You’ve thought about everything very carefully, and our catalogue is now ready – wonderful news!
So now you have the final decision to make – and it’s a very important one too. How do you distribute it? After all, there’s no point in having a brilliant catalogue if the right people don’t see it at the right time. So let’s look at the areas we need to consider.
Your audience
It all starts with understanding what works best for your target audience – who are they, where are they, what’s the best way to reach them, and when’s the best time to reach them?
Up-to-date information
Clearly the option of posting them out is an obvious one, but this can be quite expensive, so if you do go down this route make sure that your database is as up-to-date as possible and that you’ve budgeted for the postal costs.
Correct timing
We’ve mentioned the importance of timing a couple of times, and this shouldn’t be ignored. Think about when is the best time for your readers to receive the catalogue. For example, if you’re selling Christmas Cards, early to mid November is probably a good time for the catalogues to go out, when people are just starting to think about the festive season.
An excellent technique is to send out a “teaser mailer” in advance of the main catalogue, with a Coming Soon message. This can increase anticipation and help the readers to get even more excited about your products.
Delivery option
If you’re not going to post them, or want to do something else as well, there is the delivery option. You can have them delivered directly to homes, offices, retail branches, hotels and so on – pretty much everywhere you can gain access. If you do go down this route, or use it as a complementary approach to the post, make sure you plan where – and once more when – the best location for them is, and get agreement in advance.
To help you create your own catalogue, we’ve produced a handy FREE catalogue design guide with details on the steps you need to take to create your own perfect catalogue.
Calderstone has many years of experience in the design and printing of catalogues and here is a testimonial from a recent client:
Karen Barcoo, Farmiloe
We’ve worked with Calderstone on various catalogues and brochures and the collaboration has been very successful. The team has been able to add real value with expert advice on how to ensure the best quality printing.