Test your catalog's effectiveness

Mailing a catalog is a considerable investment, so every single book, every page, every photograph must work hard to maintain the catalog's goal: tapping customers on the shoulder and driving a sale no matter the channel.

Has your team lost sight on how important this format is? Are you taking advantage of every square inch of the printed catalog?

All catalogs should be using 10 primary response drivers. To see how your book stacks up, consider these 10 questions.

1. Have you built an engaging brand experience?

   Your brand is more than just a logo and tagline. It represents the perception consumers have of your company, who you are, what you stand for.

   And a catalog is one vehicle that helps you manage and promote your brand. It's the tangible representation of your brand brought to life on the printed page.

   Your catalog must reflect your brand. What is your brand promise? What do you deliver that none of your competitors can claim? Your catalog cannot simply present products on a page.

   EXTRA CREDIT: Are you critiquing your catalog from the customer's point of view?

   Create an experience that connects with them on an emotional level. Everything you do must deliver on the brand promise one way or another — through photography, offers and, especially, copy.

2. Are you using your front and back covers to maximum advantage?

   The front and back covers are the two most important pages of the entire catalog. The covers dictate whether or not you will earn the customer's consideration at all.

   When planning your catalog, spend more time on your front and back covers than any other spread. Your covers literally have seconds to get the recipient's attention — make them count! Successful catalog covers — both front and back — accomplish five key goals:

   • Grab attention with a compelling visual
   • Quickly tell who you are with a consistently presented logo and tagline
   • State any key offers or messages
   • Get readers to open the book with inside page references
   • Sell! Sell! Sell!
3. Have you assembled an organized store that capitalizes on customer expectations and encourages shopping/stopping power?

   Make good use of catalog hot spots — the page 2-3 spread, inside back spread, center spread — with your best selling, most popular and unique products. Work hard to get people to spend more time in the “valleys,” or those not-so-hot pages, by varying layouts and pacing, using attention-getting photos and introducing new themes.

   Put answers to questions where readers expect them to be. For example, include brand, service information and your table of contents on page 2 — where customers typically go to get those questions answered.

   Also, place your order form in the center spread, either as a bind-in or on the printed page. Capitalize on these expectations and guide the readers based on their needs, not how you think the catalog should be organized.

4. Is there a method to your merchandise assortment?

   Your customers buy from you for a reason: They are looking to fill a need or solve a problem. How you present your products on the catalog page and how you use engagement techniques can easily help their decision process

   One of the most successful techniques in presenting products is to create themes within your book. Themes solve a problem or engage the customer in a desired topic.

   These themes need to be carefully chosen and relevant to your brand promise. Use a square-inch analysis to determine commonalities among your merchandise, then build a plan to assemble your categories by these themes.

   Is there a “color” story? Are there products that solve similar problems? Group these products together to tell a story, injecting a sense of romance. Themes will often offer a value-added tip or other relevant information.

   Tell customers something they didn't know. Visually tie the products together so that readers know, at a glance, what the theme is all about and why it matters to them.

5. Are you promoting relevant offers that will entice customers?

   It's been proven over and over again that offers placed on the cover — free shipping, free gift, discounts — must stand out. Developing an attention-getting offer is the only way you will see the increased response. But many designers unfortunately treat specific product or service offers as afterthoughts.

   Pay attention to all your offers, even the obscure ones. Each one should be created as a visual announcement, using bold type, bursts or icons.

   Don't neglect offers, like bundles, “two-fors” or other volume savings, created to increase your average order. Even a unique product that no one else sells should be presented as a special offer. That's right — a full-price product, with special value, should be presented as an offer.

6. Do your hero products get the attention they deserve?

   Heroes are the premier products within your merchandise assortment. They demand the most space and the most prominent placement within your catalog and on the page.

   These products must stand out and create a visual story, using large and compelling photos, explanatory insets, additional attention-getters or testimonials. Never underestimate the power of your flagship products.

   Heroes are also prime candidates for cover placement. In some cases, your number-one product may be the reason people seek out your brand. No matter what medium you're selling in — Website, catalog, e-mail, television, space ads — your hero should be front and center.

7. Does your catalog copy reflect your brand voice and complete the sale?

   Copy is the most underrated element in catalog creative. It's your voice and has incredible power to reiterate your brand promise and personality.

   While product copy is important and should always be benefit-focused, many catalogs do not take advantage of the power that other copy components can wield. In fact, you should spend just as much time crafting engaging and brand-enhancing headlines, subheads, footlines, the guarantee, sidebars, editorial, tips, instructions, callouts — any and all instances where you're asking consumers to learn more.

   Are there products throughout the catalog that relate to one another? Include copy references to cross-sell those products. Use appropriate language to communicate to your customers in a way that reflects who you are. Is your tone conversational, authoritative or whimsical? Whatever customers cannot see in pictures, say with copy.

Next Page: Are you incorporating attention-getters to tell the rest of the product story?