Catalogs
Catalogs have been around a lot longer than most people suspect. In her book Write On Target, author and famed copywriter Donna Baier Stein claims that an English gardener named William Lucas issued one as early at 1667. And gardening catalogs are still all the rage today.
Thousands of catalogs are published each year targeting both consumers and business people. They also flourish on the Internet, as the success of
A catalog can be as short as a two-page flyer or as thick as a five-pound volume with hundreds of pages. It traditionally features a collection of products that can be ordered through the mail, by fax, by phone, or on the Internet.
Although there are a few general-purpose catalogs that promote personal and household items to a mass market, most catalogs these days are created for specialty audiences, such as business people, tradespeople, and hobbyists.
The Copywriter's Role
The cornerstone of great catalog copy is the item description. This is what sells the product. If the description is weak and uninspiring, readers may not place an order.
The challenge is you don't have much room. A typical catalog page can feature five to ten products, even more. So you only have a paragraph or two at most to persuade the reader to purchase the item. That's in addition to explaining the necessary product features, such as sizes, colors available, pricing, and other characteristics.
Here are the top tips for crafting effective catalog copy:
Tell the reader exactly what they are going to get. Pictures don't necessarily tell the whole story. Be exact with product descriptions. What's the size? What are the technical specifications? Which components are included? How is it shipped? Is assembly required? What colors does it come in? Can it be customized?
Make the information easy to find. Use large headlines for major sections, smaller headers for categories.
Consider including a president's letter at the opening of the catalog. This builds credibility, which is especially important when the catalog is from an unfamiliar company.
State the guarantee loud and clear. Show how sending back the order form or ordering online is virtually risk free.
Make the copy interesting to read. Most catalog copy is dull.
Include lots of product details. Consumers, and especially business people, will often use a catalog as a reference.
Here's an example of typical catalog item copy:
Father's Day Special!
Magellan Meridian Platinum Portable GPS
Whether he boats, sails, or paddles, dad will never get lost with this rugged handheld GPS system. Using advanced satellite technology, the Meridian Platinum displays your exact position — on water or on land — on a built-in background map. The large, bright viewing screen is squint-free in just about any weather condition. And if dad accidentally drops it in the water, this GPS is waterproof and floats!
Don't Forget to Be Persuasive
It's easy to settle for merely describing the product and letting the reader draw his own conclusions about the benefits. That's a mistake made in many catalogs. Don't settle for bland copy, even if you're confident that the picture will do the selling for you. It might not. In the space you have available, craft the most persuasive copy you can.
