A famous saying goes, “a pen and a written word hold a great deal of power”. This line sums up the importance of things that are handwritten. We still use phrases like “give something in writing”. Writing on paper has always been considered as a promise of something very legit. Besides, physical stationery has the power to connect with people deeper than any digital tool.
In the digital era, it is hard to believe that people still use and connect with stationery. All around us we see a deluge of digital equipment replacing physical stationery. The physical pen has been replaced by a stylus. The letterheads have gone digital. Even contracts and agreements are signed online using digital signatures. Why in this digital era are we talking about the importance of branded stationery?
A personalized approach to reaching the buyer
We are discussing the worth of branded stationery because we really think it is worth it. It is absolutely worth investing in printing branded stationery for your organisation. Let us try to understand this with an example of how handwritten and physical stationery still holds its place.
Imagine the emotions of a person who has received a handwritten thank you from someone very important. Compare this with a quick text message saying “thnx” in digital lingo. There is no doubt that the digital medium has conveyed the message much faster and to the right person. But maybe there is a better way to do it that still exists in the physical world.
There are many other examples that showcase that to touch and feel something physically can have an altogether different experience than scrolling the pages of a file. A physical photo album is another great example. Or turning the page of your old scrapbook is a very personal and emotional experience altogether. That is the reason many smart companies are leveraging this medium of pen and paper to tap the need to experience something that is physical and concrete.
A profitable business proposition
As per research, the global stationery and cards market is expected to post a CAGR of over 4% during the period 2018-2022. This means there is a clear demand in the market for branded letterheads, business cards or writing instruments. We can safely say that traditional stationery will still thrive in the digital market in the coming years.
In fact, some statistics reveal, revenue is expected to show an annual growth rate (CAGR 2019-2023) of 9.0%, resulting in a market volume of US$74,822m by 2023. These trends clearly suggest that people will use branded stationery in future. It, therefore, makes complete business sense to invest in well-designed branded stationery. Maybe a bulk of business cards printed for a sales meeting can get you a better ROI than a social media post. We can never be sure how successful a particular medium of communication can be for a particular product or service. Therefore it is advisable to put your eggs in different baskets and distribute your promotional efforts across different mediums including branded stationery.
A perfect brand recognition strategy
When you send your customers a direct mailer sealed in a branded envelope, you immediately cut the clutter of thousands of emails that stay unread in an inbox. Receiving a letter through snail mail may sound old school but it can be a smart way to get the attention of your prospective customer. There is an urgency to open and read a letter that is hand-delivered to your house. It bears your name and address and therefore is much more personalised and direct.
The brand recall value of physical stationery or mailers is also high. Your customers who receive physical letters hold them in their hands, read them and decide to either retain or dispose of them. The chances of them recalling the brand increases because they have engaged in multiple levels of activities with your brand. Next time if your company calls them, they would recognise you and might even speak with you unlike the case with a cold call.
A protected and secure method
A lot of companies still trust the age-old and primitive method of writing down sensitive information on a piece of paper rather than putting it on the internet. Everything is so easily hackable these days. A critical information piece neatly written on a company letterhead, carefully sealed in a company branded envelope and neatly filed is a sure-fire way of keeping your secret document protected all the time. Not just companies but even government officials and politicians are going back to using a few traditional methods like using typewriter or pen and paper to preserve sensitive information.
Relevant to different customers
Millennials are developing digital fatigue staring at the laptop screen and scrolling pages throughout the day. There is a need to offer them something they can hold in their hands, read while lying down or is more tangible and concrete.
Companies who want to succeed in the future have to understand the needs and behaviour patterns of the next generation and address the underlying need before someone else does. So there might be higher chances that stationery is on its way back from being considered as obsolete to something very personal and trendy.
Conclusion
A prudent marketing professional should not underestimate the power of branded stationery. You never know when the humble business card may become the most powerful tool for communication.
As far as the discussion of stationery becoming obsolete in the digital world is considered, we believe every medium revamps itself at regular intervals. The digital world is as merciless to its own gadgets like the floppies and CDs which have become redundant. That is the case with all communication mediums. New techniques and technologies always keep coming up and there is a sudden liking for it. That should not be misunderstood as a permanent change but can also be just a trend.
Stationery runs deep in our culture. Remember, the first prized possession for a school going child is his pencil box full of stationery items. People associate stationery with tools that equip them to achieve something meaningful in life. In our view, there is something very comforting about the crackling of a paper and the smell of the ink that can never be replicated by a click on the document. So if you are a start-up or a large enterprise, it may be time to pen down stationery branding as one of the key elements in the list of things you do to create a strong brand identity.