While the last few years have seen online advertising rise in popularity, many corporations are finding that direct mail still packs a punch. From small businesses to the real estate and financial sectors, direct mail is still delivering (pun intended) all-important ROI for their marketing efforts. A successful direct mailing campaign is dependent on more than just the proposition of a great offer, however. To truly see the best results and maximize ROI, one of the most important elements of a campaign is the outer envelope.

But why is the outer envelope so important? How does it affect open rates? Most importantly, what steps can be taken to ensure that a lacklustre outer envelope doesn’t put an otherwise great campaign at a disadvantage?

To get the best direct marketing response rates possible, it’s key that target audiences consider the offer they are receiving, and logically, this can only happen when they open the envelope and review the contents.

So far, so (theoretically) easy, but ultimately it means that a lot of the overall achievement of the campaign is dependent on an envelope that can entice recipients to be interested in the offer inside. Plain, boring envelopes that say ‘junk mail’ rather than ‘here’s an exclusive offer’ can be the downfall of many campaigns.

It’s generally estimated that customers spend just 5 seconds reviewing their mail, which underlines even further the need for outer envelopes to entice and attract recipients in as little time as possible, and make a persuasive case for opening them.

There are a number of options that can be used to ensure outer envelopes delight their target audience. Even a simple change, such as  using innovative envelope material can be easy and cost effective to incorporate (think metallic finishes, holography, color, gloss, matte looks or iridescent hues), and can help boost responses by up to 30%, when compared to different paper options.

How can we help?

Packle creates the metallized and holographic papers that give direct mail envelopes the exceptional looks that entice and tempt recipients to open their mail and consider the offer inside.

Our expert team of experts are on hand to help anyone interested in boosting their ROI rates,  better understand what direct mailing entails and how it might work for your business: this includes assisting clients understand the direct mail supply chain, or how our papers can fit into an already established supply chain (spoiler: we integrate seamlessly)!

If you have questions, or would like to know more, our team would be delighted to assist you.