If your company has reached the point where you feel a product catalog will help you serve your customers better, we've got a few tips for you to help you put together a great one.

The Mockup.

When you have an idea of hoe many products you have to sell, start creating some sample pages, either in a software program such as (Quark Xpress or Adobe Indesign) or by merely sketching them out on the size of paper you intend to use. Put the pages together and put words like "cover" and "table of contents," etc., on the sheets where you envision these going. This is a great way to help you start to envision your catalog as a complete, real-world object.

You should also start to sketch out individual product pages. When you are doing this, you will want to make sure there is enough room for fairly high resolution photos and enough copy to do just the right amount of selling. In order to break up the monotony, you will want to feature some products more than others, giving them, for example, a two page spread, or a model shot, etc. Now is the time to start deciding these things, and to start strategically planning how best to display your products for the singular art of catalog sales.

The Copy.

There is an art to writing copy for catalogs, and it's far too detailed to properly explain here. You have to use enough space to make the case for the product without taking up too much space - a fine line indeed. If you feel like this task is more than you can handle, keep in mind that there are plenty of professionals out there who are more than capable. Just look around online for someone whose work you admire.

In order to make your catalog as entertaining as possible, you might want to include such things as testimonials, lots of graphics, story sidebars and special offers. These are the type of things that keep you reader's eyes on the page. Another thing to consider might be an opening letter from the company president.

The Cover.

There are no hard and fast rules here except for one: make them want to open it. Make your photographs include a person or people living the good life with your product. Also hint or "tease" with special offers and the like. There are so many things vying for the attention to the average consumer these days, so you want to do everything you can to make sure you pique their interest and keep it as long as possible.

The Order Form.

Do not take this lightly! There are too many things to take into account when you are putting together an order form. For instance, you want to make sure that it is clear what sort of payments you accept, how to order more than one of a given product, how to calculate sales tax, and different shipping options. One good solution? Find a good example from one of the big boys and crib from it.

Print and Bind It.

Glossy? Semi-Glossy? Go down to your local printer and take a look at your options. Remember that pages that are too glossy can be difficult to read in some kinds of light. As far as binding, a lot of companies just go for normal two-staple saddle stitch, but more and more are finding that plastic comb or spiral coil bound catalogs tend to hang around the customer's house longer before they find the recycle bin.