Businesses are discovering that envelopes can be an incredibly important asset to your marketing approach, and they want to make sure that people are using an envelope that has a chance of actually being seen and interacted with by customers. If you aren’t concerned by the aesthetic of the envelope, customers are going to either leave it out on the side or (worst case scenario) chuck it straight in the bin. With this in mind, we thought that it might be a good idea to run through several things you might want to do to make sure you have a stand-out envelope that is worthy of your business ideas and proposals.
Stand out vs minimalism design
You can either choose an envelope design that incorporates heavily eye-catching material (fonts, images, colours etc.) or go for a more minimalist approach. Designs that do stand out might also incorporate elements of certain graphics emblazoned on the exterior and various multi-coloured imagery or print, essentially creating an envelope that is easy to identify amidst a heap of them that look similar.
Minimalism, meanwhile, has also made numerous business owners realise that there is sometimes a fantastic benefit to be found in leaving space open between specific design elements and picking out solidly striking colours to achieve a fantastic impact. This concept works to implore business owners to primarily focus on the essentials of the design process more than anything. Here again it can be reiterated that too much disordered clutter on the design of the envelope won’t make for an appealing marketing device.
It becomes increasingly important to strike a balance. If you tend to overdo the design in an effort to produce an envelope that stands out, you also run the risk of producing an overly stuffed final product. Trying to achieve a design that incorporates the fundamental elements of minimalism while trying to stand out to the customer is the key here; one way to reinforce good practices here is to look at the next load of direct mail that arrives through your front door – which envelope stands out to you the most? These best practises can encourage you to strike the correct balance.
Copy
Compelling copy is absolutely vital, because after the design is established (as the first thing that the customer will perceive) it’s then also vitally important to draw the customer in with some truly compelling copy. Here is where you can incorporate all the different marketing appeals and buzzwords (security, desire, emotion) and rearrange them into persuasively effective words to grab the reader’s attention.
A call to action should also ideally be included, in which you implore the reader to open your envelope and read on as much as they can. Trying to achieve a sense of rapidity will your style is always worthwhile; for example, ‘read on to find out more about these fantastic benefits inside… TODAY!’. Little marketing tips like these can make a great difference to your overall project.
Personalisation
A personalised envelope which also tries to include the name of a customer or brand will instantly be more appealing when compared to any other direct mail the customer receives. Direct mail marketing here can then be a very powerful and cost-effective way to achieve a sense of customer familiarity with your brand. Personalisation especially transfers over into greater conversion or retention rates, so when considering your envelope design make sure you take into account the incredible benefits of personalisation for your business!
Direct mail
Keep in mind that an envelope advertising your business can effectively act as the subject line to the direct mail email enclosed (to use an online analogy). This is due to the fact that this is the first thing a customer will always tend to see, and also works towards playing a vital role in catching someone’s attention and forcing them into engaging with the content. When you consider the design of the envelope, it might also be worth remembering the 3:33 rule, which takes into account the:
- 3 seconds that you will have to catch the attention of the reader.
- 30 seconds that you will have to maintain the reader’s interest.
- 3 minutes that you will have for the rest of the direct mail to be read.
The Fulfilment Warehouse are experts in providing small and medium sized businesses with fully packaged fulfilment services. We will safely store, package and dispatch all your orders with complete care, giving you a peace of mind and a trustworthy, professional service. Take a look at our services here or give us a call on 0330 563 980 – we’d be happy to hear from you!
