In addition to ensuring that your direct mail piece arrives safely, the envelope also serves a very important purpose: to make a good first impression. Overcoming initial recipient scrutiny to establish your brand and sales proposition can be challenging, however, there are tried and tested strategies you can implement to successfully get your foot in the door.
Previously, we looked at some of the best examples of direct mail marketing from various industries to understand the most common do’s and don’ts for choosing the right direct mail format. In this article, we’ll discuss how you can use your direct mail envelopes to increase the effectiveness of your campaign.
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1. adding direct mail envelope teasers
According to USPS, the average American household receives more than 400 pieces of direct mail each year, which has led brands to find unconventional ways to stand out from their competition. A pre-printed promotional envelope with unique design elements is a great way to make a good first impression and give people a quick head start on what’s in your direct mail. for example, view & the sound theater envelope below includes a colorful snapshot of their upcoming play, enough to pique any receipt’s curiosity, along with preliminary information such as title and date.
Packs with visual and tactical appeal can also act as an incentive to boost open rates. For example, the Alaskan Airlines envelope mentions a “60,000 mile bonus offer” that the recipient can take advantage of. The capture? they have to open the mail to know more.
Packs with visual and tactical appeal can also act as an incentive to boost open rates. Similarly, Capital One uses its envelope to promote limited-time, ongoing exclusive offers (“0% intro April through July 21” and “Unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase”) to create a sensation of urgency among recipients. it’s like telling people: you can take advantage of this discount only if you open the mail right now and take action.
Midnight Call, a non-profit missionary organization, is another great example. Your envelope includes a short bulleted list of the many ways a subscription to your magazine benefits Receipts, including any discounts they currently offer. you can also see the headlines from their latest edition (“race to globalization, how?”) which give people a quick sneak peek at the type of content they post.
Ultimately, you want the outside of your direct mail to reflect what’s inside. People appreciate a quick heads-up on the contents of direct mail: a preview of the information they’ll receive after opening the envelope.
2. use different colors to evoke an emotional response
By incorporating color into your direct mail marketing strategy, you can maximize the impact of your communication and persuade recipients to “act a certain way” in response.
Solid colored envelopes have been shown to stand out, regardless of size, and see higher open rates. however, it is important to note that customer response to color suitability: does the color match what is being sold? – matters much more than the individual color itself. for example, red provokes strong emotions in people. It gets your heart rate up and as a result works wonders on impulse shoppers who are the primary target audience for high-value clearance sales and discounts. For example, Audi uses a red envelope (see below) to invite people to one of its biggest sales events of the season.
The color also stimulates the appetite glands, which explains all the red you see in food and drink ads. Check out Coca-Cola, KFC, Five Guys, and Wendy’s, among others!
on the other hand, green is often associated with growth, vitality and wealth. The color evokes a sense of trust and understanding, making it a popular choice for premium lifestyle brands, financial institutions (see the Florida Council for Corporations envelope), and technology companies. lacoste, acer, land rover, h&r block, and nvidia are great examples.
In some cases, green also symbolizes freshness and nature. color is an option for brands trying to establish themselves as organic, eco-friendly, and outdoorsy: consider whole foods, starbucks, john deere, tropicana, and heineken!
black symbolizes sophistication, power and even mystery in some cases. In addition to being an elegant and timeless option, brands also use the color to appear high-end, luxurious and exclusive. The fundraising mailing for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, a living history museum and private foundation in Virginia, is a good example of this.
Blue is often associated with trust, reliability, experience, and strength, therefore it is a cult favorite among finance and software companies. Consider IBM, Skype, LinkedIn, PayPal, and American Express, for example, which all use color in all of their marketing collateral. In short, if your business model requires customers to trust you with their money, credit, or data, try blue envelopes to establish a sense of security.
3. consider eco-friendly printing
Depending on your campaign requirements and target audience, there are several materials you can choose from for a direct mail envelope.
Nearly 96% of people agree that personal initiatives like donating, recycling and ethical shopping can make a big difference, and 88% want brands to help them make environmentally friendly decisions environment. As a result, many businesses prefer eco-friendly direct mail options like kraft envelopes (or other eco-friendly alternatives) that are not only good for the planet but are also perfect for non-folding items due to their sturdiness. consider the following direct mail examples from ziprecruiter
and the natural resources defense council (nrdc), for example.
Not only is the nrdc envelope 100% recycled, but the window uses glassine instead of plastic.
If you’re using heavy ink designs (which require lithographic printing techniques) on your envelope, you may want to consider calendered paper (also known as surface-enhanced white tissue) for a smoother finish. There are also moisture and tear resistant varieties to ensure safe and timely delivery of your direct mail.
