Create better print marketing: Take your brochures and catalogs to the next level with a few simple ideas

Digital marketing has solidified its place in the world; but, if there’s anything the National Auctioneers Association’s annual Marketing Competition tells us, it’s that print marketing is still very much alive and well in the auction industry. Each year, our biggest category for submissions is by far brochures and catalogs. We pile stacks and stacks of them along our ridiculously large boardroom table and put the judges through their paces scoring each and every one. After years of watching judges and tallying scores, we’ve amassed a few tips for reaching that coveted top award level.

Fonts

Fonts are a big deal. Like, a really big deal. Pull out a piece of print marketing you’ve sent out. How many different fonts are there? If there’s more than two, you’re doing something wrong. All you need to effectively market an auction is two fonts. Really!?These fonts should be complementary but contrasting—like a scripty font with a bold sans serif font, or a serif body copy with a blocky headline. Pick those fonts based on the feeling you want to evoke in the person looking at your marketing. Do you want them to take this auction very seriously? Use a classic or traditional font like the ever-versatile Helvetica. Do you want to give off the vibe that it’s more fun and collectible? Use a retro or modern font. Is the auction very nostalgic? Use a font that resembles the period from which you are selling. In any case, let those stand-out fonts be the only font that stands out. Your complementary secondary font should be easy to read but not jump out at the viewer.

Think about standardizing your font sizes as well—this is ultimately part of your brand. What size is your body copy? Make it consistent throughout the whole piece. What size is your headline? Your secondary headlines? If you are familiar with website design, think of it like your H1, H2, H3 styles that are already built in. Having many different sizes of text for the same purpose makes your design muddy.

Font placement is also important. Placing a font directly over a photo is only a good idea if it’s a very blocky, bold font. Otherwise, it will get lost. If you do need to place a less bold text over a photo, try adding a box underneath to give the font something to stand out against. But always consider whether text absolutely needs to be on a photo or if you could put it elsewhere. Photos are showing off your product and the last thing you want to do is detract from the product.

We also need to talk about shadows. For text, unless it’s adding to the stylistic integrity of the font choice, shadows are a last resort. If you’ve tried everything else and still need to make text stand out against the background, add a shadow that is only bold enough to accomplish the goal. Adding hard-edged shadows in white for example, can actually make the font harder to read, or “vibrate” to the eye.

In the end, you want every word to enhance your marketing, not make it too busy. Really break it down to what absolutely needs to be said versus what you could lead the reader to on your website. For instance, do you need to physically list every item in a huge farm auction in a brochure, or can you stick to the most sought-after and send people to your website for more? If they’re hooked by what you do tell them about in print, they’re highly likely to follow through and go to your website—especially if you’re dealing with repeat buyers. Train them in how you want them to consume the information.

Finally, if you are an auctioneer who specializes in one thing, like real estate or heavy equipment, try choosing fonts that represent your brand instead of the item you’re selling. If you have repeat customers, they can easily recognize your marketing simply because of the fonts you use.

Graphics

Professional marketing should never, for any reason, include photos and graphics that are not hi-resolution. Are your images looking pixelated? They’re probably too small. For print, photos and graphics need to be 300dpi resolution. What appears to be a large photo at 72dpi might not be so large when it’s converted to hi-resolution. And you should be converting them. Clear, crisp graphics and photos show your viewers that not only are the products high-quality, but so is your business.

Generally, you can let your photos tell the story. But be sure of the story you want to tell. Are you selling a ton of collectibles and you want to include them all in one four-page brochure? Give the pages some structure and order, otherwise all the hard work of taking the photos and putting them in the marketing could be lost when someone is too overwhelmed to know where to start. If there is no order, they might not start looking at all.

Design and layout

Based on 2022’s NAA Marketing Competition platinum winners, the best designs are simple designs. Design is not about getting as much information as possible onto a few pages. Design is about guiding your viewer through a story. Pick up that piece of marketing you pulled out earlier. What is the first thing your eyes see? That should be the most important piece of information. Is it? Grabbing attention is half the battle in marketing. Your story begins with the first thing the eyes see. Is it a beautiful or memorable photo? Is it the word auction big and bold? Is it a font that conveys the nostalgia or feel of the auction items? This is the element of your design that demands someone view it. To use a fishing analogy, this is the lure. Bright and shiny on the line. But what if nothing stands out? What if your eyes don’t know where to go? Then your viewer will be overwhelmed and will likely not engage with your marketing materials.

