SDA was born in 1995, joining our peers in an established industry where the options to promote brands were few, reach was limited, and a company’s success relied on the ability to creatively deliver a message that would cut through the clutter. Little did we imagine we had positioned ourselves in the forefront of the digital age, witnessing firsthand the remarkable change of how people from all walks of life access information. From magazines to screens, land lines to cell phones, encyclopedias to Wikipeda, we as a society are now completely connected to one another.
This evolution of digital consumption has led to an explosion of the options and reach of advertisers. Many have taken advantage of this trend to make sure they appear to prospective customers regardless of how they use the internet.
Whether it’s pop-up ads, banners, or video pre-rolls, it is impossible to avoid marketers’ reach while doing anything online. This is backed up by a 2015 study claiming that the average person in the U.S., who spends over 3 hours online each day, is exposed to 1,000 individual ads! Over the years, this opportunity has led to a huge oversaturation of the digital medium, where the majority of websites and app owners forego the user experience to focus on squeezing the maximum amount of money out of every page visit with as many ads as possible. This has also led to a rapid decline in the effectiveness of these digital campaigns. Additionally it’s increasingly more difficult to monitor and to get real, actionable analytics that make it worthwhile to anyone who is not a huge corporation with limitless budgets. These factors make it clear that in most cases, this one and done style of marketing will not provide the bang advertisers expect.
400 page product catalog
So, with all of this in mind, how does a company stand out? Many successful companies have turned to a multichannel marketing strategy that blends strong print advertising with a digital presence. For example, a catalog including relevant information about your company and products can create a seamless brand experience that drives users to your website or online store who are already knowledgeable about your offerings.
When used effectively, a catalog becomes your best salesperson. It’s durability allows it to be stored and referenced whenever the consumer desires in a no-pressure setting.
Visual and functional: The Hobie Parts catalog
Catalogs have long been the marketing standard for companies who want to display their offerings, however their usefulness has been challenged with the digital age. When you look at the facts, you will see that this type of medium is as effective as ever. The catalog is a viable alternative and partner to the consumer who visits your website to get information about your company.
Bertolini banquet seating shines in this beautiful catalog
Lands’ End is an interesting example of the value of catalogs. One year, after significantly decreasing the number of catalogs they sent out, they reported a $100 million decline in sales.
Lands End 2016 Summer catalog
After doing more in-depth research on the decrease, they concluded that their consumers were more likely to spend money after viewing the catalog first – even if they only shopped online. From increased brand recognition to exposing customers to more products than they would see when online, this made it clear to Lands End that the catalog was critical in maintaining a successful marketing strategy. They immediately increased production back to normal levels the following year.
Catalogs serve as a persuasive source of inspiration for many prospective buyers. And there are many types and sizes of catalogs to represent your business uniquely. Top brands that maintain a diverse, multichannel strategy report that 58{a74273ad0e75f200b46466b1415e6accc2aa46c9e4b9f352692bfad7dc0506c2} of online shoppers say that they browse a catalog for ideas, and 31{a74273ad0e75f200b46466b1415e6accc2aa46c9e4b9f352692bfad7dc0506c2} of those say they returned to the website with catalog in hand to make a purchase. In addition, women aged 18-30 are especially motivated by this type of direct marketing, claiming they enhance their impression of a retailer, stimulate interest in a retailer’s products, and 86{a74273ad0e75f200b46466b1415e6accc2aa46c9e4b9f352692bfad7dc0506c2} have bought an item after first seeing it in a catalog. It’s hard to argue with those stats.
Smaller and mighty: This healthcare catalog is packed with information.
Catalogs continue to play an important role in today’s marketing. While we certainly recommend a strong digital presence, we firmly advocate partnering your digital assets with print materials to effectively and successfully market and grow your business. SDA Creative is proud of our talented team of designers who are ready to assist you with all of your designs for your printed materials. And when you need to partner these materials with digital assets, our web team can seamlessly blend your branding in effective products.
