A marketing kit goes way beyond what you can put on a business card or tri-fold brochure. It even broadens your sales or elevator pitch and puts your credentials and sizzle in black and white, giving you something to take with you from a meeting or receive as a follow-up to a phone call.
Whether your market is B2C or B2B, marketing kits can be powerful tools to win over new customers and even keep current ones.
Marketing Kit Essentials
File. First, you need a marketing kit container. This is the cover of your book, so it is important to start with a good first impression. You can professionally print folders for less using online companies like 48 Hour Print and Vista Print. You can also start with a professionally printed label that you can apply to a nice linen pocket folder at any office supply store.
Marketing template. To give your marketing materials a cohesive and professional look, use a marketing template for the print layout of your marketing materials. This is the foundation on which you will print everything that goes into your marketing kit.
Unique Selling Proposition (PVU). This is where you present the details on how you differ from your competition. What makes your company unique enough that customers work with you instead of the competition? When deciding what this is, it is important that you think about it and express it from your customers’ point of view and not from the company’s point of view.
Sell them on profits. This is a marketing mistake that most companies make. You need to tell your customers what’s in it for them by sharing the benefits of your products or services rather than the features. A list of product or service features does not sell anything. Illustrating how it eases your pain, frees up your time, and meets your needs sells all day.
Offer of products or services. Once you’ve piqued their interest, provide a list and description of the products and services your company offers. You can create a bullet list, allowing them to quickly take a look and on a separate sheet provide a more detailed description of these items.
Testimonials Customer testimonials can say a lot for your business. You can have a full testimonial page, where your clients act as animators for your company or you can add testimonials throughout the kit on certain pieces. If you include a testimonial DVD or CD in the kit that customers can play on their computer, it can have an even more powerful impact than the written ones.
Articles or media coverage. Include reprints of articles published by members of your company or articles that include information about your company. This is a great way to build credibility. When articles on business and industries written by you or a member of your company are published, this establishes you as an expert in your field. When you are quoted in a newspaper, magazine, or online article or written a story about your company, you also build a foundation of credibility and an expert position in the minds of readers.
There are other items you can and should include, more obvious items like two business cards and possibly a brochure. To make your marketing kit sizzle, now you know some of the other elements that you need to include to shine, impress, motivate, and sell. A marketing kit is a comprehensive yet concise tool that takes your business card and brochure marketing efforts to the next level. It is a powerful tool for gaining new customers and keeping current ones. Once you have the power, use it wisely.