What is a marketing kit and why do you need one? A marketing kit is a compilation of necessary information to sell your product, service or promote yourself to others. It brings together a visual representation of your platform or brand. A marketing kit is your key to sales, booking engagements and it makes a statement about who you are.
I’ve put together some marketing kits recently for a couple of authors. These are used to engage speaking invitations when interviewing on podcasts or radio shows and help create an overview of who you are and what you are all about. Creating a marketing kit is pretty straight forward but here are a few pointers while you consider this project.
- Make it look good. Take some time to create a PDF copy of your marketing kit so that it is easy to view online. You may also need to have a printed version in some cases.
- Keep it simple. People want to know about you, but they don’t want to read a novel. Keep the good stuff up front and leave out too many boring details. Much like keeping your resume to 1 page – a marketing kit needs to also be simplified and to the point.
- Tell them who you are. Don’t assume everyone knows what you’ve accomplished. It’s not bragging if you’ve done it!
- Give them a teaser, statistics or something that will impress them and show why you are different. Give them quality, valuable content.
Ok, now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s get specific. It’s going to seem like I’m telling you one thing but then asking you to do the opposite. This is the delicate balance or art of marketing. Keeping it simple when it’s really not! Let’s get to it. A marketing kit should include the following:
- Well designed cover page. Hire a professional! People make snap judgments based on what they see – make sure it’s what you WANT them to see.
- Personalized introduction letter. Make this unique for each opportunity.
- Photos. Professional headshots are absolutely imperative to make a good first impression.
- Short Bio / “One Page”. Keep your biography to the point and include your biggest and best accomplishments. Also, include what you’d like to promote. What services or products do you want to offer as part of your platform?
- Video. If you have a video presentation that overviews your book, company or accomplishments, lead with that!
- Talking Points or Interview Questions. Let them know what questions to ask for an interview to cover the talking points you’d like to cover to address your products and/or services.
- References and/or Testimonials. Include a few letters of recommendations or references from professionals that have positive things to say about you, your product or your services.
- Brag List.: Events (past and future), publications, certifications, awards, education, organization affiliations, articles, honors, etc. Be sure to include all speaking engagements, keynotes, books, podcasts, interviews, awards… you get the picture!
- Contact Information.: Be sure to not only include your name, email, phone but also your social media accounts so that they can follow you and see your interactions with others.
- For the printed version use your business card or flyer where applicable.
See what I meant before? Complicated. So your challenge now is to keep it simple with this complex, complicated, and detailed list of items to include. The presentation is really everything. Zip it up in a nice zipped folder for easy downloading or email. Lay it out on a website media page for a nice viewing experience and print it out for the old-fashioned folks that still like to hold something in their hand. Investing in yourself is the best step to success. Remember, you get what you pay for! So while it’s great to be economical, make sure you have the quality where it needs to be to represent your brand well.
Oh, you don’t want to do all of the hard work? Sounds good. Let me do it for you – I’m just a click away. hello@vallint.com