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Brand collateral and its importance
What is brand collateral? To put it very simply, your brand is a blank canvas and the colours you put on it come from its collateral.
Want to dive deep? Read on…
As a business owner, you understand that to be successful in today’s competitive times, you need to have a strong online presence. It means having a professional website design, utilising social media services, and engaging in other digital marketing activities. While these things are vital, they should not be your only emphasis. Brand collateral is another key aspect that is frequently overlooked.
Brand collateral is important to any business, especially a brand new business. Why? Because it helps to create the image for your company and enables you to stand out from other companies in your industry.
In this blog post will discuss the importance of brand collateral and how to create or improve your existing brand collateral strategy.
What is Brand collateral?
Brand collateral is a comprehensive collection of physical and digital assets representing and supporting a company’s brand. It aims to provide a consistent experience for customers and other stakeholders and reinforce the brand strategy.
A key making effective brand collateral
- A logo
- A brand style guide
- Stationery (letterhead, business cards, envelopes)
- Brochures and flyers
- Website design
- Social media graphics
- Product packaging
Each item in your brand collateral helps to support your brand identity. It ensures that you’re represented consistently across all channels.
While many companies have a general understanding of brand collateral, they often struggle with creating or assembling an effective set of components. It can be due to several factors, such as lack of resources, unclear branding objectives, or simply not knowing where to start.
When creating a new business, it’s important to consider the different elements you need for branding purposes before designing them. It will help create an overall cohesive look and feel for your company, unique to who you are as a business owner.
Recommended: 9 Indispensible factors to consider before starting a business
5 Reasons why Brand Collateral is Important
1. Consistent representation of the brand
Customers interact with your brand in various ways, from visiting your website to reading an advertisement. By creating consistent branding across all channels, customers will recognise and remember you easily. It also helps build trust between customers and the company.
Collaterals like content, flyers, or standees can help connect with your customers throughout the customer buying journey.
2. Creates a professional brand image
When you think of sports shoes, which are the first two brands that come to mind? Nike and Adidas are most likely.
Why is that? It’s because they have a strong brand. Their logos and other elements are well-designed, and their products are of great quality. Your brand will stand out from the crowd if it has a professional image.
Brand consistency creates an identity for your company in the minds of customers and employees who work with you every day!
3. Communicates value proposition of a business
Do you know what tempts people from choosing one brand over the other? It’s the value proposition. It is a brief statement that explains how your product or service is different and better than what your competitor offers.
For example, a brand like Dove states that it is not simply only a beauty soap. It is a tool for embracing natural and real beauty.
The key to a powerful value proposition is making it memorable. The brand collateral of a business communicates what makes it unique, differentiates you from competitors, and conveys why people should choose your products or services. It also explains why consumers should purchase from you rather than your competitors by employing images that demonstrate the benefits of using products or services at no additional cost (i.e., free shipping).
4. Brand collateral flows with the sales conversation
Different pieces of collateral flow perfectly with sales conversations. If someone asks, tell me about your company, you can simply send them a brochure.
What if someone inquires about your product specifications. You can send them a flyer detailing all the specs and features of your products.
Brand collateral helps you to have meaningful conversations with sales prospects without spending too much time explaining things over and over again. When you give out collateral, it also shows that you are professional and prepared for each meeting. It is an effective way to communicate with potential customers in person or online through social media channels.
5. Close more deals and increase ROI
Brand collateral is not a one-time investment. It is an ongoing process that builds up your brand equity and increases sales over time. By providing high-quality products and services to consumers, you can show them why it is better to buy from you instead of your competitors. It will help close more deals and increase ROI in the long run!
For instance – A potential customer wishes to purchase shoes online. They discovered two stores: one with no product information and another with extensive product specs and branded graphics on the website itself. Which one would they pick? Of course, it’s the second one! The same is true for your company; if you have invested in high-quality collateral, it will reflect favorably on your brand and help you close more deals.
How to Create a Unique Brand Collateral?
Creating brand collaterals that truly stand out is not just about making them look pretty. It’s about making them memorable, consistent, and perfectly aligned with your brand’s personality. Here’s how you can do it
Here are the 5 things to keep in mind while creating a unique brand collateral that stands out
1. Be Consistent
Imagine you visit a brand’s social media page, and every post uses different colors, fonts, and styles. Confusing, right? That’s exactly how your audience feels when your brand’s look keeps changing. Whether it’s your logo, colors, fonts, or even your tone of voice—make sure it stays the same across all platforms, from your website to your social media posts and even your email newsletters. Consistency builds recognition and trust.
2. Know Your Audience
Would you promote a luxury skincare brand using playful, cartoonish visuals? Probably not. The same logic applies to your brand collateral. Understand who your audience is, what they like, and what they need. If you’re targeting young, eco-conscious consumers, your designs should feel fresh, minimal, and nature-inspired. If your audience is corporate clients, your designs might be clean, sophisticated, and professional. Speak their language, visually and verbally.
3. Use a Design System
Think of a design system as your brand’s rulebook. It defines your brand’s colors, fonts, logo usage, image styles, and more. For example, if your brand colors are navy blue and gold, your design system ensures that these colors are consistently used across all your brand materials—from your website and business cards to your packaging. It makes sure that every piece of collateral you create looks like it belongs to your brand family.
4. Test and Iterate
Even the best brands keep testing and improving their designs. Create your brand collaterals, then show them to a small group of your target audience, get feedback, and tweak them. For example, a social media post design might not perform well initially, but a few changes in layout, color, or text can make it a hit. The key is to learn and keep improving.
Examples of Brand Collaterals
Printed Collaterals
- Business Cards: A well-designed business card with your brand logo, brand colors, and contact information that you hand out during meetings or events.
- Brochures: A professionally printed brochure that showcases your brand’s products or services with consistent design, fonts, and messaging.
- Product Packaging:Customized packaging that reflects your brand’s visual identity, ensuring your brand is recognizable even before customers open the product.
Digital Collaterals
- Website and Landing Pages:Your brand’s website and dedicated landing pages designed with consistent colors, fonts, and imagery that match your brand identity.
- Social Media Graphics: Branded images and posts for platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn, maintaining your brand’s color scheme, fonts, and logo.
- Email Templates: Custom-designed email templates with your brand’s logo, brand colors, and consistent layout used for newsletters, promotions, or customer communications.
Final Thoughts
Brand collateral is an important part of any branding strategy. If your brand collateral has been designed well and thoughtfully, it will help connect people at every stage of their journey towards becoming loyal fans (or advocates) who sing praises for how great your brand is.
If you are looking for assistance with creating brand collateral or want to improve your overall branding strategy, contact us at Litmus Branding today! We are a leading corporate branding company that can help take your business to the next level.
