Association TRENDS looks at online media kits

We recently participated in an interview for an article in Association TRENDS magazine written by Eileen Kessler, President of OmniStudio.

Media Kits: Changing with the times provides case studies of how the American Public Health Association, American Veterinary Medical Association and American Speech-Language-Hearing Association have been evolving the marketing of their advertising and sponsorship opportunities to accommodate a 24/7 online world.

Kessler and OmniStudio provide identity, branding and design services to associationss, nonprofits and government agencies. They recently completed an online interactive marketing kit that includes advertising and sponsorship opportunities to reach the members of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. It’s impressive for its depth of information, ease of use and creative design. Check it out.

A few extra tips

Media Kits: Changing with the times ends with a nice set of useful tips for your media kit strategy. As with any interview, not all ideas discussed can make it into the final piece. Here are some extra tips for your print, PDF and online kits.

When Face-to-Face, Let Your Brochure Guide the Way

The printed piece can serve as a guide during in-person meetings.  Moving through a well-designed communications piece improves the flow of the conversation. I find that many association leaders feel less anxious in their fundraising meetings when they use the printed brochure as their guide. It’s a bit harder to do this gathered around a computer screen, plus you lose the focus on connecting with the person.

Editing Control Is Your Best Friend

Online is fantastic for being able to edit your messaging as you learn what current and prospective corporate partners need to know before making a commitment. For the printed piece, I advise that the staff work in a program they have editing control over and the ability to print on demand.

If conversations with prospective sponsors and advertisers are revealing misunderstandings about your event or the organization, that is a great indication you need to revise or bump up your messaging in the marketing kit.

Perform Navigation Tests

When launching a new online media kit, test out navigability while talking to someone on the phone. I find most corporate contacts still like to be able to follow along on the screen as you are telling them about the opportunities.  Be sure to test out this experience before you go live to avoid wasting time clicking to the wrong screens. Know the path to where you want them to land!

Brand your PDF File Name!

One of my biggest pet peeves in downloading an association sponsorship PDF to find it called “SponBrochure-v11” or worse.  Seriously, you just went through weeks of hard work and didn’t remember to put your name in the file title??  Stand out on your prospective sponsors’ desktops by having a file name that actually means something.

If you have a new online sponsorship or media kit, let us know, we would be happy to feature them here.