Catalogs - If You Don’t Have One, You Should
A catalog is an important marketing tool for both online and brick-and-mortar businesses.
It doesn’t matter what type of business you’re in; these days, virtually anything can be purchased from a catalog: traditional items such as clothing, furniture, books, music, and other forms of entertainment; specialty items like pet, gardening, craft, and beauty supplies; food, wine, and flowers; concert tickets and trips.
Whatever your product or service is, seriously consider marketing it with both a print and an online version of your catalog. For maximum user-friendliness, also provide a PDF version that visitors to your site can print themselves (without using a lot of ink).
The benefits of having a print (or printable) version of your catalog are many. It’s tangible, portable, and appealing to people who are used to shopping from print catalogs–even if they’re computer- and Internet-savvy. Lots of people like to read in bed, while waiting in the car, and other places where viewing a computer screen is inconvenient or impossible.
A U.S. Postal Service study “demonstrates that catalogs drive Internet sales and benefit retailers by enhancing business growth. Among other findings…15 percent of consumers who receive a catalog and visit the cataloger’s web site make an online purchase.”
The study also found:
–Catalogs move consumers into the sales funnel.
–Catalogs impact online purchasing across all customer segments (consumers who received a catalog of a company from which they had not previously purchased were twice as likely to buy as those who did not; existing customers were 33 percent more likely to buy from a retailer’s site after receiving one).
–Catalogs received in the last 30 days pack more punch. (So you’ll want to create a new one at least every 30 days.)
What about the high cost of postage? Well, you don’t have to mail them. Give them to visitors to your store; the catalogs direct them your website. For online and mail orders, include a catalog with each order. And don’t forget the printable PDF version–let customers print their own. (Do them a favor and don’t make it too ink-intensive.)
This is exciting news for all kinds of retailers, both online and offline. As the popularity of Internet shopping continues to grow explosively, the addition of catalogs to a marketing program supports purchasing by people who start offline and go online, and vice-versa.
When you’re ready to launch your catalog–online, print, or both–be sure to work with a professional copywriter who has specific experience in writing catalog copy. He or she can work with your designer, or help you find one. But don’t miss out on this opportunity to get your products and services in front of a bigger audience and make more sales!
Lisa J. Lehr is a freelance copywriter specializing in direct response and marketing collateral, with a special interest in the health, pets, specialty foods, and inspirational/motivational/self-help niches. She has a degree in biology, has worked in a variety of fields including pharmaceuticals and teaching, and has volunteered for many causes including special-needs kids and literacy. When she’s not writing, she enjoys reading, art, music, outdoor exercise, and all things Celtic and Renaissance.
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