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Catalog Printing: The Areas of Improvement in Catalogs

Catalog printing does a lot for businesses and commercial establishments. Catalogs are a salesperson and business owner’s best friend. Without catalogs, an ordinary salesperson might find it too problematic and troublesome memorizing different specifications for different products without a single source.

Clients too might find it a bit difficult to look for items which are not housed by common stores. Without catalogs, it would certainly be a bit too tasking for both the clients to buy and for business to sell. Just imagine, without catalogs as a reference, potential customers would largely be in the dark about your latest offers and newest product line.

Catalog printing makes it possible for you to create catalogs that organizes and compiles all your products and product information along with it. You can have print catalogs you can send out to your loyal clients and other interested parties who are in your mailing list.

Also, catalog printing allows you to create a catalog with 96 pages and even more for custom printing. Again, that’s 96 pages composed of 92 inside pages and 4 cover pages.

Print catalogs are printed using offset printing with four color process printing that makes your catalog designs into wonderfully, colorful prints. This makes the image or photos of your products more life-like too.

Pictures become more detailed and painted in accurate, tantalizing colors that are more appealing to clients who can be motivated to purchase such products. Also, it helps them identify the products better.

Catalogs are truly functional pieces that can promote your products and sell them. Make catalogs that are not only useful to your business operations, but to your clients as well. Send out high-quality catalogs and expect no less than the response you’ve dreamt of.

While print catalog services provide you the means to obtain such quality prints, here are more great ideas to help you build an engaging and interesting catalog design and content.

1. Strike a balance
As a business owner, not everything that you know in your business is exactly interesting to your clients or customers. There are some facts about your products or business which clients may not appreciate too well.

You need to carefully balance information that are useful to your clients and information which can only be useful to you. It does not go to say that certain facts and figures are not appreciated, but make sure that these are significant for your readers, as clients and product users as well.

2. High Resolution
Make sure that the photos you are using have high-resolution, for all else, you risk of printing blurry images. While part of the printing services’ of a printer is to review files, you still have to provide them the right photo with at least a 300dpi or you’ll be further delaying your print project. You might even trouble yourself with re-sending files again and again.

3. Eliminate Communication Barriers
Photos are very enticing. This is a fact that has been explored by advertisers for a long time. But visuals alone cannot sell a product. Text and other information are needed by your customers.

When including text or content to your catalogs, make sure you check everything twice. Typographical and grammatical errors are communication barriers that interrupts reading and interrupts the flow of thoughts as well.

4. Layout
Observe just how much picture and how much text you can put in a single page without making it look too busy or crowded. Too much of everything can be overwhelming. It might tire your reader before you know it.

Catalog printing is your access to great looking catalogs. Online printers are more than able to print volumes of consistent and colorful catalogs for your needs, whether it’ll be for corporate use or commercial one. Their online sites too can ably give you more ideas on how to make your catalogs more striking and effective.

Contact a professional catalog printing company now and be on your way on creating impressive catalogs.

Catalog Marketing Tips - Create a Catalog that Sells!

I have so many free catalog marketing tips, to share with you. Having spent the last 37 years creating profitable direct mail and catalogs, I’ve discovered some amazing catalog marketing secrets! Secrets I’m going to share with you today…

Create a catalog design that sells:

Did you realize that most catalog designer have no idea of what it takes to make money off of the catalog and some designers might even be horrified to realize that the catalog is supposed to make a profit?

Here’s an example: The CEO of a large catalog company, called to discuss improving certain aspects of their catalog. One suggestion was to place a certain item, their most profitable item, on their catalog cover.

I was told they couldn’t because his catalog designer said she would quit if he tried to put something large on the cover! Later he did take my advice and stuck with it on most of his covers. Guess it worked for him.

Before that, he turned down my suggestion of a “letter from the president” on the inside front cover. He said no one ever reads those. My reply was that “if they are boring they won’t get read and if created right they can be a very effective selling tool, a part of creating powerful catalogs.”

He finally gave in and I wrote and designed several letters for him. Letters that took his prospective customers on a tour of the catalog and had them ready to buy before they even got into the catalog.

He was amazed to discover that customers were responding to the letters and referring to some of the things mentioned in them. These letters have been a part of his catalog ever since. There was one of my suggestions I wish my friend had tested with his catalog: Since his average order was very high, I suggested that each request for a catalog should be sent out immediately. Even if it meant sending it out in an envelope via First Class Mail or in a Priority Mail Pak, instead of adding the name to his list and mailing the next scheduled catalog to them.

