It might not be the most exciting topic but choosing the right envelope for your direct mail campaign will have a major impact – on cost and response rates. Read on to learn some of our envelope optimisation tips, which will enhance the success of your future campaign.

Choosing the correct size

Perhaps the most important factor is to choose an envelope that will actually hold all the material to be included in the campaign. Overstuffed envelopes will cost more. Printed material that is folded to fit into an envelope that meets Royal Mail’s ‘Letter’ format might save on postage initially but could be a false economy if it makes the content look hastily put together or poorly thought out.

Choosing a high-quality envelope

Choose a quality envelope that seals correctly otherwise you could end up with a cheap looking campaign or mail that arrives without some of the content! There are a wide variety of ‘off-the-shelf’ envelopes to choose from so there is no excuse for not choosing the quality that complements the quality of the campaign. Remember the aim is to encourage a response – perhaps a purchase or a sign up for future communications. The quality of the whole campaign is important – and the envelope is the first part of the campaign that will be seen by customers and potential new business.

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Overprinted envelopes

These are envelopes that are printed with your design. They are more expensive per unit than off-the-shelf envelopes but, if done correctly, can have a massive effect on response rates and your ROI. The design will allow you to fully integrate the campaign with the envelope – the envelope is used to give a ‘teaser’ of the information included inside and therefore more likely to opened and responded to.

Overprinted envelopes (particularly ones which utilise colour) will also help you create brand differential from your competitors.

Don’t forget the power of colour too:

• Information in colour is found up to 80% faster than black and white
• Adding colour to a direct mail piece may increase response rate by up to 45%
• Colour can increase learning & retention up to 78%
• Colour is 80% more likely to be read than black and white

Personalised envelopes

In addition to overprinting, it is also possible to include personalisation on the envelope itself – using data from CRM or buying history to make the offer and wording on the envelope even more closely targeted. The offer can incorporate elements from the intended recipient’s interests and buying history to create a truly compelling offer that will put response rates through the roof.

Envelope selection – part of mail fulfilment preparation stage

Envelopes play an important role in your direct mail campaign so it is essential to consider all aspects BEFORE you progress the campaign. Selecting the optimal envelope for your campaign is more important than you may think. Envelope selection is part of the mail fulfilment phase of a campaign, read our detailed article about the preparation stage for mail fulfilment here. The choice of envelope will also be important for automated envelope closing too.

Contact bakergoodchild to fulfil your next direct mail campaign

We hope you found this article informative; we’re here to answer any questions you may have about this topic. Give us a call here at bakergoodchild, our phone number is 0800 612 1972 or read more envelope optimisation tips here. 

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