It’s that time of year again – time to start marketing for the upcoming breeding season. You’ve spent a great amount of time and effort producing, raising and developing quality bulls and females to offer potential clients; but, have you thought about the best way to convey their value, tell your story and catch a buyer’s attention? Distributing a sale catalog can be your all-in-one solution! Sale catalogs do the heavy lifting for you, getting your operation and story out to the industry, showcasing your offering and allowing buyers to research and prepare ahead of sale time, all while serving as a physical reminder of when your sale is going to take place.
Showcase Your Operation – Tell Your Story
It’s no secret, first impressions are important and today more than ever, consumers are interested in your story – fellow ranchers included. When creating a sale catalog, you are able to showcase what makes your operation great. While advertising in breed publications and online sources can be highly effective, producing a sale catalog opens a world of opportunity to include a wide variety of information that wouldn’t necessarily fit on a one- or two-page ad. From your operation’s history to your development strategies, having the space available to expand on what sets you apart from the rest provides potential buyers with insight into what they can expect from their investment. A well-designed sale catalog also demonstrates your dedication to quality, taking pride in and honoring the time and dedication you put into your operation and offering.
Showcase Your Offering – Catch Their Eye
A sale catalog is not only a great way to showcase what sets your operation apart, but also allows you to display your entire offering all in one place. With a seemingly endless number of ads and catalogs passing in front of potential buyers, you need something to catch their eye, making them stop and look deeper. Including high-quality photos of animals being offered provides a visual representation of your quality genetics. A sale catalog will also include information on every animal for sale; someone may find an animal that suits their needs perfectly that wasn’t necessarily featured in an advertisement. Developing a summary page is also an option to draw attention. Summarizing the quality of your offering by reporting information such as: “X% of bulls ranking in the top 30% for weaning weight,” allows your offering to stand out from the competitors.
Improve Sale Day Success – Buyer Preparedness
A sale catalog is the ultimate resource for buyers, providing invaluable information for their decision-making process. By offering the opportunity to study-up on what animals will best fit their operations in advance, buyers will arrive on sale day feeling prepared and confident in their bidding decisions. When buyers are able to research their options ahead of time, they can come to the sale with questions and a game-plan for which animals to view in person prior to the sale. This results in improved sale-day success for you because the buyer’s ability to feel confident in their decisions is not only a direct reflection on your overall customer service but also a factor in determining a repeat customer.
Reach a Wider Audience – Direct Mail and Online Publishing
Once your sale catalog is designed, it can be distributed to a wide audience, both physically and digitally. Curating a direct mailing list is a great way to get the word out. Starting with members of your respective breed association is a good starting point; however, having the ability to also publish your catalog through online resources opens the opportunity for reaching an even wider audience of potential buyers throughout the industry.
As a bonus – after previewing your catalog online, interested buyers will likely request a physical copy of the catalog, adding to your future mailing list and ensuring the money you invest on postage is well spent.
Stay Top-of-Mind – Visual Reminder
As potential buyers begin their search for sales to attend this year, they begin cultivating a list of sale dates and operations to look into. Those that are top-of-mind, whether through word of mouth or recent exposure, are more likely to convert into attendees and buyers. Having a sale catalog in the hands of potential buyers is a great “save the date,” serving as a visual reminder of your event.
Creating a sale catalog provides you with the opportunity to tell your story and showcase your sale offering in greater detail than just a flyer or advertisement. Not only can you provide all the information buyers need to research their options ahead of time, but you also have the opportunity to reach a wider audience and build your mailing list for future events through online publishing. Keep in mind – your sale catalog directly reflects you and your operation. A well-designed catalog is an invaluable asset when marketing your cattle.
There’s no doubt sale catalogs work. If you need help making a sale catalog work for you, contact our team at BluePrint Media.
To see sale catalogs BluePrint has produced, read our Outbound Marketing Case Study.
Emily grew up in rural Connecticut with a passion for agriculture. She attended Texas A&M University where she earned a bachelor’s degree in animal science and a master’s degree in ruminant nutrition. Emily has joined the BluePrint team as a designer and feature writer after previously working in feed sales and as the marketing manager for a large ranching operation in central Texas. Emily and her husband look forward to raising their family in the agricultural community they both love.
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