Catalogs are the most important cornerstone of a marketing plan for selling to libraries and educational institutions. They last for several years because the customer and prospect keeps them for reference. A good catalog will do more to bolster sales than any other form of direct marketing. So, round up a few colleagues (and customers!) and have a brain-storming and critique session on your last catalog. Collect samples from your competition. Use these 10 ideas for a start and add to the list:

1. Highlight Your Winners -- Not Your Losers. More sales are made by giving more space to your best sellers rather than to try to bolster sales of your losers. Put your winning products in the front of the catalog -- and please, don't use the word backlist! Call them "Best Sellers" or "Educator’s Favorites".

2. Keep the Copy Short and to the Point. If you have strong headlines and opening copy, you don't need 500 words to explain the product. Limit your descriptive copy to 3-4 sentences. Use extra space for photos, captions, premiums, ordering incentives, etc.

3. A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words. Even if you have a catalog in black and white or two color, use photographs to break up the copy and give you an interesting, readable page format. Try tints and screens for an inexpensive unusual approach.

4. Captions Draw Attention. Captions are an important tool for the reader to understand your visuals. Use captions to demonstrate the benefits of your products.

5. Use Premiums to Encourage Timely Action. Everyone wants something for nothing -- so appeal to this human trait by offering your customers something free -- just for responding by a certain date.

6. Emphasize Benefits -- not Features. What can the product do for the user. Copy stressing benefits will outsell copy stressing features every time.

7. Use Discounts to Encourage Higher Dollar Orders. Group your products together into "series" to encourage your customers to buy more. Offer these series at a savings -- or use price off coupons geared to various total dollar order amounts.

8. Sell on your Back Cover. The back cover is a key selling area. Highlight your new products, your best sellers, or award winners. Be sure to reference page numbers for "more information".

9. Improve Your Front Cover. Be sure the following words are on your front cover: Date (Spring, Fall, 1999, etc.), Inside: (what to look for), New, Free, and type of product (CD-ROM’s, Books, Software, etc.).

10. Track Your Response. Since so many orders are received on purchase orders, simply coding your label isn't enough to track response. The best way to do this is to code each product in the catalog with a number or letter and to change this for each marketing effort.