Print, Forestry, and the Impact of Paper

In 2017, print remains a viable and valuable context for the delivery of your message or promotion. As a strategically planned pairing to your digital content marketing, print collateral and publications will serve as the now-novel piece that you place in your audiences’ hands, and it may just be the disruptive marketing tactic that stands out notably from the digital information landscape.

Print has taken a hit in popularity over the past several decades, but let’s face it, the weight of popularity is not always anchored in truth.

As you’re contemplating the use of print—not as a one or the other solution, but as an ingredient in a calculated, strategically directed content plan—let’s just look at a few facts:

There are 20% more trees in the United States today than on Earth Day 40 years ago.
According to the Data and Marketing Association (DMA)

The North American Paper Industry plants 1.7 million trees per day—more than it cuts.
According to the Data and Marketing Association (DMA)

More than 51 million tons of paper were recovered from recycling in 2015—enough to fill the Empire State Building 124 times.
According to the American Forest & Paper Association

Globally, only 17% of cut forest trees are used by the paper industry.
According to the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI)

In an age of maximized convenience and information demanded instantaneously, print is viewed as clunky or cumbersome. But measure this thinking against the engagement factor. Are you engaging your readership, and for how long?

Print is 59% more engaging for users than online articles.
According to a survey conducted by Ball State University

There is a place and time for reading in print, and there are audiences who will remain connected and interested longer when they are holding a physical, dimensional piece in-hand. Content strategy is a recipe that outlines how your information and messaging will be parsed out across platforms and channels, in long and short form, delivered as written, live, and recorded concepts; all done in a way that best supports the way your desired audience consumes information. You’ll want to approach your ground-up strategy in an inclusive manner, welcoming all participants first, before eliminating or scaling those deemed ineffective content assets for your unique audience. And if you’re still uncertain about how your print orders are impacting the environment …

“To address climate change, we must use more wood, not less. Using wood sends signals to the marketplace to grow more trees.”
— Dr. Patrick Moore, Greenpeace co-founder