Printed Invitations vs Social Media
Social media invites are certainly convenient. With the amount of time we spend on our phones and computers every day, it’s easy to send and receive these notices instantaneously. However, they don’t work for everyone. Physical, printed invitations have several advantages over digital. Here’s why you should be sending printed invitations for weddings, parties, and events instead of relying on social media alone.
Related: Why Direct Mail Marketing Is Not Dead
Touch Marketing
From the moment a recipient opens the envelope and handles an invitation, they get a lot more information than they would from a purely visual online invite. The combination of sensory details combine to enhance what we call “touch marketing:” using senses to enhance a connection with a product. That connection includes memory and recall. Touch, smell–even the sound the envelope and card make together contribute to memory. Studies prove that consumers who associate visual data with sound, smell, touch, and taste have a higher percentage of recall.
Naturally, social media uses only visual effects, and occasionally sound if an invite includes a video. Paper has that important power over digital-only products. The use of textured paper, MGI finishes like foil or varnish, and heavy paper or cardstock adds even more bang, increasing memory recall. Why not utilize this over yet another tiny, easily-forgotten notification?
Design
Another downside of social media invitations? On a platform, they probably all look the same except for a header image. Unless that header image stands out, along with fantastic copy, it’s likely easily forgotten.
A clever or eye-catching design on any printed invitation ensures it’ll stick around! Great color combinations and design elements entice recipients to hang onto the invitation. This, incidentally, works alongside touch marketing to create a connection with it. That, in turn, makes your recipient feel a connection with your upcoming event, and with you.
Visibility
There’s a reason we still put invitations on the fridge. Among the slew of notifications and information on these websites, it’s easy to double-book or overlook an important event. However, combined with touch marketing and brilliant design, a physical invitation is likelier to stick around, and probably get a spot on a table, note board, or fridge. Unlike invitations that don’t use push notifications, that invitation will remind views every time they pass it.
Related: The Science Behind Touch Marketing
Create personalized, unique invitations for your event or business today! Contact Alexander’s to harness the power of touch marketing for yourself.
