It’s a common misconception in the promotional products industry that the best way to reach Millennials, and really the only way to reach modern customers, is by amping up your business’s online presence. In other words, if you build an online persona, the customers will come.

Or so they say.

In reality, printed materials like letterhead and brochures still hold the same oomph they once did — and possibly even more so. Promotional products companies that have dipped back into things such as dimensional mailers sent through the trusty postal service are seeing great returns; sometimes even better than they’re seeing through email and social media marketing.

A recent survey by FedEx Office proved that printed materials are still relevant. The survey asked 800 consumers and small business owners about the power of print and the need for printed materials even among the digital channels of today.

If you still print materials for your small business or help your customers to do so, FedEx’s survey says you’re not alone. Seventy percent of respondents had materials professionally printed in the past year and some are printing even more than they have in the past. A surprising 50 percent of Millennials, which we usually relegate to an online existence, prefer professionally printed materials as well.

The vast majority of respondents (90 percent) said they prefer to read paper rather than digital materials and noted that businesses who send professionally printed materials give the impression that they have a higher quality service to offer. Eighty-five percent of consumers, in fact, said they’re more likely to shop with a company that has great looking printed materials.

So, what’s so special about print, anyway? It’s a combination of things, Anna Kec wrote for Business 2 Community. One of the big perks is that print engages more of the senses. Think of those old scratch-and-sniff stickers. You remember them because they were tactile, usable and, hopefully, smelled good. With a printed marketing piece, you combine your visual message with something someone can actually feel — and if you choose a uniquely textured medium, even better. You also get the great ink smell that comes with quality printed pieces. Print materials also demand your full attention. And they get it, thanks to a digital-free existence that removes pop-up ads, annoying auto-play videos that distract and random text alerts coming in to block what you’re looking at.

Consumers are also increasingly going digitally blind, meaning your ad or email or information may pop up in their mailbox or feed and they just scroll right past it without even realizing what it is. Or, they make a split-second decision that it’s spam, delete and lose it forever. One market research company, Origin, found that 34 percent of Gen Z members had actually already deleted their social media accounts completely and another 64 percent are taking a digital break. These people are your current and future clients. Get offline and meet them on their playing field — the one of tangible marketing materials.

In need of graphic design for your printed business documents and marketing materials or are you trying to help clients brand their companies? Let Idea Custom Solutions design print-ready business cards, letterhead, brochures, flyers and more.