Creating a Product Catalog
Product catalogs are an effective way to promote your company's merchandise, whether you have a retail store, sell exclusively online or via direct mail. Creating a simple catalog is possible for many marketers and business owners. Catalogs may be mailed to existing clients, distributed as in-store advertising or sent to prospective customers at relatively low cost. When used judiciously, they can be an effective direct marketing tool for many industries, both business-to-consumer and business-to-business.
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Things You'll Need
- Camera
- Photographic lighting
- Page layout software
- Light box for photographing small items (optional)
Instructions
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Determine the scope of the catalog. For instance, it may cover all of a company's products, if there are relatively few (less than a hundred), or it may contain only a certain group of items, such as clothing. Identify every product to include in the catalog.
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Photograph each product using the proper lighting. The items can be photographed against a black or blank background or within an attractive setting. You also may alternate settings, with a majority of products photographed against a blank background and some featured products shot on location in an appropriate setting. Make sure to check the quality of your pictures before you disassemble the background and lighting.
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Write product descriptions for each item, focusing on features, sizing, colors, pricing and order options. Include suggestions for use or a call to action of some kind, such as, "Order two dresses--one in black for formal wear and one in a floral print for casual occasions."
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Arrange the catalog products on their pages using one of the may page layout software programs available, like Adobe InDesign, Corel Ventura or QuarkXPress . Try several different variations, experimenting with groups of products, amount of text on the page and the order in which you present them. For a catalog made in-house instead of by a designer, simple arrangements work best and are most likely to look professional.
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Obtain quotes for catalog printing. Determine different levels of pricing for varied paper stocks, sizes and coatings, such as glossy versus matte. Print the catalog on the highest-quality paper that you can afford. Consider the importance of using sustainable materials, such as recycled paper and soy-based inks.
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References
- Photo Credit magazine image by Angelika Bentin from Fotolia.com
