{"id":1117,"date":"2021-04-23T08:30:26","date_gmt":"2021-04-23T15:30:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.printivity.com\/insights\/?p=1117"},"modified":"2025-07-30T18:41:30","modified_gmt":"2025-07-30T18:41:30","slug":"catalog-marketing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/insights.printivity.com\/catalog-marketing","title":{"rendered":"How to Create an Effective Catalog Marketing Strategy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Contrary to popular opinion, catalog direct marketing remains a powerful tool for engaging customers, building your brand, and growing sales. According to a <a href=\"catalogs:%20Trends%20and%20Updates,%20USPS,%20Presented%20at%20the%20National%20Catalog%20Forum%20hosted%20by%20the%20American%20Catalog%20Mailers%20Association,%20May%203,%202017.\">presentation by the U.S. Postal Service at the National Catalog Forum<\/a>, catalogs have more influence on purchase decisions than television ads. In addition, 72% of people surveyed said that catalogs make them more interested in the retailer\u2019s products. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-background\" href=\"https:\/\/www.printivity.com\/landing\/catalogs\" style=\"background-color:#ef4129\">Get Instant Quotes &#8211; Custom Catalog Printing<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Catalog advertising is a sales technique that groups many items together in a printed piece with the goal of generating direct sales. The catalogs are mailed to a targeted audience or given away in the store. Using information from the direct marketing catalog, consumers buy directly from the retailer by phone, mail, or online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Who does catalog marketing<\/strong>?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Any retail business that uses mail-order sales is a good candidate for a catalog marketing strategy. Business-to-business (B2B) companies can also make good use of this marketing technique.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>B2B catalogs are most effective for businesses that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Make\nmany different products (i.e. auto parts)<\/li><li>Have\nlong or complex buying cycles<\/li><li>Have\ncustomers who prefer to self-educate about their products or services<\/li><li>Don\u2019t\nwant to put their entire catalog inventory online<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.printivity.com\/landing\/insights\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" height=\"256\" width=\"1024\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.printivity.com\/insights\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/BannerPostcards-1024x256.png?resize=1024%2C256&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Get 20% off your first order at Printivity banner ad\" class=\"wp-image-2647\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Benefits of catalog marketing<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>For retailers, the primary benefits of a catalog marketing strategy include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Good response rates<\/li><li>Ability to target specific audiences<\/li><li>Easy to track results<\/li><li>Increased brand visibility and awareness<\/li><li>Cost-effective marketing tool<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>For B2B companies, catalog marketing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Makes a good prospecting tool<\/li><li>Increases\ncross-selling opportunities <\/li><li>Provides\nin-depth information about complex products<\/li><li>Builds\nbrand awareness<\/li><li>Drives\nsales<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-background\" href=\"https:\/\/www.printivity.com\/landing\/catalogs\" style=\"background-color:#ef4129\">Get Instant Quotes &#8211; Custom Catalog Printing<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Creating a winning catalog marketing strategy<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are four basic steps and strategies for launching a successful catalog marketing campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>1. Set clear goals.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Different types of catalogs can achieve different goals. Are you looking to raise brand awareness? Introduce a new product line? Increase direct sales? Expand your demographic reach? Knowing and planning what you want to accomplish will guide the other catalog marketing strategy elements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>2. Determine your marketing catalog type.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Your\ngoals will play a key role in selecting the right type for your needs.\nDifferent catalog types include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Full-line catalog marketing.<\/strong>\nThis is what most people visualize when they think \u201ccatalog.\u201d These typically\nlist every product, service and configuration a business offers, and readers\nusually purchase by mail. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Informational.<\/strong> The main goal is to educate customers\nor employees on a specific topic. Examples include training manuals for\nemployees and company-focused catalogs that inform customers about what\u2019s going\non with your business, what new products to look for, and more. Informational\ncatalogs also help raise brand awareness. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Promotional.<\/strong> These catalogs typically feature a specialized selection of items. The goal can be increasing sales, letting customers know about a new product line, or advertising a sale or special offer.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Services listing.<\/strong> Service companies use this type of\ncatalog to motivate readers to call, email, or visit a website to schedule an\nappointment or ask for a quote.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Category or topic-focused.<\/strong> These catalogs usually focus on a specific\nsegment of your business or a certain product line. They are often individually\nbranded to reflect the division they represent rather than the company as a\nwhole. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>3. Create great catalog marketing content.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>To\ncreate focused, meaningful content, consider the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Your product(s).<\/strong> What are you selling? How does it solve a problem for the customer or improve their lives? Why should people buy your product instead of a competitor\u2019s?<\/li><li><strong>Your customers. <\/strong>Analyze consumer data. Why do people buy your product or services? What are they saying about it? What is the most important factor in their buying decision?<\/li><li><strong>Your competition.<\/strong> Study their marketing collateral to see what they are saying and how they say it. Then figure out how to make yours different. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>By answering these questions, you can gain a greater understanding of your target audience and their buying behavior, including what motivates them to choose your products and services over others in the market space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-background\" href=\"https:\/\/www.printivity.com\/landing\/catalogs\" style=\"background-color:#ef4129\">Get Instant Quotes &#8211; Custom Catalog Printing<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>4. Make it easy to measure\nresults.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Digital marketing is known for its ability to track results quickly and easily. Catalog marketing can do the same if you set it up right. First, know who is receiving your catalog. Then make sure it includes ways to identify where the lead or sale came from. Three of the best techniques include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>QR Codes.<\/strong> Customers scan the code with their smartphones and receive a personalized code or URL which is unique to the catalog product listing.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Personalized landing pages (PURLs).<\/strong> These enable you to put special identifiers\non visitors to your site that will identify the catalog as the source of their\nvisit.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Response codes.<\/strong> &nbsp;Catalog\nreaders type in unique bits of text and\/or numbers when completing a sale so\ntheir purchase can be attributed to the referring catalog.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p> Now you\u2019re ready to work on the design and content of your marketing catalog. Visit our learning center for more catalog marketing examples and tips on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.printivity.com\/insights\/7-reasons-why-you-should-print-product-catalogs\">how to make your marketing catalog a success<\/a>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Contrary to popular opinion, catalog direct marketing remains a powerful tool for engaging customers, building your brand, and growing sales. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2257,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,8,9,12,13],"tags":[103,362,365],"class_list":["post-1117","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-growing_your_business","category-marketing_strategies","category-print","category-products","category-running_a_small_business","tag-catalog","tag-print-marketing","tag-print-products"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/insights.printivity.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/micheile-henderson-NuYB_I4wXFM-unsplash-scaled-2.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pgont1-i1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insights.printivity.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1117","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insights.printivity.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insights.printivity.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insights.printivity.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insights.printivity.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1117"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/insights.printivity.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1117\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9778,"href":"https:\/\/insights.printivity.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1117\/revisions\/9778"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insights.printivity.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2257"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insights.printivity.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1117"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insights.printivity.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1117"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insights.printivity.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1117"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}