In times past, getting a letter was an important event. These days, consumers are not as enthusiastic about the mail they receive. In fact, many make it a practice to simply discard what they perceive as unsolicited letters:
To succeed as a direct mail marketer, your mailpiece must be opened and read by your customer. If your letter ends up in the trash, everything is lost.
Most people sort their mail into two stacks. In one stack is mail they open immediately, and in the other is mail they regard as unimportant. Here are some tips to increase the odds of getting your letter in the right stack:
If your sales letter is your salesman, the envelope is his clothing. Dress him fittingly.
Printing full-color envelopes are costly but they catch the attention of the recipient. Add a personalized logo or message on the outside of an envelope.
One way to get your mail opened… don’t reveal on the outside what the letter is about. Make the reader open it to find out.
Raise curiosity by using a blind return address. Give your address but not the company name or no information at all. This makes the recipient wonder who is sending the letter and what’s in it.
Use real stamps on your envelopes, even on bulk mail. Real stamps make the envelope look like a personal letter. Also consider using seasonal stamps.
Meter the envelope. The red meter mark looks like a first-class envelope.
Use a ‘teaser’ line on the envelope only when you are certain that the teaser will cause the reader to open the envelope.
Typed addresses… letters that look like they were addressed with a typewriter stand out over envelopes with computer labels.
Even more powerful than typed addresses are envelopes that look like the address was handwritten. This gives the letter an extremely personal look, and the more personal the mail looks, the more likely it is to be opened.
Avoid using computer printed labels to address your envelope when trying to create a personal appeal. A computer-generated mailing label clearly identifies your mail piece as ‘JUNK.’
Consider using a window envelope. This allows you to personalize the mailing inside and out in one single step.
Color: Consider using a Manila (brown kraft) envelopes which can give your mail an important official look. Match it with a color sheet of paper that shows through the envelope window.