The 50 Best Tips of 2008

Tired of reading about what a tough year it’s been for so many businesses across the board? Frustrated with your own results? Scared about the economy? Whether or not you’re struggling as much as others, here’s a little tonic: our annual best-of feature, in which we’ve pulled what we believe to be the 50 best and most implementable tips of the year from Catalog Success magazine as well as our weekly e-newsletter, Tactics & Tips.
There’s nothing fancy here. Each paragraph is taken from a particular story that’s referenced, so you can turn or click back to reread the full story or act on it right now without further adieu. They’re categorized and listed by number, but No. 50 is just as worthwhile as No. 1. None of these tips have become outdated in the weeks or months since we first ran them. So I urge you to read through all of them, and hopefully, you’ll come up with some new winning formulas.
— Paul Miller, Editor-in-Chief

CATALOG/MULTICHANNEL MARKETING

1. Execute ‘mail/holdout’ tests.
One group receives the catalog, one does not. After 12 weeks, tabulate sales results from the mail, phone and online channels. By subtracting the holdout group from the mailed group, you can identify the “incremental” difference.
Kevin Hillstrom, MineThatData
“A CEO’s Guide To Catalog Circulation ’08,”
Jan. 9, Catalog Success: Tactics & Tips

2. Attention to analytics.
Listen to customers closely. Watch your key coding and analytics carefully. And while you may love the look and feel of a certain item, if you’ve tested it and the numbers don’t pan out, move on.
Greg Berglund, Mrs. Fields Gifts
“Back in the Dough,”
January, Catalog Success

3. Beyond your core audience.
Focus harder on selling to your marginal audience, not just your core. Make it easier for fence-sitters to buy from you. You’ll get higher response rates, higher growth and higher profits using a Simplified Audience Pyramid consisting of super core (wild enthusiasts), core (moderate enthusiasts), maybe (interested
but lazy) and forget-its (not at all interested).
Susan McIntyre, McIntyre Direct
Catalog Doctor column, “Vitamin Maybe: A prescription for stronger response rates,”
March, Catalog Success