10 Ideas to Improve Your Next Catalog
© Copyright 1996, Carol
Ann Waugh
Catalogs are the
most important cornerstone of a marketing plan for selling to libraries,
bookstores and educational institutions. They last for several years because
the customer and prospect keeps them for reference. A good catalog will
do more to bolster sales than any other form of direct marketing. So,
round up a few colleagues (and customers!) and have a brain-storming and
critique session on your last catalog. Collect samples from your competition.
Use these 10 ideas for a start and add to the list:
1. Highlight Your
Winners -- Not Your Losers.
More sales are made by giving more space to your best sellers rather than
to try to bolster sales of your losers. Put your winning products in the
front of the catalog -- and please, don't use the word backlist! Call
them "Best Sellers" or "Educator's Favorites".
2. Keep the Copy
Short and to the Point.
If you have strong headlines and opening copy, you don't need 500
words to explain the product. Limit your descriptive copy to 3-4 sentences.
Use extra space for photos, captions, premiums, ordering incentives, etc.
3. A Picture is
Worth a Thousand Words.
Even
if you have a catalog in black and white or two color, use photographs
to break up the copy and give you an interesting, readable page format.
Try tints and screens for an inexpensive unusual approach.
4. Captions Draw
Attention.
Captions are an important tool for the reader to understand
your visuals. Use captions to demonstrate the benefits of your products.
5. Use Premiums
to Encourage Timely Action.
Everyone wants something for nothing --
so appeal to this human trait by offering your customers something free
-- just for responding by a certain date.
6. Emphasize Benefits
-- not Features.
What
can the product do for the user. Copy stressing benefits will outsell
copy stressing features every time.
7. Use Discounts
to Encourage Higher Dollar Orders.
Group your products together into
"series" to encourage your customers to buy more. Offer these
series at a savings -- or use price off coupons geared to various total
dollar order amounts.
8. Sell on your
Back Cover.
The
back cover is a key selling area. Highlight your new products, your best
sellers, or award winners. Be sure to reference page numbers for "more
information".
9. Improve Your
Front Cover.
Be
sure the following words are on your front cover: Date (Spring, Fall,
1997, etc.), Inside: (what to look for), New, Free, and type of product
(CD-ROM's, Books, Software, etc.).
10. Track Your
Response.
Since
so many orders are received on purchase orders, simply coding your label
isn't enough to track response. The best way to do this is to code each
product in the catalog with a number or letter and to change this for
each marketing effort.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Carol Ann Waugh has more
than 25 years experience in the publishing industry with an emphasis on
developing, introducing and marketing new products and services to the
library and education markets. Waugh has executive management experience
at R. R. Bowker as Executive Vice President and Publisher of the Reference
Book Division, TI-IN Network as Vice President of New Business Development,
Progressive Grocer as Vice President and at Butterick Publishing as Vice
President. In addition, Waugh started, built and sold an information database
company specializing in the microcomputer industry. In 1986, Waugh formed
a consulting company and has worked with over 45 publishing companies
nationwide to help them develop new products and marketing channels. Waugh
earned a Masters of Business Administration degree from Pace University.
Carol Ann Waugh, President
Xcellent Marketing
1163 Vine Street
Denver, CO 80206
(303) 388-5215
cwaugh@xcellentmarketing.com
http://www.xcellentmarketing.com
Back to Publishing Articles
Index
|