In my recently published special report, Catalog Facts & Figures, it shows how this can double the response from a new customer who requests a catalog. Be sure to also give these catalog requesters the special treatment. Include a personalized letter and a special offer or discount coupon. This can really increase your catalog results as well as boost the value and life of that new customer!

Sure, a catalog is supposed to look good, but it’s also supposed to make money, lots of money!

Just remember one thing, a design does not sell! An arrangement of your products may look good a certain way and a lot of white space may have a certain appeal, but it doesn’t sell. Sometimes it may even hurt sales. Now, as you are starting to think I’m crazy, consider this…

Your catalog’s only job is to get orders! Lots of orders! While many of your potential catalog customers may be impressed with your slick catalog design, design doesn’t sell!

Here’s how to use your catalog design to sell:

Use a design element to call attention to your products photos. I’ve seen too many catalog designs that distract from the products and the selling message. Some borders going around the page look good and can be artistic. Make them work for their keep… extend some of your products photos over these borders to give your photos a 3D effect.

I love to see product photos popping off the page! Get those products right up there in their face! Use drop shadows under those photos for a 3D effect. Even have some of the photos extend off the page at angle so that a corner is chopped off by the page edge. You’ll understand what I mean when you see some examples of catalogs I’ve designed using these techniques.

I’ve seen some horrible catalog pages where some kind of scene is placed in the background. This isn’t going to sell anything. It will just confuse that potential buyer, distract from your product and make your copy hard to read! I’ve seen some catalog pages that are in black and white except for the product photos which are in full color and popping of the page!

If you want to throw a lot of color in there, go ahead. Just remember, you are selling products, not the design. Use the design to highlight the products. If the first thing that grabs your attention is the design, you are selling designs not products. Re-work it until that product photo reaches out and grabs, grabs attention and grabs the cash!

I’ve seen numerous catalogs that use a great design, but too often a great design is used make up for a lack of selling in their catalog. And what I’m trying to get across is that you need to make sure your catalog has plenty of sell-ability. (Yes, I like to make up words too!)

What sells?

An old friend of mine has a catalog stuffed full of his organizational, scheduling products. He puts together his own catalog, and he prides himself on being able to squeeze in more stuff on each page (cover too) than any other cataloger. Since he cringes when I mention his catalog name, I won’t do it. But he claims his "busy" catalog makes a hell of a lot more money than those “pretty” catalogs do!

I’m not recommending you do that to your catalog, but there’s something about his catalog, a certain feel of activity, movement, excitement.

It may also have been because he was putting together his own catalog. His excitement and feelings about his own products were carried over into his catalogs. This excitement, when carried over into the catalog will have you creating powerful catalogs. If your catalog doesn’t have this excitement, it won’t sell. You want a catalog that sells!

It’s difficult for a salesperson to make it if they don’t believe in their products and don’t have this inner excitement, this powerful emotion! Many of the successful catalogers I’ve met have had a sales background.

Too often a cataloger feels that their catalog is completed and ready to go to press, but there are so many little selling features that can be added which will greatly increase their catalog results!

Catalogers I’ve worked with will probably remember me always saying that it’s "those little, often overlooked, things that make a big difference in catalog results." Some of these little things can be as simple as slipping into the description of one product in the catalog, a reference to another product that will go with this one.

Try adding little sayings throughout the pages that will motivate to buy or set a certain mood. Showing the product in use can be very important! Do you know how many additional sales can be made in a store by demonstrating a product, bringing it to life and showing how fun or easy-to-use it is? A good example of this can be found in the Antique Hardware & Home catalogs I helped create.

Just translate these catalog marketing ideas to your catalog pages. Show products in use. Describe additional uses for the products. Use powerful copy that is exciting, helpful, friendly, and sells! And this is just the beginning!

I have more great Free Catalog Marketing Tips for you at:

http://www.free-catalog-marketing-tips.com

Home Improvement Projects That Add Value to Your Home

How can home improvement projects decrease value from your home? This can happen if you choose to personalize your home so much that no one else wants to buy it or if you install such archaic elements in your home that it takes you back in time instead of in the future. So, if you have home improvement plans in mind, chalk out a realistic budget and go for those areas which will pay back the time and money of the project plus give you some profit too.

Flooring

Fashions change and now people are turning back to solid hard woods and laminate flooring like Pergo as oppose to carpeting. While carpet may have been very popular a decade ago, now apart from bedrooms, it is no longer in vogue. If you do have some money for home improvement, get wooden floors for your home. That will increase the value of your home, make it appealing to prospective buyers who may have allergies and it will save you money in the long run as carpets always get dirty no matter how much you care for them.

