Don’t dismiss printed catalogues as outdated – personally, we enjoy a touch of nostalgia. However, if a company has implemented a badly structured marketing strategy in a catalogue, it’s their fault – not the catalogue.
Nowadays print media is not enough to carry a marketing campaign by itself. However, if you use a catalogue or other form of print media alongside other channels, creating an omni-channel approach, then the result can actually be more than impressive. For example, the US Postal Service says that websites supported by catalogues yield 163% more revenue. That should pique the interest of even the most forward-thinking, technology focussed marketing executive.
Here are five tips by PrintingForLess.com on how to create a successful catalogue strategy:
1. Start by knowing your audience
To do that, you need to gather all the customer data and information you can get your hands on, analyse it and base your approach on the findings. Just like with digital marketing, personalisation is the key to success. Profile the type of customer that would be most interested in having a hard-copy reference of the products and services you offer and send them a catalogue.
2. Select the items for your catalogue carefully
The above-mentioned library of customer data doesn’t only come in handy for targeting a strategy at the right audience, it also provides opportunities to maximise its efficiency even further. For one thing, it provides clues about how well your items are selling – which are the slow movers and which ones are making a killing sales-wise. This way, you can select the products that are most likely to provoke interest among your audience and then put them in the catalogues, rather than products proven to be less popular. Businesses could even go as far as sending personalised catalogues to different clients.
3. Set out your catalogue properly
When it comes to priorities, this extends further than which products get placed in the catalogue and which ones don’t – it also includes properly arranging the products featured. A catalogue is not unlike a physical store; the way you design it and the places you put certain products determine to a great extent how well (or poorly) they will sell. Highlight the exciting things like new items and promotions.
4. Use your catalogues as part of a bigger campaign
As already said, a catalogue-only strategy is doomed if it isn’t used as part of an omni-channel approach. A catalogue is just one of the many tools you can use, so try driving customers to your website and social media profiles with it. This works the other way around too – approach customers with postcards and flyers about upcoming sales, events or services.
5. Review, measure and develop
Just like any other type of campaign, a catalogue one should also end with analysis and assessment. Once again, you should review what sold well and what didn’t, what the conversion rate was and if the calls to action worked or not. This is invaluable information that will serve you well the next time around.
So despite being one of the earliest forms of marketing, catalogues are still relevant today and can be a huge asset to businesses if utilised correctly.