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Developing A Media Kit Built To Sell
by Karon
Thackston © 2001
http://www.ktamarketing.com
When trying to sell advertising (in your ezine, on your site or for other
applications) you'll often get the response, "Send me your media kit and
I'll look it over." That sentence usually strikes a note of anxiety in most
small business owners. I think the reason is because many don't understand what
a media kit is or what it should offer.
Media kits that advance your sales offer certain components designed to give
a clear picture of the benefits of advertising with you. It paints a picture of
what the prospective customer will receive and how the customer will expand
his/her customer base due to exposure to your subscribers or site visitors.
A media kit usually contains the following:
- Stats page
- Press release or advertisement copy
- Business card
- Company profile
- Photos or samples
- Testimonials from customers
- Cover letter
- All enclosed in a folder (unless it's an online media kit)
Let's take a look at each component and how they help to build an impressive
image of your advertising offer.
Stats Page
Consider the questions you would have if purchasing advertising from others.
You would most likely want to know the circulations of an ezine, or the number
of hits or page views a site receives. You would be curious as to how many new
subscribers or visitors they receive monthly. You would want information on the
target audience this outlet reaches (including ages, sex, occupation and
education level). Finally, you'd want to know the cost of the available
advertisements.
Laying out all this information in an easy-to-read style will allow your
prospects to view, at a glance, the pertinent information they need to make a
decision.
Press Release
A press release or advertisement copy (called a tear sheet) is generally
included in order to show the customer that you are actively promoting your
publication or site. Media/advertising buyers understand that a business which
continually increases its circulation or page views is more likely to provide
good results.
Make sure your release or tear sheet is recent. It won't make much of an
impression to send outdated material.
Business Card
Yes, your contact information may be on your site, or you might have
provided it to the customer via email or phone. However, including a business
card is a simple courtesy that prevents the customer from having to look for
your information. For online media kits simply provide a link to your contact
information. The key is to make contacting you and placing orders simple.
Company Profile
This document should include a brief company history along with other more
recent news about your business. Growth ratios, estimated sales figures,
percentages of circulation increase over the last several months, etc. can all
be included to show the advertisers that your business is a good investment for
his/her advertising dollars. The profile should be approximately 2 pages in
length.
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Photos or Samples
Everyone likes to see what they are purchasing. Providing a sample issue of
your ezine or a few photos (screen shots) of your Web site displaying banner
ads, etc. is a good visual motivator. It also allows the advertiser to
experience your product first hand.
Testimonials From Customers
Showing the end results from other's advertising experiences will make quite
an impact on your customers. When they see that current customers are getting
excellent results from their ads, you demonstrate the effectiveness of your
offer. If you don't have any testimonials, ask your current clients for some.
Suggest that they include the length of time they've advertised with you and
what their average results have been.
Cover Letter
If you'll be mailing paper media kits, be sure to include a cover letter.
Thank the prospect for their interest and make specific references as to how
your publication/site has provided success for others in related industries.
All Enclosed In A Folder
A professional presentation is vital. Unfortunately, I've seen far too many
"cheap" looking media kits. They were simply printed on standard
copier paper (or worse yet… were photo copies of originals), stapled or paper
clipped together and shoved into an envelope. That approach won't convince
anyone to purchase from you.
Print all your materials as originals onto laser (or better quality) paper.
Place them neatly in a heavyweight, pocketed folder.
For online kits, create a downloadable pdf document in Adobe. This will allow
your visitors to quickly get your information in a convenient form that is
readable by both Mac and PC.
Remember… these prospects don't know you. They are trying to make a
decision, and the only thing they have to base that decision on is what you
offer them. Make sure professionalism is a primary consideration in everything
you do.
Once your complete media kit is professionally prepared, it will offer your
potential clients all the information they need to see why your advertising
offer is one that will be well worth the money!
Karon is Owner and President of KT
& Associates who offers targeted copywriting, copy editing &
ghostwriting services. Subscribe to KT & Associates'' Ezine "Business
Essentials" at BusinessEssentials-subscribe@topica.com
or visit her site at http://www.ktamarketing.com
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