5 ways to enhance your sales collateral

Make sure that your collateral follows new technology

Planning a new social media strategy can catapult you into this new social revolution.    At the same time that you are experimenting with new things, your sales collateral also needs to keep up with the times.  I am going to throw out several things that will be an overview, but keep in mind these will be future topics, so they will be explored in depth.  Here are several ways that you can enhance your sales pieces:

1.  Make sure that all of your emails leaving the office have in the signature line that includes your website, and links to any social media channels you are in, a must!

2. Every brochure that you hand out, every letter you send, receipt that you give, proposal, coupon, package you ship, advertising that you do – you get it now.  Everything should include your website address and all your social sharing buttons so people can find you.   Remember we are in the age of technology !

3. There are so many sites like a vista print (to give you a start), where you can go to update your sales pieces, at affordable pricing and full color – so don’t use outdated sales pieces.  In fact make sure you approach your suppliers, partners and vendors to ask them about co-branded items or co-op money to help defray the cost of updating your items.  Take advantage of free money.  I am not saying that you have to break the bank, but just to give you an example – I get so many flyer’s on my mailbox.  Most recently, I received  two competing companies asking for my business (cleaning my home).  One flyer was an 8.5 x11 copied black and white paper with all the info on it.   The other was a 8.5 x 11 tri-fold color brochure, nice design, but had all contact info and a place to check them out online.   I realize that not everyone can afford a full color brochure.  So what would I do if I couldn’t afford full color?   I would try to do a full color 4×6 postcard with color on one side and black and white copy on the other, with a coupon.   There are options, but my point is make it stand out. Try to work within your budget.

4. The design of your literature is important.  Not everyone can be a graphic artist, so if that is not your bag – don’t do it.  There are so many templates that can be used with some of these printing websites, Microsoft also has templates for things now in their office program.   So many times when people try to create their sales items on their own, they are not as effective at conveying the call to action.  If you need to hire an independent graphic artist without breaking the bank, check out the website www.elance.com .  You can put a project out there for people to bid on, and you control the job specifics.  So, you can ask for samples, references and with their proposals it allows you the opportunity to compare a few different people.  Take advantage of your local printers or office supply stores as well.   They have staff on board that can help you design your sales items.  One final tip is to make sure what ever you design, you have literature that you can email.  Again, we are in the age of technology !

5. Speaking of technology there are many ways to utilize new technology out there, again these are all future topics individually.

• Your collateral could include the use of QR codes.  QR codes are displayed in so many places and are becoming more popular.  There are several sites out there that will generate a QR code.  Here is just one http://www.the-qrcode-generator.com/   You take a message, your website, your contact info or a coupon and you convert all that info into a nice square QR code.  Someone then comes along with a smart device and scans that code and has all your info that you wanted to convey.  These are especially nice at trade show events and prevents people from having to carry around physical information.  Consider investigating QR codes.

 

• I know that we get a ton of email, but how many video emails have you received?  Check out www.eyejot.com  This is a way that you can use your smart device or your web cam and send a video email to a person.  I have never received a video email, so it would be definitely different. You can set up an eyejot account for free to test it, but they do have some great options, one that is just $29.95 per year.
• Use texting where you can.   I just read a statistic that said it will take the average person about 90 minutes to get around to reading their email and responding in contrast to 90 seconds to get and respond to a text.  Of course with texting, you need the permission from the customer. If you can text them and they agree to receive texts from you, this is a good way to communicate.  If you are a retailer and wanted to do a spot promotion – what an inexpensive way to promote a special sale!
• Presentations – put some pizazz in your presentations.   How many times do you send something and after you send it, you don’t know where that presentation goes (possibly a competitor?).  Create a presentation where you can control who views.  There are so many analytics available to monitor your presentation as well.   There are many places that offer this type service, one that I am fond of is SlideRocket.  http://portal.sliderocket.com/GoDigital/About-GoDigital

There are so many other ways to make your sales literature stand out and although I have only mentioned a few of my favorites, I cannot wait to dig into them piece by piece and review their features.   Just make sure that you are updating your materials so that the lasting impression that you leave on your clients is a good one.

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