Catalogues for marketing: dos and don'ts

Send your catalogue to the correct person. Use an up-to-date mailing list that is as detailed as possible or waste your time, money and the paper your catalogue’s printed on.

Consider the timing. Catalogues are more likely to be read and kept if they don’t arrive at a busy time. Avoid Mondays, for example, when recipients have both Monday’s and Saturday’s post to deal with, and Fridays when people are winding down for the weekend.

Leave the printed product to do all the work. Combine your direct mail catalogue with other channels – consider sending an e-mail to pre-announce its arrival and highlight the main attractions, or a follow-up e-mail as a potential prompt to purchase.

Forget how your catalogue will be used. If you’re selling tools to trade audiences, make your catalogue A5 so it can fit into an average toolbox; make it hand-bag sized if you think people will want to carry it about to read later.