By the time your catalog has been put to bed, you probably don’t want to think about marketing again for a while. But if you take the time to announce your catalog with a little fanfare, you’re likely to see a nice lift in response. For instance:
Mail (or email) in advance. Before your catalog goes out, send an oversized postcard and/or an email announcing its imminent arrival. Be sure to include a photo of the catalog cover.
Highlight specifics. Do more than say “the catalog is coming.” Call out particular products, especially new items.
Include an offer. Encourage customers to explore the catalog by including specific offers, such as 10% off any bulbs on pages 23-24.
Use deadlines. Use a deadline with any offer you include. Make sure it allows plenty of time for the catalog to arrive and for people to look through it – but not so long that they forget about the offer altogether.
Do you do any pre-catalog promotion? What works best for you?
