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Envelopes: 7 Tactics for Visual Appeal

Posted by Darin Painter on May 23, 2018 3:02:43 PM

email-1345921_640In our industry, tried-and-true products can still open clients’ eyes — and open new doors to business. That’s true for envelopes, a product that’s constantly needed and often discarded when unnoticed.

Nearly all organizations need envelopes for outgoing mail (invoices, statements, etc.), internal mail (departmental correspondence, memos among branches, etc.) and office routines (personnel files, photo files, etc.). So mentally tossing the envelope market into the wastebasket is like throwing away money, distributors say. Industry pros who consult with their clients about envelope needs can provide real value.

The May issue of PS Magazine includes a special advertorial section that features five envelope suppliers. Flip through those pages for great insight on selling to this market.

Also, if your envelopes clients aim to achieve a feel, not just a function, try one of these seven creative tactics:

  1. Imprint envelopes with messages such as “final warning,” “important documents enclosed,” and “open and save money.”

  2. Add a metallic or foil stamped label. A flower store that has been in business 25 years could add an anniversary label to the flap of outgoing envelopes during its anniversary year. A college athletic department could place a label boasting its division-winning baseball team on its envelopes.

  3. Emboss or engrave envelopes with a company name or logo for an elegant appearance. One distributor recently added a blind embossed logo to an invoice envelope for a dental group, and said the client loved the classy look.

  4. Use a wraparound border. Because envelopes often are printed as flat sheets prior to converting, you can include a border that wraps completely around the envelope so it appears on the front and back. This eye-catching technique could be used by a retailer to promote a sale. The line “One-Day Sale on June 9!” could be repeated in the border.

  5. Include multiple windows. This is especially enticing on direct mail packages, where windows of different shapes or sizes show through to colorful brochures or gifts inside. Also consider die cut windows. For example, a package for a Democratic Party organization might include a window shaped like a donkey. A retailer might send a promotion for a Fourth of July sale in an envelope with a window shaped like a firecracker.

  6. Customize the inside lining of the envelope. A retailer could include a step-and-repeat pattern of its logo on the inside of a billing envelope, or a country club could include a screened depiction of its golf course on the inside flap of a promotional piece to potential members.

  7. Use different color envelopes. For example, a catalog retail company may use a white envelope for regular billing statements and a red one for late payments.

Topics: Strategy, Creativity

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