September 23rd brought with it the Autumn Equinox and with that the beginning of the fall and holiday seasons for catalogers.  And as I am sure I am not the only one who favors this time of year, I thought it a great time to explore some guidelines to better prepare your business for the two biggest back to back seasons of the year.

 

Go Apple Picking: One of my favorite things about autumn in New England is apple picking.  Apples mean fun with the family, pies, turnovers, apple sauce, and (yum!!) apple barbeque pork chops.  I always try to fill my basket with the biggest apples I can so to make for an extra special pie.

 

For apple season, the farmers work smart. A “Pick-Your-Own-Apples” approach is a great way to save the harvesters work in the orchards as well as attract more clientele by offering a fun and enjoyable experience.  They are not just selling you apples like the supermarket does.  They are offering a collaborative love of the season and life long memories with loved ones. So the New Englanders first piece of advice to catalogers for the fall/holiday seasons?  Remember to have fun and share in the experience with your consumers. Consumers respond to experience and if they get it, maybe they’ll just think of you first when the gift giving season rolls around.

 

Rake Up the Leaves: One of my least favorite things now as an adult about autumn in New England is raking leaves.  Nonetheless, the yard must be picked up. Piles of leaves scattered across the yard, to be bagged up and dragged off to the woods. This is an important step if you want to have a healthy lawn during the summer months. This season is a perfect opportunity to rid your lawn of the old decay before winter hits.

 

Likewise, fall is the perfect season to clean up your mail list in preparation for December’s mailings.  That is to say rake out the old and make room for the new.  The last thing you need is to waste your time and resources on a faulty mailing list.  So use your fall catalog as a preparation for your holiday mailing.  Track your return on investment.  Track the success of your catalogs per household and adjust your mailing list accordingly.  Think of your program as a lawn and don’t stunt its growth and health by ignoring the decay.

 

Make Pie: Another one of my favorite things to do during the fall season is to make pie.  It’s enjoyable to me to come up with new recipes by trying different ingredients and measurements.  I need not elaborate too much how this is like putting together a successful catalog campaign as we all know that a successful campaign must include a mixture of ingredients in order to be successful.  After the staples (the crust and the fruit or whatever you chose to use as filling) the rest is coming up with that magical assortment of flavors that work the best together to make a delicious pie.  So make sure you have your marketing staples and aside from that have fun with your consumers and try to make them the best pie that you can.

 

Hey, let’s get baking. Happy fall equinox! If you like what you see, you can follow us by e-mail simply by entering your address in the top right corner of the screen.