"For most companies who have a strong department centered on catalog printing, consistency becomes a very important detail.
The reason? Catalogs are a very consistent form of marketing. Most companies don’t just get one catalog printed period and then never again use them. And the companies who do use catalog printing on a regular basis almost always do so on a tight schedule.
Catalogs might be released every month, every year, or maybe every holiday. No matter when or how often, you’re likely to be releasing them at the same time each year, and because of that, people come to expect certain catalogs at certain points.
The general size and length of a catalog is also going to remain generally consistent. Sure, it might be a few pages smaller or larger each year, but on average it will be about the same.
This consistency is a staple of the catalog, and can cause problems for a company if they aren’t aware of it.
Increasing the size of a catalog is perfectly fine, and can be a sign of a company’s growth or improvement in the market. But on the reverse side of that, if you start to shrink your catalog each time, people will notice, and people might start to think the catalog is shrinking because you aren’t doing as well.
The same goes for when the catalogs are released. If you’ve been maintaining a monthly schedule for a few years, and then suddenly miss a month, people will notice, and it might not look good for the company. Once again, adding an additional catalog will have the effect of improving your appearance. Your company is doing so well, people might think, you need to release multiple catalogs a year now.
The problems can occur when you aren’t doing as well, but you don’t want your customers to get worried about your company’s future. Trying to shorten up your catalog will have just such an effect if you aren’t careful.
Keeping a strong image is the best way to ensure people won’t feel that your company is struggling. If you simply have to cut back on your catalogs, one potential path is to remove one of the catalogs you’re releasing each year, but increase the size of the others.
Because the initial cost is going to be the greatest when it comes to your printing, adding a few additional pages won’t greatly increase the costs on your other catalogs, and because your other catalogs are increasing in size, people won’t care as much about the reduction in the number of catalogs being made.
This is just one solution, and you can find others that work well for your particular needs. The important thing is to be sure you’re aware of how important consistency can be to a company’s image and the public’s perception of them. Never make people feel that your company is struggling.
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