Blog

When you ask people to blurt out the first thing they think of for catalogs, you’re probably likely to hear things like “Sears” or “Pottery Barn.” As much as our mothers may have loved the catalogs they received back in the day, today’s catalogs are breaking new ground and being used by savvy entrepreneurs and businesses to share information well beyond a simple lists of products.

In fact, we’re pretty excited about the things we’re seeing people do with catalogs these days. Businesses small and large are using catalogs to share their brand story, give their audience a new way to learn and connect, share news and showcase events, services, products and other offerings.

Catalogs drive sales, yes. But they also help build loyal fans by capturing their interest, providing multiple ways to connect, and sharing unique and colorful images and content that build interest and trust in what your business provides.

Here are a few important things catalogs can do for you:

• Tell your brand story: A mix of articles, images and messages along with product or service offerings in a catalog inspired emotional connections with readers.
• Boost credibility: A colorful, information-filled catalog inspired confidence and creates credibility.
• Synergize with social media: In a digital-focused world, printed catalogs offer a unique and strong complement to online marketing that has the same targeting ability as many social media channels. For instance, you can send catalogs only to specific customers who have visited your website, or worked with you in a specific way. Another idea would be to create alternate covers for your catalogs that appeal to different segments of your target audience, focusing in on what will capture their attention the best.
• And yes, increase sales. Sharing your products and services in this way offers a format for readers to pick up what you’re putting out there again and again, in venues that social media can’t get to.

If you’re interest in creating a catalog for your business, we can help. First, you need to understand the product itself. Here’s the secret: it’s simply a saddle-stitch booklet, easy to create and easy on your budget. Next, decide on your content. Don’t be hindered by old-fashioned ideas of what catalogs should be. Create your own unique product by mixing up content and staying true to your brand and message.

Catalogs can be any dimension and any number of pages. You can email us at [email protected] to ask any questions and receive a free quote. And we’re happy to put you in touch with one of our publishing experts to brainstorm ideas. Don’t forget, we now offer services to schedule phone conversations, just use the link from our Contact page.

We're excited to share something new we've set up for connecting with Vervante customer support - an online phone appointment system. This is a quick-and-easy way to schedule a phone call directly with one of our publishing experts here at Vervante HQ. Here's how it works:

1. Click HERE or on the link provided on the Contact Us page of our website.
2. Your local time zone should be filled in, but it's always good to check.
3. Select an open appointment time by clicking on it. If you want to see future dates, just click on the arrow on the right side of the page.
4. Fill in the required contact information and submit.
5. You're all set!

You will receive a confirmation email with all the information. If you need to reschedule or cancel your appointment, you can do so by clicking in the links provided in your confirmation emails. We're so excited to be able to offer this additional level of service and can't wait to hear about your newest projects.

Remember the days when your bedroom was plastered with posters featuring Duran Duran, Christie Brinkley, and “deep thoughts” from U2? (Oh wow, we just totally aged ourselves, didn’t we?!) Well, the good news is that with a little modernizing, posters are a great resource for sharing information, supporting programs, and making your message truly memorable. 

Here at Vervante, we’re creating posters of all sizes and types and love what we’re seeing people do with them as business-building tools. We can create posters in any size from 8x10 to 24x36, and for a wide variety of uses, including:

• Wall calendars
• Inspirational / motivation art
• Creative art prints
• Instructional / educational posters for gyms, fitness professionals, yoga studios
• Live event promotional items / giveaways
• Writing prompts and checklists
• Positive mantras and workspace positivity-boosters

Here’s one more idea to really kick things up a notch. How about including some dry-erase markers so you can write on your posters? We can help you with that, too, by laminating the posters and including extra items (like markers or fun stickers) in outgoing shipments.

We couldn’t help ourselves and had to throw in a quick bit of science when it comes to posters – yes, science!) If you want to make a statement and have your message “stick” in the minds of your audience, visualization (or the use of products like posters) is a critical aspect of any presentation’s success. In fact, according to a study published in the Health Information and Libraries Journal, posters have the ability to transfer knowledge, change attitudes, and alter behaviors.*

Bottom line, we’re loving posters right now. If you’re interested in checking out some samples for real-life inspiration, we offer several 11x17 versions HERE. And if you’d like to order the 2017 calendar poster pictured here, we’re offering it for only $4.50 plus shipping. Click HERE for more details.