Archives for catalog

Everyone Crazy ‘Bout A Sharp Dressed Brand

October 7, 2011

6 Ways To Make Your Brand A Rock Star
 

“Clean shirt, new shoes
and I don’t know where I am goin’ to.
Silk suit, black tie,
I don’t need a reason why.
They come runnin’ just as fast as they can
coz every girl crazy ’bout a sharp dressed man.”*

Make your customers crazy about your brand – and be a rockstar in 2012! Take an inventory of your signature line up:

1. MESSAGING
Do you have consistent messaging that differentiates your brand in the industry? Many companies in the building products industry are attempting to differentiate themselves by saying the same things: QUALITY, CUSTOMER SERVICE, SOLUTIONS. If everyone is saying the same thing, is it really a differentiator for you? The answer is NO. Make sure you have captured your “single thread” – the one thing that your brand can own that makes it different from all the rest.

2. PRINT
Is your printed literature up to date, or are you “using up” old stuff? Using outdated or incomplete catalogs, brochures and other sales collateral is like singing the same song over and over again. Not interesting. It signifies that things in your company are stagnant – when that COULD be the farthest thing from the truth. Keep your audience tuned in to just how dynamic your product line is and remind them how it benefits them to buy from you.

3. ONLINE
Are people standing in line to visit your website? Is it easy to use and navigate? Are ALL your products/services completely represented online? Can a user get anywhere in 3 clicks? Do you have an active blog where you are posting company and industry-related content? Your site represents your company 24/7. It’s got to be a hit. It’s like a great agent—representing you, promoting you, consistently and cleverly attracting the right attention.

4. CONTENT
Do you have an effective content strategy? Do you have a dedicated person or team of people that are actively involved in creating, scheduling and delivering content about your products/services online and in print? BtoB magazine recently asked top marketers what they were focusing on next year and all of them said content is a top priority. BtoB’s digital marketer of the year, GE’s Linda Boff, said the opportunities in digital (videos, photos, pure content, apps) are rich, but the single biggest area GE will be focusing on next year is content. How about you?

5. TRADE SHOWS
Do you have a 2012 trade show strategy? (Before/During/After) Are you taking advantage of pre-show connecting? If the answer is “no”, you’re not alone. Driving qualified traffic to your booth takes far more than adding a “visit us at Booth X” graphic to your industry pub ads. There are so many ways to connect pre-show and start the conversation ahead of time. Once at-show, those leads are already warm. Your sales team will thank you. What are you doing to connect post-show? With a trade show strategy in place, you’ll know exactly whose responsible for follow up, how they’ll do it and when. Your targets will be clearly defined. There will be no question whether or not the show was a chart-topper.

6. SOCIAL MEDIA
Are you rockin’ social media marketing? 90% of the building products industry is invested in print; create the unexpected buzz online. Be the 10% that capitalizes on that opportunity. Be active on the big three: Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, Stay abreast of the changes on each network. Did you have a Social Media Strategy in 2011? Do you have one for 2012? Its a must. Many B2B marketers in the building products industry are still questioning whether or not social marketing is something they should engage in. Let me just remind you that ten years ago the same people were questioning whether or not they needed a website…

Rocking center stage doesn’t happen overnight. There’s a lot that happens backstage. Make sure your roadies plug in the strongest brand amplifiers: messaging, print, online, content, trade shows, and social media.

They’ll come runnin’ just as fast as they can, coz everyone’s crazy ’bout a sharp dressed brand.

If your brand was a famous rock band, what would it be called?

*ZZ TOP lyrics are property and copyright of their owners.”Sharp Dressed Man” lyrics provided for educational purposes use only.

Lori Sallee POSTED BY: Lori Sallee| Leave a comment

Thinking of scrapping your catalog? Think again.

September 8, 2011

Do you actually know why you use a catalog to sell your products? It’s a visual representation of all of your products in one place, right?! It’s easy for sales people to distribute and for customers to order from. It’s your product playground.

That’s what Benjamin Franklin thought when he created the first catalog in 1744 to sell scientific and academic books. Another catalog pioneer you are familiar with (unless you are under 40) is Aaron Montgomery Ward, who produced his first catalogue for his Montgomery Ward mail order business in 1872. (Or, as it was affectionately known to many in Iowa, as “Monkey” Wards) His first catalogue was a single sheet of paper with a price list, 8 by 12 inches, showing the merchandise for sale and ordering instructions. Montgomery Ward identified a market of merchant-wary farmers in the Midwest. Within two decades, his single-page list of products grew into a 540-page illustrated book selling over 20,000 items. And I know you’re familiar with the ever-popular Hammacher Schlemmer catalog, established by Alfred Hammacher in New York City in 1848. Offering mechanic’s tools and builder’s hardware, its first catalogue was published in 1881.

Do you think any of these innovators could ever imagine that some day they could also sell all of their products online? Well, probably not, since that word wasn’t even invented yet. How they would marvel at this idea of selling off a computer. Would they abandon their printed “Wish” books and just offer their wares electronically? Wouldn’t that be cheaper?

With the growth of online “everything” some of you may be considering scrapping your printed catalog and putting it all online. Take a look at some fascinating statistics on print and catalogs, provided recently by our friends at the USPS:

“More than 12 billion catalogs were mailed in 2010.” (that’s billion with a b)

“55.6% of respondents found catalogs “useful”, while only 21.5% found catalogs “interesting”. (Useful, meaning worth using)

“52.4% of consumers read direct mail from merchants. More than 53% found merchant mail “useful” and nearly 17% responded to offers.”

These numbers are telling. People still read. Customers like a tangible catalog. They find them useful, not wasteful. The benefit now is that you can have it all. You can offer customers that meaty printed book they love and also offer even more information about those same products on your website. Databases allow you to manage, layer and tier this information like never before. In real time. You can be more succinct and brief in print and layer the more elaborate details online. The catalog helps drive traffic to your site and to direct sales. A creative catalog can inspire and motivate. It can inform and excite. The combination of print and online, for customers, is like having their cake and eating it too. They get your current product info and images all laid out in an easy-to-read book they keep at their desk, or under their pillow. They can also go to your site and search anything and everything for more in-depth information, images and even video. It’s like “Candyland” for them.

Scrap your catalog in favor of a line of oragami childrens toys? I don’t think so.

No way. Not now. And give up the 1-2 punch?! I know some of you have been doing the same book the same way for years. It feels comfortable. You don’t think you have the budget to consider changing it. How about saving some money? Ever thought of printing a smaller book and release it seasonally instead of once every year or two or even three? Think Hammacher Schlemmer. Highlight your most popular products and new products and send them to the website for the whole kit and kaboodle. The content is always fresh and more timely and you spend less on a smaller book. Your price book can be the “big kahuna” of detailed pricing and info, but the seasonal catalog becomes more of a show piece. Attention-getting. Inspirational. Vehicle that drives customers to the site, to make the call, to want more.

Believe me, if your competitors have scrapped their books or if they aren’t staying current this is the perfect time to gain the upper hand. Make your move. Offer customers something different. Instead of scrapping your catalog, consider a face-lift and a little lipo. (think Suzanne Sommers, not Joan Rivers) Make sure it works in tandem with your online and social marketing vehicles. Think of it as the 1-2-3 punch. Customers won’t know what hit ‘em, but it’ll sure feel good.

Have you scrapped your print catalog? Are you already moving full speed ahead with the 1-2-3? What’s your opinion? I’m all ears.

 

 

Allison DeFord POSTED BY: Allison DeFord| 1 Comment