics
- Company awards
- List of preferred partners and vendors
- List of references, testimonials and previous clients
- Press mentions and clip files
- Price and package lists
- Company and service fact sheets
Marketing collateral should not be confused with advertising. How are they different? Marketing collateral is normally used later in the sales process, even though it can serve as a first impression.
In most cases, companies will utilize their marketing collateral once their company has identified a potential client and they are being contacted for more information or it is being used during a consultation.
Why High-End Materials Matter
When consumers see high-end materials, it automatically conveys high-value services. If you are going to sell top-notch services, then you need to deliver convincing evidence of your value to the potential end-user. In almost any business, the quality of your marketing strategies will determine the value of your services in the eyes of the buyer. In fact, if there is a large gap between the values of services between competitors, the difference will be made apparent to the consumer in the presentation, even if the end-product is the same.
You will also want to make sure you provide value in your marketing collateral. In this case, useful information or infographics will tend to catch the most attention from potential clients. It makes an impact, as many people are visual learners by nature. If your company introduces knowledge to the client that they remember, they will also remember your company, and see you as an authoritative source of knowledge in your specific field. If a client sees nothing they can gain from reading your collateral, they will discard it mentally and physically.
Hire a Professional
Many DJs will take it upon themselves to create and design their own collateral. If you have a good understanding of using development tools, like Photoshop or InDesign, then you can probably get by perfectly fine with developing your own materials. This saves money, but it also can take up a lot of your time, which many business owners do not have.
Some DJ’s can also have a difficult time conveying the proper message of their business, value, and services to clients. The challenge with the DIY route, when you do not have the knowledge of using professional tools or writing/designing good content, is that any materials prepped with them look cheap and unpolished, which will reflect poorly on your brand trustworthiness that is so essential. Your logos, letterhead, business cards, and brochures can better represent you when they all look sharp and streamlined.
In fact, your overall brand-marketing strategy looks much better when you choose to have professionally designed and prepared materials. To skimp on how you present your business only hurts your business over the long run. Branding-design professionals can also assist you in making all your marketing collateral consistent across all the different channels and mediums. They may even have some imaginative ideas about how to use your logo and collateral to increase ROI and profitability by transforming it into a branded product. When that happens, you can then use your collateral to sell or advertise your business much more effectively.
If you are planning for any sort of growth, you absolutely need to have a variety of marketing collateral. Whether you are planning for a trade show, a B2C marketing campaign, mailing campaign, or just something to give away to potential clients – leave a lasting impression. Traditional print marketing collateral just provides the next level of reassurance to your potential audience.
In conclusion, when you invest in your company with pride and intelligence, it will reflect in your market’s mind. Something simple, such as quality marketing collateral with an investment in design strategy, will go a long way so long as you don’t try for the cheapest option. Invest in something you yourself want to stand behind! Until next time, stay safe friends and remember that a Day Without Dancing Is a Day Wasted!
Joshua Volpe is the owner of Rochester, N.Y.-based Kalifornia Entertainment.
To check out more business tips, click here.
