Times are tough, which means it’s more important now than ever to rise above the crowded marketplace and actively communicate your strengths to your audiences.
Of course the irony is this — it’s precisely when times are tough that you simply may not have the means to engage the pros for long-term marketing or public relations planning and execution, no matter how much you might need it.
Enter: The Communications Toolkit.
While toolkits have been around for eons in one form or another (and many haven’t been updated — we found one online recently that gave tips on how to properly store the VHS tapes on which you’ve recorded your TV spot), we’re seeing more and more evidence that a toolkit — the modern, digital and multi-media 2.1 version — can be a creative and affordable middle ground (between doing nothing and doing it BIG, natch).
What’s in a toolkit? Critical elements might include:
- Printable collateral such as posters, postal size cards, flyers and factsheets
- Sample news releases
- Sample media pitches
- Social media tools
- Newsletter and e-newsletter templates
- Standard advertisements for print and other media
Toolkit 2.1 — The upside:
- Mix and match flexibility
- Consistent messaging
- Control of delivery
Toolkit 2.1 — The downside:
- For the toolkit to work, you must plan for time invested internally to utilize the tools.
