Today’s marketing requires lots of content, lots of education, and lots of trust-building via expertise sharing.

The tri-fold brochure just doesn’t cut it anymore. Today’s smart marketers think in terms of information products more than marketing collateral — education over selling rules the day. When I began working with Duct Tape Marketing and coaching remodeling owners, I realized the extreme benefit that John Jantsch had developed for small businesses through years of experience working with small business owners. I credit John for the development of the Marketing Kit components and have been applying these principles with the remodeling and home improvement businesses. Here is a example of the benefits of this subject.

The best way to tap this necessary marketing shift is to think in terms of kits or suites of information. The most practical approach for the typical small business is the creation of on-demand, flexible and personal marketing kits, press kits and new customer kits.

These multiple page-documents, often housed in a pocket of a custom file folder, allow you to tell the entire story in a range of formats that take in the learning styles and personalities of a broad range of prospects.

DESCRIPTION OF THE COMPONENTS OF THE MARKETING KIT

Our Difference

Use this page to illustrate how you are different and shower the prospect with benefits of doing business with you.

Don’t say what you do, focus on how you do it.

Explain your unique approach, your processes and the little things you do.

If you have studied your competition and know what your target market craves, make a point to summarize your solution.

I like to limit this to the top three or four areas your target market values.

Ideal Client

People generally feel more comfortable working with companies that specialize in their unique industry, niche or problem…

Describe your ideal client. Describe why this client typically hires you. What makes the client reach out to you?

Describe the factors that seem to exist for your most successful engagements.

By completing this description, you will narrow your market, but also make yourself substantially more attractive to someone who fits your ideal description.

Our Story

Many companies have interesting or even gut-wrenching histories. Tell your story in an open, honest and entertaining way, and you will win prospects hearts as well as their heads.

The ability to connect by way of personal stories is one of the greatest advantages that small businesses possess over big businesses.

The marketing story is an effective tool because it allows you to do several things that traditional marketing or advertising does not:

- Stories are an effective way to simplify a complicated issue.

- Stories can create emotion. People buy on emotion and rationalize their decision with facts.

- Stories are easier to remember because people can more readily relate to a story.

Most importantly…stories build trust.

The most effective marketing stories fall into one of about six categories:

1. Who I am stories – stories that allow the potential customer to connect with who you are or who the company is
2. What I do stories – stories that communicate not only what your firm does but why
3. The vision stories – stories that paint a picture of a dynamic future
4. Values in action stories – stories that illustrate slogans like “we try harder”
5. Lessons learned stories – shared lessons that expose the human side ñ both the good and the bad
6. I know you stories – stories that let the potential customer know you have walked in their shoes

Services/Products

This page should outline the various services, products and packages you offer.

Clearly describe and detail the benefits of each.

Process/How We Work

This page should show the prospect how you do what you do. Create detailed checklists that show your prospect how you keep your promise.

In many cases, you have these anyway, but by making them part of your marketing, you can demonstrate how professional your organization is.

Documented process descriptions will help justify why you charge a premium for your services. Many people underestimate how much really goes into delivering a quality product or service, so show them.

Case Studies

Pick representative clients or industries and outline how your product or service solved someone else’s challenge.

Case studies allow readers to see themselves getting relief.

An effective case study format:

- The situation

- The problem

- Your solution

- The result

Over time, you can collect more and more of these and draw upon the ones that fit an industry or problem relevant to your prospect.

Testimonials

Third-party endorsements are another way to prove that you do indeed deliver as promised.

Collect quotes from actual clients and sprinkle them throughout your website.

Try to obtain quotes that focus on the results you have helped clients realize. These quotes can be some of the strongest selling tools you have.

New technologies make it easy to create audio and video testimonials too.

Some suggestions for acquiring powerful testimonials:

- Craft proposed testimonial copy and present it to clients for approval

- Ask a prospect to obtain a recommendation from your clients (they will copy you)

- Photograph your clients using your product or associating with your brand (be sure to obtain written permission to use in marketing materials)

Frequently Answered Questions

Some of your prospects ask you very specific questions. If you can address them in a concise manner, you may not have to do much more.

Start by reviewing the types of questions you receive from clients and sales prospects in person, over the phone and via email.

Sometimes this can be a good place to start all your marketing materials. After you answer some of the most persistent questions, go back and make sure these answers run throughout your other pages as well.

Press/Articles

Have you written (or had written about you) articles for publications, newsletters or internal distribution? Include reprints and press clippings that are relevant.

Here is a link to writing a press release. http://www.remodelbuddy.com/how-to-write-a-press-release-part-of-the-lead-generation-trio