For years, there have been whispers of digital marketing channels rendering catalogs and other forms of postal marketing obsolete. Decades later, catalogs and direct mail are not only surviving, but thriving. Despite this, countless untruths remain, spooking away businesses that could benefit from this tried-and-true practice.

Knowing the difference between catalog marketing fact and fiction can have a direct impact on your company’s reach, customer retention, and profit margin. That’s why, with Halloween just around the corner, we thought this was the perfect time to shed light on a few of these catalog marketing myths:

  1. The digital age is rendering catalogs obsolete. False: As CBS News recently highlighted, the catalog business is booming — particularly here in Maine.
  2. Social media needs to be your primary marketing channel. False: A well-rounded omnichannel marketing strategy that includes social media, email, and print advertising is always more successful. In fact, leaving a catalog out of your mix could be detrimental: Marketing Profs points out that in 2014, 28.9 million Millennials made a purchase from a catalog — and with 87% reporting that they like receiving direct mail, that’s a lot of purchasing power waiting to be harnessed.
  3. Advertisers are spending less on direct mail than ever before. False: The Boston Consulting Group found that by 2020, total spend on ad mail will increase from 11% to 12%.
  4. Eco-savvy marketers steer clear of catalogs. False: You can easily “green up” your marketing strategy with catalogs. Take the environmental practices we have in place at The Dingley Press, for example; not only are we Forest Stewardship® Certified, but we recycle 100% of our waste materials, use environmentally friendly ink, and rely on the most efficient methods to reduce the carbon footprint on all of our print runs and mailings. It’s a great — and green — way to reach your customers.
  5. Catalogs can’t compete with revenues produced by other channels. False: Another statistic from The Boston Consulting Group reports that Neiman Marcus earns $4 for every $1 spent in catalog marketing. They also found that ad mail produces a whopping 16% median ROI for businesses.

Don’t trick yourself into believing catalog marketing won’t work for you. Give The Dingley Press a call; we’ll show you what a valuable treat catalog marketing can be for your bottom line.