Catalog Printing In Support Of A Marketing Plan

By Author: Sarah Blackmore
Total Articles: 5
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Catalogs are used by many companies and are a highly effective tool for marketing business goods and services. Catalog printing has become a frequent request for print companies in the past couple of decades, as companies have realized the value of the medium within their marketing plan.

Catalog design is important

The layout of a catalog is an important component in designing and producing it effectively. The format used should showcase the products or services attractively and clearly. It is best to use a designer to create the layout to ensure balance and a professional appearance. Many printing companies have in-house designers to assist their clients with this step.

Catalog printing is usually done in full color for maximum effect. If working within budgetary considerations, the front and back covers should be in full color while the inside pages can be in limited color, or black and white if necessary.

Images and content

High resolution images should be used throughout the catalog. Anything less than high resolution will appear copied, distorted, or blurry. A professional photographer ...
... is often used to take the images to ensure high quality results.

Content should be well-thought out. It should be concise yet descriptive of the product or service, and ought to be written from a marketing perspective to create interest. Let’s not forget that it is there to encourage a prospective customer or client.

All copy should be carefully proof-read to ensure accuracy. In catalog printing, a typo can be a costly and embarrassing mistake, as it will be reflected in many copies for a long time through distribution. It is advisable to have another person double-check the content before it goes to print, as a second set of eyes might pick up on something the first one missed.

Distribution

As catalog printing is a marketing investment for a company, a plan for distribution is important to make sure it ends up with the right audience.

Catalogs are normally available at their respective entity, such as retailers, event locations, schools, sporting sites, and other related outlets. They should be visible and readily available to traffic within the entity.

Catalogs can also be placed strategically at various external points throughout the region, such as entrances or exits so they are easily picked up as people pass by.They can also be direct mailed to a targeted database.

The optimal goals of catalog distribution are to create new customers, as well as to keep existing ones coming back. As catalogs have a long shelf life, the potential of repeat customers is strong.

Contact information

It is vitally important to include the contact information within the brochure, and there are a variety of ways to do it. It can be printed inside the brochure or on the back cover, or business cards could be enclosed. If stapling the business card, take care to do this in a sensible place so as to avoid injury.
The website and email address should be included in the contact information, as should details of any company social media presence. Often, public companies will include a map to the location.

Professional print companies are staffed with experts in printing techniques and projects, and they can provide valuable guidance for catalog printing.

Sarah has over 20 years’ experience in the print industry working for various print shops and brochure printers in New York, and has hands on experience with digital business cards and catalog printing. She writes for Minuteman Press, a global printing franchise: www.shop.minutemanpress.com