As we’re increasingly bombarded by an array of electronic communications such as email, Facebook and Twitter, you should consider making a deeper impression on your clients through the old-fashioned gesture of a handwritten note. The beauty of ink on paper is that it’s not mass-produced and its effects will never be diminished by overabundance.

Handwritten letters strengthen relationships, says Duncan MacPherson, co-CEO of Kelowna, B.C.-based Pareto Systems Inc. , marketing consultants to the financial services industry. Such notes are lasting, individually tailored and creative. When a financial advisor takes the time to write a note by hand, it says a lot about thoughtfulness, attention to detail and values.

“The more technology creeps into our lives, the greater the impact the personal touch can have,” MacPherson says. “A handwritten note is a supplement to other communication tools that advisors use to stay in touch with clients. It makes a greater impression and has a longer shelf life.”

The ease and efficiency of email is driving its volume but weakening its impact, and many clients suffer from information overload. An electronic greeting card that your client knows is sent to everyone on your email list can hardly be considered special.

A number of occasions and achievements lend themselves to the writing of a personal note, including a client’s birthday, a promotion, the purchase of a new home or the birth of a baby. Notes can be used to express gratitude, condolences, congratulations or simply to explain a portfolio recommendation or deliver a piece of interesting information.

Elizabeth Hoyle, president of H2 Central Marketing & Communicationsin Toronto, often uses handwritten notes to communicate with colleagues and clients, believing such notes are valuable in forging connections. A note creates the meaningful interaction that people crave, she says. Recipients often keep and reread letters, sometimes treasuring them for years.

“A handwritten note is a bit of a lost form,” Hoyle says, “and the lost form is an art. Appreciation never goes out of style.”

Hoyle points to research by John M. Wolf, president of Lifelong Learning Partners in Florida, which shows that auditory communication is the most effective with 10% of the population, visual works best for 40%-45% and tactile and kinesthetic methods for 40%-45%. Receiving a letter or note is both a tactile and a visual experience, so it resonates with most people. And a card is usually kept around for a longer time than an email, and may be displayed. This, Hoyle says, creates more involvement and engagement with the recipient.

Peter Laywine, owner of Laywine’s Pens & Organizers, a retail boutique in Toronto’s upscale Yorkville district, says a handwritten note is the opposite of the shotgun approach. Not only is a note personal, he says, it’s also more private. Such notes are sent in a sealed envelope, and the sender doesn’t have to worry that the message is floating around in cyberspace.

“Everybody loves opening up the mailbox and the surprise of getting a handwritten note — it’s like a gift,” Laywine says. “The person writing the letter has done something personal and out of the ordinary, and that makes people feel important.”

Writing a note can be a pleasure for the writer as well, Laywine says. A stylish pen, good stationery or an attractive card and the colour of the ink are all part of the writing experience. Many of Laywine’s customers who use fountain pens have a signature colour of ink that distinguishes their correspondence. And taking pen in hand and writing on paper is a more reflective act than typing on a computer keyboard. Some people find that it is easier to clarify their thoughts when they put pen to paper.

“Writing by hand it tends to be a thoughtful and deliberate process,” Laywine says. “You can’t just hit the ‘delete’ button; you need to think more carefully about the choice of words and there’s no spellcheck. [The act of writing on paper] requires a level of respect and diligence.”

A handwritten note must be distinctive, MacPherson says. The envelope must stand out from the bills and business correspondence in clients’ mailboxes, and the card or paper must be high-quality. The writing must be neat; an address done in a special script can be eye-catching. Correct grammar and spelling are essential. The message should reinforce the personal relationship by alluding to something in the client’s life, even if the note has a business purpose, such as thanking a client for a referral or welcoming a new client.

In writing the personal part, MacPherson suggests, try something connected to what he calls FORM — family, occupation, recreation or money — which are the important things in a client’s life.

“Look for ways to connect and create chemistry,” he says. “A lot of advisors ‘spray and pray’ by sending out a bunch of emails. But if you touch on the things that are important to an individual client, you can stop them in their tracks and the effects linger.” IE