4. hint at an attached gift
In a direct mail campaign, where open rate is one of the main success metrics, a special gift or free reveal in the envelope can be a great incentive for people to see what’s inside. In the example below, save the kids by hinting at a gift for the receipt to emphasize the impact (10x!) of gift-giving during the holidays, a message that aligns perfectly with the fundraising campaign they’re running. out right now.
Similarly, the Reiman Publications envelope advertises “free gift and shipping” to your preferred customers, which, in this case, are people interested in buying your new book.
luxury corporation is another good example. In addition to using colored envelopes (something we talked about earlier), they also have signs for a “$50 gift card inside.” In short, they both convince the recipient to open and review the content of the direct mail.
If you plan to include a free value with your direct mail, take advantage of the space an envelope provides. By drawing attention to a free gift or special offer your company is offering, it’s more likely to stand out when people are sifting through the mail pile.
5. keep them guessing with a blind envelope
A blind envelope is usually a plain white envelope that offers little to no clues about the sender, meaning no logos, names, or identifying information. they usually have indicia (rather than a stamp), which makes the direct mail look more “professional” and thus suggests that there is urgent business inside. For example, take a look at the wholesale bj club direct mail blind envelope below which is designed to create intrigue among recipients.
Some companies prefer not to completely hide their receipts and include basic branding elements on the envelope. Consider the following envelopes from the American Automobile and Propel Tax Association that only feature the company logo and nothing else.
In a previous article, we discussed how capitalizing on emotion for direct mail can motivate your prospects to engage with your business. Whether you’re trying to attract new customers or rekindle your relationship with existing ones, blind mailers harness the strongest human emotion, curiosity, to achieve higher open rates.
6. check the emergency factor
use action-oriented terms or phrases: hurry up! You only have 10 days to respond! immediate attention is needed! – may seem like overkill, yet most customers continue to fall in love with them. The reason is quite simple: most buyers are aware that, in today’s fast-paced market, time is running out. The fear of missing out (fomo) is real, and by capitalizing on this mindset, you can create direct mail campaigns that invoke a sense of urgency and convince people to “act now.”
please refer to the following envelope from the vietnam national war museum stating on the receipt that the mail is a “one time notice” and contains “time sensitive content”. there are additional signs to indicate that it is a “supervised delivery” that comes without an “extension of time” and must be “opened immediately”.
The North Shore Animal League also employed a similar strategy for one of its direct mail campaigns. For starters, the tall pink envelope marked “urgent” and “$25,000 cash prize” is enough to get anyone’s attention, but wait, there’s more. The company also highlights that it is a “special notice” and a “non-transferable document”. on the reverse, there is a sign warning people to “take immediate steps to avoid confiscation.”
7. choose an unconventional envelope
If you have room to experiment and are looking to switch things up, try giving the less popular envelope options a try. companies have been known to test oversize envelopes and clear envelopes for direct mail. take a look at the following peta oversized envelope
and polyethylene envelope from rosemont college.
Some businesses opt for embossed envelopes that use unique paper textures to offer a high-quality look for a fraction of the price. consider the following email from the danbury mint, for example.
8. make it look personal
You can also personalize your campaign by using handwritten direct mail envelopes. it doesn’t need to be completely handwritten to get it right. location is key: using your handwriting for addresses, signatures, or just a quick personal note can result in a 5-10% increase in response rate.
Consider the seemingly ordinary City Union Mission envelope below. the handwriting font (on the back) looks more personal compared to direct mail options that use just the standard type.
Today, businesses are moving away from traditional and conventional direct mail marketing strategies to explore unique and innovative opportunities to stand out from the competition. Taking a “road not taken” approach with envelopes can be a game changer for your business.
how to find envelope ideas about who’s sending what!
who sends what! has over 62,000 examples of envelopes in various industries (non-profit, finance, health care, entertainment, etc.). let’s take a look at how you can use who sends what! filters to find envelopes that other companies are using:
- click search → direct mail filters → select envelopes from the format type menu.
- use the industry filters to find the most popular direct mail envelopes in your industry. you can also sort the results by location, business model, or controls.
Planning a direct mail campaign for your business? see what your competitors are doing!
Try our free search tool to find the best shaped pieces of mail from who sends what! inspiration reservoir. Sort your search results by keyword, company, or industry to experience a simplified version of our app.
what’s more? When you search by category, the results include an industry information widget (at the bottom of the page) that features all direct mail envelopes that have worked well for your industry in the past. For example, let’s select finance as a category, in which case, you can see the envelope format your competitors have been most successful with.
in conclusion
Envelopes are often the unsung hero of direct mail. After all, what’s the use of devoting time, energy and resources to a campaign that goes unnoticed simply because the recipient didn’t open the mail? In a way, the success and return on investment (ROI) of any direct mailer depends on how customers respond to your envelope.
We hope you’ll find the above tips helpful when choosing the envelope for your next direct mail marketing campaign.