Envelope Printing Format for Direct Marketing

Direct-mail print marketing campaigns are popular ways to market your company. In fact, they can be so successful that some companies focus solely on this marketing method to produce profit. There are many types of direct-marketing materials, and one of the most powerful is the sales letter package. With an outstanding offer and compelling copy, sales letters can drive sales in any economic client. But first they have to be read, and that means they have to be opened. That's why your sales letter marketing begins with your envelope. Your envelope must convince your potential customers that it's worth opening. Here are a few tricks and tips you can use to design your envelope printing format for direct marketing:

Start your pitch early

A technique often employed by copywriters and marketers is to include a teaser on the outside of the envelope, hinting of the benefits to be found inside. There are variations of this strategy: You can be enigmatic and pique curiosity; you can boldly list your benefits or something that differentiates you from your competition; or you can lead off with your offer. Some examples of each might include:

"How can you spend less on groceries? Learn how inside."

"The only rewards program that never forgets to pick up the milk."

"Transfer your balance today and get $50 in free groceries!"

The great white

While some copywriters like teasers, others prefer to be more anonymous. The philosophy is that if it looks like junk mail, it is considered junk and will be thrown away without being opened. Others contend that the right teaser influences the target audience enough to open it, and those who do not open the envelope would not have responded if they had. Either way, know that the unassuming plain white envelope is an option that begs to be opened simply because the sender is unknown (your return address should be personalized to you and your office, and not your company).

Go personal

In the same vein as the plain white envelope, many marketers believe that a handwritten envelope stands the best chance of being opened. Not only is the envelope plain, but you have taken the time to physically write the name and address. This intrigues your customers, and they'll open your envelopes.

Print quality envelopes

The perceived quality of your envelopes can make a difference in your open rate. Cheap, flimsy envelopes say that they've been mailed from a cheap, flimsy company. For a strong, sturdy, robust appeal opt for printing your envelopes on 70-pound white wove or premium 24-pound synergy bond paper stock. Sales letters are highly effective when they're written with masterful copy - and opened. The envelopes that sheath sales letters are conduits to the imagination. Your job is to tickle that imagination enough to open the envelope.