Kitchen

Research shows that kitchens make and break deals to buy homes. Even if all American families do not cook as much as they used to, the kitchen still is the focal point for all members to convene to for homework, bill paying, snacking and of course meal preparation and consumption. If you can invest in stainless steel appliances, do so. This home improvement idea will surely pay you back as stainless steel refrigerators and other appliances are the rage right now. If you can save space with over the counter built in microwaves add other such ideas, go for it. No one has ever said they do not like extra kitchen counter space.

Replace countertops with granite as it fives a very posh, regal look and hides many scratches and other spillover effects of regular kitchens. Do not go for a very new granite color; stick to the neutral tones as found in your kitchen cabinets and flooring. Add a tile backsplash for easy cleaning and some pull-out drawers in lower cabinets and you have a kitchen to die for.

-- Amos writes articles and press releases for OzfreeOnline - this piece she made served as an article exclusive for http://realestate.ozfreeonline.com - which offers a comprehensive list of office & commercial real estates, apartment and house for rent, online real estate, house for sale, real estate property listing, real property search and an apartment finder to thousands of properties in Australia.

DIY Home Improvement

Part of DIY home improvement is about knowing when to do it yourself and when to let a professional handle it. Sometimes it is quite obvious when a professional needs to be called in and when you can handle it yourself. Small tasks that do not require any specialized knowledge, like painting or small remodeling projects can usually be a great DIY project. Things like electrical work, plumbing and other tasks that require specialized knowledge are usually best left to the professionals.

Additionally, sometimes a professional will actually be able to save you money. Large projects can sometimes be better handled by a professional because they can get materials at discount. Also, larger projects will take the do it yourself handyman a long time to finish on their own and this may just not be rational. Knowing when to call in a professional is an important part of DIY home improvement.

Another important part of DIY home improvement is getting the job done. Many times a DIY home improvement project ends up dragging on because the person gets distracted form the project. When doing home improvements yourself you need to set up a game plan. You need to get all your supplies together and stick to a schedule. This will help to ensure you get the project done in a timely manner.

Additionally, you should plan out the project before ever starting. This will help to avoid unexpected surprises that could pop up and cause problems. You may not be able to plan for every little surprise, but by preparing before getting started you will help make it more likely that your project will end up finished.

DIY home improvement is common these days. People are trying to find every way to save a little money. A person's home is most often their biggest investment so home improvement is actually a way to improve upon that investment. In the end a good home improvement project will actually help person make money. When a home owner can do a home improvement project themselves they are enhancing that profit even more. That is why DIY home improvement is so popular.

Learn more Home Improvement Tips Today by visiting my website at http://www.myhomeresourcecenter.com

Too Many Home Improvement Decisions and Not Enough Answers- The Home Improvement Success System

By Hank Jaworowski,CR Founder and President of The Home Improvement Success Club of America™

We have all heard of a homeowner getting ripped off or having a bad experience/poor end result doing a home improvement project. Home improvement complaints rank at the top every year at the Better Business Bureau and Government Consumer Affair Agencies. As I see it, the basic problem is that homeowners are not prepared to make the many “choices” involved in a home improvement project. Homeowners cannot be expected to know all the right decisions and all the necessary preventative items and provisions that will insure their project will be “problem-free”.

This is not to say that there is not “advice” out there to help homeowners complete their projects, but this advice is normally very broad in nature. For example, most literature will tell you to,” Make sure you hire someone that has a license and insurance.” That is really good advice, but what type of license and what type of insurance are we talking about? What type of insurance liability amounts are appropriate? $25,000, $100,000, $250,000? Is a landscaper’s license sufficient to build an outside cabana? My point is that there are just too many questions and too many decisions, both big and small, to rely on basic how to advice.

All homeowners interested in doing a home improvement project need to start off with a detailed blueprint or system that shows them exactly what to do in all phases of the project. This system needs to detail how to avoid “poor” home improvement situations. It also should be able to be used with any project, big or small.

The Home Improvement Success System accomplishes this. This system covers a variety of topics that one encounters when attempting a home improvement project. This system includes an easy to follow screening procedure to evaluate candidates to do your project. The Home Improvement Success System also includes all the clauses and terms you need to add to a home improvement agreement (contract). This will insure that the project is done without the usual problems that most people encounter when they sign a poor agreement. (Worker’s not showing up, poor or no communication, jobsite behavior, costly unforeseen problems, project delays, job site conditions, responsibility and storage of materials, etc, etc, etc)

This sixty-two page system tells you exactly what to do every step of the way. Here is the system’s table of contents, along with an excerpt about meeting a candidate for the first time.

