Don’t make the mistake of thinking that a USP has to be dramatic. You might not have a brand-new, patented and brain-sizzling product. Your USP could simply be that the product is superior in terms of quality, delivery, value, variety, or just better selling more than your competitors’ versions.

Essentially, the USP tells the reader why they should buy from you and nobody else. Setting it out clearly makes for positively inspiring copy.

Features and Benefits

Not the same thing. A car that recently caught my eye is advertised as ‘190 BHP’, which could be 190 big huge parts for all I know. What I want to know, as a customer, is what the features mean to me. Indeed, if the advert said ‘You’ll definitely beat a convertible off the lights in this car’, I’d buy one on the spot.

If you’re writing a substantial piece of sales blurb for one product, maybe a featured highlight in the catalogue, it’s worth drawing up a list of features and translating them into benefits before you start. Here are some examples:

• Comes in a range of colours (feature)
• Colour-coordinate with your outfit, internal scheme or personality! (benefit)
• Made with organic ingredients (feature)
• Organic ingredients preserve the nutritional value! (benefit)

Tricks of the Trade

Here are some easy ways to make your catalogue sparkle…

1 Add a flash

The front cover is your only chance to get the reader to open up and start reading. Add an attention-grabbing flash like ‘new products!’ or ‘40% summer sale!’

2. Re-think the shape

Sizes just under A4 or A5 usually don’t cost any extra to print. A different size or shape makes your catalogue stand out from others. It’s a chance for you to be creative and excite your readers. (by the way, it also looks as though you’ve spent more on it!)

3. Add value with features

How about using a page or two to insert a feature, reference table or other information? If you get it right, it could make the difference between a reader filing and binning the catalogue. Do you have any expert contacts who can write an interesting article, or can you add some recipes, gardening tips, customer’s letters (see www.iwoot.com for a successful example)?