While the deadline to order your Holiday Catalogs is June 15, if you want to take advantage of the direct or saturation mail options, you have to start your order by June 1. These are hard deadlines, and no extra catalogs will be printed, so if you don't place your order in time, you will have missed the opportunity for this year.

Bookstores usually think of the catalogs as things to be stuffed into bags at the counter, or sent out to the store mailing list, or perhaps put into the newspaper that goes out for Thanksgiving weekend. But there are many other creative ways to use the catalog to increase store visibility, traffic, and sales.

Five things to try:

1. Stores with bookmobiles or who do pop up locations can use saturation mail to target the areas they will be servicing. Put a QR code in your imprint area* that links to your location schedule online.
   
   
2. Make a trade with compatible local businesses. Hand out their coffee shop coupons in exchange for them giving out your catalog. Work with your local business alliance or Main Street organization and make your catalog a part of their Shop Local campaigns.
   
   
3. Use the catalog to promote your store as a vital business to your local government officials. Add it to the promotional packet you create to give to city council members, school board officials, or chamber of commerce representatives. Send copies to all your local elected officials.
   
   
4. Integrate the catalog into your fundraising efforts. If your store normally raises money or collects donations for a local cause during the holidays, the imprint area on the catalog can be used to promote these efforts. The organization you are working with can also distribute catalogs on your behalf as part of the campaign.
   
   
5. Use the catalog to bring people to your social media community. By including your Instagram or TikTok handle with a note to find more Web-exclusive sales, gifts, fun and games you can cross-promote between your catalogs, in-store displays, and online social media, and generate excitement about your store in both the real and the virtual world.

Visit RAMP to start your store order.

*Did you know? SIBA subsidizes $40 of your imprint cost.