The Home Improvement Success System Table of Contents

About the Author Preface

STEP I Defining Your Project and Budget What is a Home Improvement? Project File Folder Items to Consider Before Starting a Project Categories of Work Financing Large Project or Small Project

STEP II Deciding On Who Does the Project and Under What Circumstances Thinking About Doing the Project Yourself? Types of Contractors Being Your “Own General Contractor” Why You Should Not Hire Just Anybody for Your Home Improvement Project

Hiring a Friend or Neighbor?

Where to Find Home Improvement Candidates

I Warn Homeowners to Avoid Candidates Who Come Looking For You

A Word on Anyone That Comes Looking For You

5 Steps To Evaluating Home Improvement Candidates

STEP 1 Check License & Better Business Bureau Record

STEP 2 Making Phone Contact

STEP 3 Candidate Interview Large Company or Small Company

STEP 4 Contacting References STEP 5 Evaluating Your Candidates Case Study-Kitchen Remodel Preparing a Contract Contract Sample Change Orders Building Permits & CO’s

STEP III Production of Your Project Project File

Punch Lists If Problems Arise Forms and Self Test

Self-Test Project Specification Sheet

Estimate Form

Waiver of Lien Sample

Right of Rescission Sample Candidate Evaluation Sheet

Example of Labor Warranty Conclusion

Here is an excerpt from The Home Improvement Success System that describes what you and your candidate need to bring to your first meeting.

“Ask the candidate to bring these items to your first meeting: • Copy of their license and insurances. • Pictures of projects similar to yours. • Names, addresses and phone numbers (depending on the type of project) of at least 5 large projects completed within the last 2 years, or 15 smaller projects completed within the last 2 years. • Names, licenses and insurance information of any subcontractors they use. • Brochures of any products they recommend.

You need to bring these items with you to the first meeting: • All the people involved in making the decision on who to hire. • Project Specification Sheet- (Page 47), plans, diagrams and Estimate Form-(Page 49) • Survey of Property (larger projects) • Lot # (larger projects) • Pictures of your house, if meeting at candidate’s office. • Your Home Improvement File Folder with pictures of other projects similar to what you are looking to do.

Step 3 Candidate Interview

Just as you expect the individual to be prepared, you should be prepared as well. Try to obtain as much information about your project as possible and put it in your Home Improvement File Folder. Your goal is to paint the clearest picture you can into the mind of the candidate you are interviewing, so they know what you are looking to do and what you expect of them. Good candidates will also be able to supply you with additional information and insight into your project.

Keep a written record of the responses and comments you receive from each candidate. (It becomes very easy to forget which candidate said what.) Use the Candidate Evaluation Sheet supplied with this system (Page 56) to record your information.

When you first meet the candidate, give a brief description of what you are looking to do. Begin asking the following questions. (Do not initially spend a lot of time reviewing your project until you are satisfied with the answers to the questions you ask) Whether it is an architect, designer, contractor or other don’t be afraid to ask all the questions that you need to ask. Take control of the initial meeting. Remember you are interviewing the candidate not the other way around. These following questions need to be answered before you can proceed with anything else. I have included the types of answers you would receive from a well qualified candidate.”

I would like to say that this system addresses every single question or problem that could ever occur with any home improvement project………but that couldn’t possibly be true. However the only way to get access to this system is when you become a member of The Home Improvement Success Club of America™(www.homeimprovementsuccess.com) Membership to this club includes a web forum, chat room, teleseminars, teleclasses, phone consultations, and contract/estimate evaluations. These additional club items are designed to answer questions or concerns members may have, that the system may not address.

Having been a home improvement contractor has given me the insight into to putting together a system and club that works for anyone doing a home improvement project. I truly hope that after you read this article you stop by and visit The Home Improvement Success Club of America™ website at http://www.homeimprovementsuccess.com and see all the benefits the club could bring to your next home improvement project.

The Home Improvement Success Club of America™ http://www.homeimprovementsuccess.com e-mail-info@homeimprovementsuccess.com P.O. Box 653 Smithtown, NY 11787 Phone: 631-360-7722 Fax: 631-361-3582

Looking Through a Home Improvement Catalog

Home Improvement Catalog: Should You Order From A Home Improvement Catalog?

Home Improvement Catalog: Should You Order From A Home Improvement Catalog?

Looking Through a Home Improvement Catalog

Catalog Printing: the Areas of Improvement in Catalogs

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