Tips for Creating Effective Catalogs and Flyers in the SAGE Print Studio

Catalogs and flyers are an important sales tool, but they can take a lot of time to create and are costly to produce. That is until the SAGE Print Studio came along, making it easy for you to create a custom marketing piece with just a few clicks.  Here’s a rundown of common questions and ideas for ways you can use it.  Suit up; here we go.

What is the SAGE Print Studio?

It’s a feature in SAGE Online (you can find it on the main module menu) where you can create your own catalogs or flyers.  Once created, we will print the catalogs or flyers for you and ship them typically within two business days.  You can even save a complimentary, digital flip book or PDF version of your catalog or flyer to easily send to your clients. And yes, we said complimentary, that means for free, no cost, zip, nada. Here’s an example of a flip book to give you a better idea.

The Print Studio is also where you can order Inspire catalogs which are digest-sized, ready-to-go catalogs filled with over 150 pages of new, different, and best-selling promotional products.

How does it work?

In the Print Studio, you have the option to create three types of custom publications.

1. Digest Catalog: Your own digest-size catalog with your custom product selection.  32-page maximum. Size 5.5”x8”.
2. Large Catalog: Your own full-size catalog with your custom product selection. 32-page maximum. Size: 8.25”x10.5”.
3. Flyer: Your custom flyers can contain text, graphics and products of your choosing. Size: 8.5”x11”.

Here’s a step-by-step tutorial on how to create a catalog or flyer.

Ok, sounds good, but what can I actually use these for? This is the most common question we receive and we have a few suggestions for you.

Use during a sales pitch. Have a big sales meeting on the horizon? Create a catalog of the items you’re pitching to present during the meeting and leave it behind for them to look over after the meeting. Take it a step further and add their logo to every product to give them an idea of how the final product will look.  After the meeting, send a follow-up email with the link to the free virtual flip book as a reminder.

New marketing collateral. Use the catalogs and flyers as marketing collateral to promote seasonal deals, specials, and promotions. They’re the perfect hand-out at professional networking events, meetings, and to have displayed in your office. Here are some themes to give you a better idea:

1. Top Trends for 2019
2. Popular Products for (insert holiday or season here)
3. Tech Trends
4. Around the Office
5. New Apparel
6. Hats, Bags, and Accessories

Promote a company store.  Have a company store you need to get the message about out? Create a catalog of the items available in the store and mail them to either the corporate office to hand out or send for you. Or, ask your contact for an email or address list and mail the printed items or email the flip book link in an email campaign directly yourself.

Place a catalog or flyer inside each shipment.  When shipping an order to a client, include a few Inspires, catalogs or flyers in the box. When your customer receives their order, they’ll flip through the catalog and find ideas for their next order.

Use as a direct mail piece. The catalogs and flyers are easy to mail to potential clients and are also a great reminder to existing clients that it’s time to order again.

Upgrade your email signature. Promote your catalog on your email signature by adding the flip book URL link.  Just include a line under your signature that says, “View our top products” and you’ll be surprised how many views (and orders) you receive!

Tips to help you build an effective catalog:

1. Include contact information. Make it easy for the buyers to reach you by having your contact information and order steps prevalent on the piece so they don’t have to go searching. Be sure to include your phone number, email address, and website so they’ll know how to get a hold of you to ask questions or place an order.
2. Include product descriptions. When you select the products from our database, the descriptions will automatically transfer over (along with the pricing information), but make sure to review these descriptions to ensure you’re answering any possible questions the buyer may have. One, it will help sell the product for you and two, it will save you time in the long-haul by not having to answer common questions once it’s reviewed.  Things to include would be: minimum quantities, pricing, product size, color options, and imprint size.
3. Quality images. Make sure the products you select come with quality images. This will help your catalog look top-notch and help the buyer clearly see the product and imprint areas.

Taking the leap to improve your marketing collateral doesn’t have to be time-consuming and expensive. Learn more about The SAGE Print Studio here and place your order. If you don’t have time to create a custom catalog, start off easy with the SAGE Inspire Catalog that’s already ready for you!