Everybody needs a toolkit. Mine is next to the door dividing the garage and the house. It’s a collection of tools, mostly acquired over time in a fit of panic when I realized I didn’t have what I needed to get a particular repair job done around the house. Now, it’s my go-to box. It’s where I go first when I have an urgent need to get something done.

The same could be said for professional toolkits.

Toolkits deliver a valuable benefit. They are designed to help people complete specific tasks or to provide a framework for more professional training.

But they’re valuable only if they’re used. A hammer is just a hammer unless it’s used to drive a nail into the wall.

The American Marketing Association has provided Toolkits, Playbooks & Templates exclusively to its members for several years now and they may very well be the most underutilized, yet most valuable benefit of being an AMA member.

Why?

For starters, there are more than 100 toolkits and playbooks from which to choose.

Second, they are well done. These aren’t pieces of content and material that have been haphazardly thrown together. These are thoughtful, well-researched instructional pieces that provide real-world roadmaps to specific marketing and communications topics or challenges.

For example, there is an entire Playbook just on Account-based Marketing.

Not familiar with ABM or feel you need to either beef up your knowledge and skillset? This Playbook has 15 customizable tools and templates that marketers can learn and implement almost immediately. Some of the topics covered include:

• ABM Roles Matrix
• ABM Program Budget Template
• Ideal Customer Profile Template
• ABM Account Tiers Worksheet
• Account & Product Mapping Matrix
• Account Scoring Tool
• ABM Content Plan Worksheet

Each one of the 15 topics can be accessed online as a member or downloaded as a PDF for later use. This is a valuable resource to help you get started or to refine your approach to ABM.

But ABM isn’t the only Playbook. There are seven others: Content Marketing, Market Research, Marketing Communications, Customer Engagement, Marketing Strategy, Influencer Marketing, and Search Engine Optimization.

Each Playbook is chocked full of useful toolkits and templates.

For example, the Marketing Strategy Playbook includes these 15 Toolkits:

• Balanced Scorecard Strategy Map
• Core Values Worksheet
• Vision Statement Worksheet
• Marketing Business Alignment Tool
• Key Marketing Metrics Dashboard
• Brand Assessment Tool
• Competitive Analysis Tool
• Marketing Strategy Scorecard
• Customer Profile Template
• Positioning Statement Worksheet
• Buying Process Stage Template
• Marketing Channel Ranking Tool
• Message Mapping Tool
• Marketing Budget Template
• Marketing Plan Presentation Template

Imagine you’re starting a new job with a fast-moving startup and your CEO has asked you come up with a Vision for the company. Where can you turn? Don’t reinvent the wheel or spend hours scanning search results. Tap into the Vision Statement Worksheet or the Core Values Worksheet and get the job done. In other words, use the right tool for the right job.

I could list all of the 100 toolkits provided by an AMA membership, but you get the picture. There’s something for everyone and the entire library is available exclusively for members. These toolkits and playbooks alone are worth the price of “admission.” The entire list can be found at ama.org and by typing in “toolkit” in the search bar.

When it’s time to reach for the right tool, you don’t want to have to waste time hunting around for something. Beef up your own “toolkit” with what the AMA provides and keep it handy for emergencies or much-needed repairs.