How Catalog Marketing helps ecommerce companies
Every brand is unique. Catalog Marketing helps ecommerce companies tell their story.
For centuries catalogs have been used by companies to sell their products and service directly to consumers. In fact, the first catalog, according to Medium.com, was published in 1498! Now that’s some serious history! Catalogs have traditionally been the workhorse of direct marketing.
Yes, the catalog has seen it’s fair share of marketing. However, as we move into a full-blown digital world, the catalog has begun to make a resurgence. Why? The answer is simple. Ecommerce companies need to find ways to re-engage current customers and find new prospects. Sure, all the web savvy companies do online targeting, re-targeting, co-targeting and email. They do display ads like Google Adwords and social like Facebook and Instagram. Of course, they may not be very good at it (but that’s a topic for another discussion.) The problem with a pure digital strategy is that the internet is a very crowded place. Very crowded! Think of your own browsing behavior. You may start out with Google search looking for replacement windows for your home (and get auto glass companies in your results because the companies aren’t using Adwords correctly ☹), and then find yourself messaging someone on Facebook a few minutes later or checking the weather from your local news station. Catalog marketing helps E-Commerce companies cut through the clutter and tell their unique story.
We are online a lot! According to some research….
According to Pew Research, nearly a quarter of Americans are online constantly (as in all day long)! So obviously a marketer needs to do all of those digital strategies well to compete. However, since everyone else is also there, it’s a very crowded place. Try this experiment. Search for something you’re interested. Let’s say you’re looking for a new pair of shoes. Do some searches. Visit a few sites. Then log into Facebook. Scroll down your page. What do you see? Ads for shoes? Not only the sites you visited but a few others you may have never heard from. That’s exciting isn’t it? You may even see some apparel ads too!
This type of digital strategy works. In fact, it works very well. But now you’re getting bombarded with digital ads for shoes. Was the company you bought shoes from last time in the mix? What if they marketed to you before you did your search? Wouldn’t that have been better for the shoe company? What if the company you purchased from last time contacted you before you searched online? It’s possible they would have received your undivided attention. That would have been ideal scenario if you were the shoe company. Instead, they had to share you with all the other online shoe sellers.
I’m certainly not advocating you cut back online advertising. It’s a proven medium. If you’re doing business online, you can’t afford not to use all the digital strategies at your disposal. However, you can augment and enhance your digital strategy with print. If you have an assortment of products, Catalog marketing is a logical extension of your website.
Catalog Marketing yields big results
That’s where Direct Marketing, and in this case Catalog Marketing, shines! Catalog marketing helps ecommerce companies by targeting customers with what they want where there is little to no competition; their mailbox. (Their physical mailbox!) Catalog marketing helps ecommerce companies grow!
Even as we move into a full-blown digital world, the catalog has begun to make a resurgence. Why?
We are bombarded with digital messages. It’s very challenging to stand out from the crowd. That’s where catalog marketing shines. Send your customers a marketing piece with what they want and send it to them where there is little to no competition; their mailbox. (Their physical mailbox!) Catalog marketing helps ecommerce companies grow.
Building a successful catalog marketing program is easier said than done. Catalogs are expensive. You must merchandise them, design them, print and mail them! That’s a lot of steps. What if you have multiple merchandise lines? Who buys what, when? Can you prospect to new customers? Where do you find the names to mail? Do they receive the same offer as repeat customers or the same offer? How can you test multiple creative versions or offers? The list goes on and on. Count on North Star Direct Marketing to build a catalog marketing program
Even if you have the answers to all these questions and have been in the industry for a long time, it’s good to have someone review your strategy from time to time. Make sure you’re not leaving any money on the table or over-contacting your file. We can do an audit and make recommendations based on your goals.
Catalog Marketing Helps pure play Ecommerce Companies find New Customers
Catalog marketing helps e-commerce companies by engaging current customers AND prospecting to new customers. You can build statistical models profiling your current buyer and grow your business.
If you are a pure play ecommerce site, with little or no direct mail experience, then you really need an expert to help you through the process. While the catalog has been around a long time, it can be a daunting process to start one from scratch even for the savvy e-commerce marketer. Let us find your North Star and light your path to a profitable catalog program!
