What does collateral mean in marketing?

In marketing, collateral means supporting material. It is not an advertisement that reaches strangers; it is what prospects and customers read once they are interested, to understand the offer and justify the decision.

What are examples of marketing collateral?

Brochures, one-page sales sheets, case studies, sales presentations, company profiles, product catalogues, media kits, white papers, proposal templates, trade show banners and email templates.

What is the difference between marketing collateral and advertising?

Advertising finds new people and brings them in. Collateral helps people who are already interested decide, and helps your sales team make the case consistently.

What Is Marketing Collateral? Types, Examples & How to Plan It

Q: What is marketing collateral?

Marketing collateral is the set of materials a business uses to promote its products or services and support sales, in print or digital form: brochures, flyers, one-pagers, case studies, presentations, company profiles, catalogues, media kits and similar documents.

What is marketing collateral?

Marketing collateral is any material a company uses to explain and sell what it offers: brochures, one-pagers, case studies, presentations, company profiles, media kits. Here is what counts as collateral, the main types, how each one supports a sale, and how to build a set that looks like one company.

What marketing collateral means

Marketing collateral is the material a company produces to explain its offer and support a sale. The word comes from "collateral" in the sense of something that accompanies and supports the main effort: the salesperson, the website, the meeting.

Advertising brings people in. Collateral is what they read once they are interested, and what they forward to the colleague who has to agree.

Types of marketing collateral

Brochures and one-pagers: a quick overview of an offer.
Case studies: proof that you have solved the problem before, with results.
Sales presentations: the deck your team uses in meetings. See sales deck design.
Company profiles: the whole company for buyers and tenders. See how to write one.
Media kits and press kits: for partners and journalists. See what a media kit is.
Proposals: the document that asks for the decision.
Catalogues and price lists for product businesses.
White papers and guides that teach and build trust.
Event material: banners, handouts, business cards.

Collateral by stage of the sale

Awareness: guides, short videos, one-pagers.
Consideration: brochures, case studies, company profiles, comparison sheets.
Decision: proposals, pricing sheets, sales presentations, references.
After the sale: onboarding guides, user manuals, newsletters.

How to plan a collateral set

Ask the sales team which questions they answer most, and which documents they wish they had.
Map each piece to a stage and a reader. Anything without a reader is a candidate to cut.
Start with the three that do the most work, usually a one-pager, a case study template and a sales presentation.
Build templates, so new case studies and proposals can be made without a designer each time.

Keeping it consistent

Collateral made piece by piece drifts: different fonts, colours and tones make a company look like several. A shared template system keeps every document recognisably yours. We design collateral sets from your brand identity, including company profiles, proposals and media kits.