Ingredient: Marketing Kit

When marketing to businesses and organizations, a marketing kit is more common than a brochure. Follow the same guidelines suggested above for brochures to determine if you really need a marketing kit.

A typical kit begins with a two-pocket 81/2 x 11-inch folder with a cut-out to hold your business card. The contents of your kit are similar to the elements of a tri-fold brochure, with each item laid out on a separate page. Other ingredients might be:

Fact sheet about your business or your field (e.g., “How to work with an interior designer” or “Our unique approach to team-building”)

Articles written by you, about you, or about the kind of work you do

Testimonial letters from clients

Case study of a successful project

Actual samples of work you have produced, excerpts from it, or photographs of it

A significant advantage of using a kit like this is that you can customize its contents for each recipient. Because you may be assembling kits only as you need them, this can be much more affordable than printing several hundred brochures. You can also easily update individual sheets.

Don’t overload clients with information, especially on the first contact. Hold back some of what you have, and use it in further follow-up, or as leave-behinds after a presentation.