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How to Easily Design Effective Content with a Product Catalog Template

Table of Contents

What is a product catalog and does your business need one? A product catalog lists all of your available products and services in a concise format so that it’s quickly accessible and easy to understand. It is a very effective tool for your business and sales team. Creating a completely branded catalog that is effective can seem overwhelming if you do not have the right publishing platform. After all, this type of content makes a huge difference in terms of sales and ROI. Read on to learn more about catalog template types and how to design a branded catalog by selecting the right product catalog template.

Formats

Before delving into the creation and design aspect, first, we will discuss the different catalog formats:

Print – Printed marketing collateral is still the most popular way to create and distribute a product catalog. However, printing has some limitations, especially related to audience reach. It is also expensive to utilize paper and distribute the catalogs to your customers.

PDFs –  You can easily create a catalog through Adobe Acrobat and publish it into a PDF. While PDFs are popular due to reliability, they are static and lack interactivity. They have a limited scope of functionality and are not always available to all users.

Digital – Digital catalogs are user-friendly, easy to share, increase audience reach, and are optimized across all devices. Users can access them on a smartphone, tablet, or computer and unlike print, digital catalogs can be easily updated or edited. They also allow for increased interactivity which boosts engagement. Lastly, they are cheaper to create and produce. Also, you can create and select a product catalog template with no specific technical skills needed.

Digital Catalog Types

When you are finally ready to create your catalog template, it is helpful to organize the information and content so that customers can easily flip through and understand it. You will need to consider several elements when designing your catalog. For example, arrange similar products together and any accessories so that users can quickly find all that they need. You will also want to consider setting up a supply order form, wish list, or eCommerce site and connecting it to your catalog to make efficient use of shopping and browsing within the catalogs.

Supply catalogs – When designing a supply catalog, keep in mind that it serves B2B (business to business) relationships. Supply catalogs are a tool to sell products or services to other businesses and your customers. This type of product catalog template contains details about the products, item numbers, pricing, and other specifications. You can also include images and video or audio clips to help clients make their selections. 

Retail catalogs primarily direct their products to B2C (business to consumer) relationships.  The crucial elements of design here are to wow the customer and capture their attention. To do this, make sure to use high-quality images and follow basic design principles of contrast and juxtaposition to create that “wow” factor. GIF images and links help users connect to your products and notice the important information.

Digital collateral catalogs – Digital collateral falls under marketing for brochures, inserts, and more. Having digital catalogs that work in tandem with your paper catalogs makes it easier for your clients to check out your products and services. They can download the digital catalog if needed, they can access it from a smartphone or tablet, and you can send it to them at the click of a button. You can also share this content on social media and encourage your clients to browse and checkout directly from the catalog itself, in the convenience of their own homes. 

How To Design a Branded Digital Catalog 

Now that you know the types of catalog templates and formats, you can put it all together to create your own branded digital catalog. Once you have gathered your content, you can utilize an editable product catalog template, giving you unique options and variations to easily make a digital catalog. 

To make the catalog, gather all of the product information and images. It also wouldn’t hurt to do some research and view samples of digital product catalogs that you have noticed. Take notes on features that stand out to you or that you like as a consumer. Product catalogs that are the most successful are those that provide a  clear understanding of what they offer. When it comes to arranging the design of the catalog, create a front and back cover, add an index or a table of contents, the structure clearly defined sections, and write out product pages with descriptions. 

Organize the layout of the catalog’s sections and test it to make sure it has a readable format and flow. If you plan to offer advertising to promote other businesses, you will want to have an advertising section or leave room throughout the catalog to incorporate the ads. When you have assembled your data source, upload it into a PDF creator. From there, choose from a product catalog template that is easily adaptable to fit your digital catalog’s needs. With some PDF creators, you may have a choice to either design the template from scratch or to upload your PDF pages and create it that way.  It’s the quickest way to create the catalog layout and keep brand consistency.

Wrapping Up

It may seem intimidating at first, but designing an effective product catalog just takes a little practice. Carefully consider the different types of marketing collateral that will work for you. Observe features of other product catalogs that appeal to you and utilize these elements within your collection. With amazing digital publishing platforms available, you can choose from customizable product catalog template designs and build a powerful B2B brand. Create your digital catalog version in minutes and quickly distribute it for all your business associates and customers to use.

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