Recently, I was reading a trade article written by a ‘consultant’ who proclaimed, “Your media kit is the first impression you create.”
Boy, if that’s true, you are doing it all wrong!
Long before you begin to talk about your unique selling proposition or your station, you need to begin to build your image as a customer-focused advertising professional.
Perhaps you can send a trade article about the prospect’s business category. Maybe you can reveal some local research about her marketplace. Some media professionals even conduct informal focus groups about the prospect or the prospect’s competitors to give them some insights into their marketing challenges.
The three fastest ways for a business manager to get rid of a rookie media sales person are;
1. Tell them you have no budget.
2. Tell them you couldn’t handle any more business.
3. Ask them to drop off a media kit!!
The rookie media rep actually thinks a request for a media kit demonstrates interest, when it really is a way to send a media rep on her merry way without having to outright reject them.
Having sat on the buyer’s side of the desk, I can tell you a thing or two about media kits. First, without even seeing yours, I can bet you claim to be ‘Number One’ just like everybody else. Secondly, I honestly can’t remember ever making a media buy based upon someone’s generic media kit.
Media kits are about YOU…….clients open doors for media reps who want to talk about THEM.
Generic media kits give the impression that you care about your company, not the client’s. It’s been said, ‘No one cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.’
When you begin to focus on the customer’s business you will eventually have the opportunity to present a custom customer-focused presentation that will create much more of an “impression” than any slick media kit.
P.S. Your media kit can be a good staff morale builder and sales rep recruiting tool.