Once you have your audience’s attention, you really need to start telling the story. What do you want to tell them first? This is a prime opportunity to tell viewers what is so special about the item(s) you are selling. But keep it brief. This is your first bite.??Then, you want to keep their attention. Where can their eyes go next for even more information? If they’re still looking at your marketing, they like what they’ve seen so far. This is the opportunity to give them more details about the item(s) for sale and the auction itself. Don’t go full-on terms and conditions just yet, but make sure they know the most important legal items. Again, keep it brief. They know the bait is tasty now, and worth the bite. Once you’ve given all the relevant information in brief form, the last step is to get them to take action.

Many times, you literally have to spell out what action you want them to take next. Do you want them to mark their calendar? Do you want them to go to your website to preview the auction? Do you want them to register to bid? Do you invite them to a physical preview/inspection? Do you want them to sign up for an email list? Whatever that action is, make it clear and leave it until the end. This is the hook used to reel them in. Make it a strong, almost effortless hook.

In the grand scheme of layout and design, you want each page to tell a continuous story through text, photos, graphics, etc. You very literally want to think about taking their eyes from one part of the page to the next, and then on to the next page, and the next.?One way to start this process is by making a list of all the information you want to put in a catalog or brochure. Cut out one-third of that information. Then, make a priority list from the most important on down. Think about what differentiates you from competitors outside the auction industry. It’s probably the word auction. Is that your top priority item? Could be. Think about what you personally care about as a consumer. Use that information to educate your list.

Your list is also determined by the caliber of information you have. Do you have awesome photos? Feature them. Do you have purely informational photos? Play up the fonts and graphics. Once you have selected the order of priority items, it’s time to lay them out in that order. But that does not just mean in page order, it means in that order of how the eyes see them.

When laying out print materials, one of the most important things to remember is to simplify. It’s not just messaging that needs to be simplified—it’s all the elements on the page. For example, if you pick up that marketing material again, do you have a photo with an overlaid box, and that box has a shadow? On top of that box is there colored text with a different colored outline and also a shadow under the text? It’s difficult to even explain all of that, imagine your eyes looking at it. You do not need all of those elements. Make the font so it stands on its own or make a simple element under it to add contrast. Don’t add six elements just because you can. Outlined letters can also look dated, so it’s just best to avoid them unless it’s a specific stylistic choice.?Simple elements can be carried through designs to add repetition and cohesion to your entire marketing piece, or even your entire brand. Only add elements that enhance the story you are telling. Remove the ones that add nothing to the story. And ensure that however many elements you have, they are complementary, not competing. Now let’s talk about colors.

This point needs to be loud and clear: You do not need to use bright neon yellow in your marketing. When marketing competition judges see bright yellow, it tells them that you don’t know how to make elements stand out, so you just make them all bright. Garish yellow is doing nothing for your marketing but making it look outdated.?You can go two ways with colors—choose colors that represent your brand or choose colors that complement the marketing piece and the items being sold. If you choose brand colors, these need to be consistent across all your marketing platforms. If you choose to make colors match the auction items, just be sure that your logo and business branding still stand out prominently. After all, you want them to remember and recognize your name.

Next, think about space. No, not Jupiter and Saturn, and whatever is beyond that. Think about adding open space to your marketing. If you remember nothing else from this article, remember that you do not have to fill every available space with information. In fact, we highly discourage it. Leave space around the edges, leave space between elements. Make that space consistent. Running text too close to photos or other text is not eye appealing. It is eye discouraging. Along with this, consider alignment in everything you design or have designed. Elements that are misaligned are a definite eyesore and completely unnecessary!?

Interaction

We’ve talked about giving your audience an action to take, but the last idea we want you to consider is the physical interaction with your piece of marketing. We do not take brochure and catalog submissions digitally because often, the paper itself is part of the appeal. Some brochures and catalogs that come into our office for the Marketing Competition feature paper so soft, you can’t stop touching it. Others have interesting cut-outs, embossing, or debossing. Talk to your printer to view all the options available. While they cost a bit more, they are a true level-up for your marketing game.

Your brochures and catalogs represent your business, but they also represent the auction industry as a whole. Making small changes to modernize your print marketing fights against stereotypes and increases the legitimacy of the auction industry and the auction method of marketing.

This article was written by the National Auctioneers Association's Director of Marketing and Communications, Erin Shipps .

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