The Power of Handwritten Mail

Whenever traveling far from home, there are two rituals I follow on the way home.

I always buy a magnet from where I visited to put on my fridge.

And I send out a couple of postcards to family or friends.

Last week, before I started heading back to the airport from PRINTING United, I double checked that I had the cards ready to go. Disney and palm trees for my dad and sister, and a few cool embellished postcards by Konica Minolta on Sappi paper for some marketers who couldn’t make it to the expo this year.

A small stack of mail awaited me on the coffee table when I got back, the usual mix of bills, appeals, magazines, and circulars. But standing out to me was a “PENNSYLVANIA VOTES” postcard with a vintage look. You probably know what I’m talking about: retro big block type and images from places of interest inside the letters.

On the address side, a live postcard stamp. The message, from a political campaign, reminds people to vote in next week’s elections. Nothing too different there. But the handwriting tactic, while it’s not also not new, hit me in a new way after my trip.

Whether it’s by robots or actual human beings employed by a service, handwriting stands out in the mailbox. It cuts through the clutter in digital channels that are saturated with election messages even in an off-year because it’s ink on paper. It’s imperfect, uneven, maybe smudged here or there, but it feels simple and sincere.

A well-timed handwritten postcard or letter mailed in an envelope feels like it came from a real person, not a campaign office. Like saying “wishing you were here,” being more human gets the attention of your recipient because of those touches.

Think about how you can get a head start for next year’s elections. Reach out to local campaigns, volunteer groups, or nonprofits and offer ideas that are low-cost, but maybe high-impact. Show them you can produce something as a memorable alternative or supplement to a conventional mass mail piece.

Here are some examples:

• Small runs of picture postcards that leave room for a handwritten note
• Personal-looking envelopes, with textured paper, live stamps, and a handwritten address
• Start small by targeting specific segments of voters

It’s all about creating a tangible connection that builds trust. Isn’t that being human?

The preceding content was provided by a contributor unaffiliated with Printing Impressions. The views expressed within may not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of the staff of Printing Impressions. Artificial Intelligence may have been used in part to create or edit this content.