With the inextricable link between stationery and greeting cards growing ever stronger, the gift, as well as the card industry, is being encouraged to get on board with National Stationery Week this year.
With NSW running from Monday to Saturday, 13-19 May, there are plenty of ways for gift and greeting card retailers and publishers to get involved, with the initiative’s ambassador, Sarah Laker, suggesting some great ideas.
Sarah, who owns Stationery Supplies shops in Marple and Wilmslow, is determined to show how a love of writing and sending cards chimes with NSW, and its daily hashtags can be used encourage customer participation.
“Talk about NSW on social media, and why writing and the sending of cards is important,” Sarah explained. “Ask your most fervent card-sending customers to tell you what they love about cards, maybe get a photo of them with their latest card purchases, or video them choosing cards and talking about why they send cards.”
Alongside its broad card offer, publisher Ohh Deer has a large range of notebooks and stationery and has stepped up to join the daily sponsors with #StationeryTakeaway as the tag for its event on the Saturday.
Managing director Mark Callaby commented: “We’re really excited to support National Stationery Week this year! Stationery is loved by so many people, including ourselves, and it keeps prevailing against digital replacements because nothing can replace the feeling of using a nice pen in your favourite notebook.”
For the other hashtags, Maped Helix kicks off the week with #MindfulMonday, Pentel has #PassionForPens on Tuesday, it’s #MultiCreative for Staedtler on Wednesday, and #ItFeelsGood with Zebra on Friday.
Sarah added: “I’m really excited about the hashtags as they give a lot of scope for everyone to join in. A lot of people will do their own take on NSW and will use the daily hashtags as prompts for their own activities.I can imagine all sorts of creativeness happening up and down the county which embodies what NSW is all about.”
She’s hoping all gift and greeting card retailers will follow National Stationery Week on Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn, sharing posts and encouraging their own followers to get involved in the competitions and countdown, with The Art File one of the sponsors.
Sarah’s other suggestions include:
- Share your favourite publishers, talk about where they are based, who they are, that their cards are designed and printed in the UK etc
- Talk about what stationery you sell, what its uses are. Don’t forget coasters! Everyone has one on their desk. Ask followers what’s their favourite stationery item. Do they have to buy their favourite pen in all the ink colours?
- Use the seven days of stationery hashtags as prompts each day to share something about your shop, your stationery or card selections, or run a different special offer or giveaways each day of the week.
- Plan an activity to run during NSW – maybe a calligraphy event, present wrapping, design a card/letter writing/short story/poetry/handwriting/colouring competition. Ask one of the publishers you stock to support this with a prize.
- Tag NSW in any initiatives or posts that you do and use the hashtags #NatStatWeek #WritingMatters #LoveStationery
- Use old stock to make up mystery bags – either sell them for charity or leave around your town as random acts of kindness. Be sure to include a money off voucher for your shop plus all your social media handles and the NSW logo and hashtags.
- Consider a NSW window display to advertise what you’re doing during the week.
National Stationery Week runs over Monday to Saturday, 13-19 May, with the London Stationery Show taking place on Tuesday and Wednesday, 14-15 May.Both events are owned by Progressive Greetings and PG Buzz owner Max Publishing, along with StationeryNews.net and Stationery Matters.
To find out more about advertising and sponsorship opportunities contact sales manager Chantelle White on chantellew@max-publishing.co.uk or 07795 951244.
To subscribe to StationeryNews.net click here, and to register to visit the London Stationery Show click here.
Top: A display of journals at last year’s London Stationery Show.
