This, in turn, may depend on how well you prepare collateral items (brochures, newsletters, fact sheets, press releases, and other electronic and printed promotional materials), ranging from company and product fact sheets to biographies of key team members. With diminishing attention spans, these documents should not only be brief and to the point, but should also leverage graphics to communicate more effectively. What are the 7 must-have collateral items for any small business ?
Every business should always have the following seven items on hand, ready to distribute
- Company Fact Sheet
Potential investors, employees, analysts, and members of the media should be able to learn important facts about your business with a quick look at your fact sheet. A company fact sheet should include the following information:
- The date the company was founded
- Location of headquarters and any affiliate offices. This can include images.
- Names and brief backgrounds of founders and senior-level management. These can also include photographs.
- Contact information
- Product or Service Fact Sheets
Keep a fact sheet on file for each of your products or services. A product or service fact sheet should include the following:
- The product or service’s function or value
- Distinctive features that set your product or service apart from the competition
- Clear articulation appealing to the relevant target segment about the promise of the product/service
- Comparison to similar products or services on the market
- A statement about quality and reliability
- Cost comparisons
- Vision & Mission Statement
A vision & mission statement serves multiple purposes: It can motivate you and your employees, provide direction and focus as you make decisions, and give new hires a sense of the purpose of the company. It can also provide a confident and clear statement to potential investors, lenders, and members of the media.
- Company Background
Whereas the company fact sheet is essentially just that — a list of facts — this document is written in paragraph form and should include more detail. In a sense, it is the history of the company and can be told chronologically or not, as long as you convey a real sense of the company and its worth.
Images are helpful — a picture of your headquarters, your best product, your top people, or team shots — will help people get a better sense of who you are. Ways to get your integrated collateral strategy rolling
- Client List
Prominently display a current list of your clients, partners, and (if appropriate) vendors. This information will be of interest to employees, investors, existing and potential clients, and media, as well as the general public. Your willingness to display this information builds trust, shows confidence, and establishes you as a serious player in your field.
- Press Kit
When you open your business or launch a new product, send out a press kit. Press kits are easily released online as well as by mail and are a handy way to pitch your business at a trade show. Your kit should include the following elements:
- Your company’s logo featured prominently
- A personalized letter pitching your company, product, or service
- A press release
- Company fact sheet
- Product fact sheet
- Articles written about your company
- Your business card
- Company background
- Clip File
Assign someone in your office the important job of collecting and maintaining any articles written about your company, employees, events, and so on. There are companies that provide clipping services; you can also set up Google Alerts to make you aware whenever a certain name or term is mentioned online.
Note: If you are thinking about mounting a PR blitz, consider hiring a firm to track where press kits are sent, make sure they are received, and then monitor the press for mentions of your firm.
I hope you were able to get a feel for the 7 must-have collateral items and found this useful.