Direct mail campaigns can prove challenging from a creative standpoint when organizations take too much for granted. Too often, brands only consider the brochure, flier and typed letter formats in their strictest forms when mailing prospective leads.
Pushing against these constraints and breaking out of them completely can free up a lot of latitude for direct marketing campaigns to reach their customers in unexpected ways. One of the easiest ways to get out of your comfort zone and try something new with your direct mail is to utilize an oft-neglected component: the inside of the envelope.

An Experience of Discovery

When you send out a piece of direct mail, you want the content to have a lasting impact on the recipient. Using elements of the envelope in unconventional ways can help achieve this goal.
Printing copy or designs inside the envelope can transform the mundane process of opening a piece of mail into an instance of surprise and delight. Recipients can realign their expectations once they see copy or images printed in an extremely uncommon spot. Suddenly, they must reassess how they view the content and how they typically go about consuming the message of the letter.
This experience of discovery can contribute significantly to branding. A brand can use a quirky or fun message to foster affinity from the recipient. For example, including a “fake” letter contained inside the envelope with the “real” letter printed on the interior can be a fun and funny way to get the message across. The fake letter can be a folded piece of paper saying something conventional like “We are writing to inform you of information which might be informative to someone seeking a great offer,” which basically makes fun of how cut and dry many business offers are.
On the inside, the envelope could have “Help! I’m trapped in the envelope factory and they don’t want me to tell you what these types of ‘offers’ end up costing you in the end! The truth is that only [insert brand] can give you real value by…” This cheeky approach differentiates your brand from by-the-numbers groups and pretends that you are sharing an intimate secret with the recipient.

Efficiency

Interior printing lessens the need for your message to spread across multiple sheets of paper. You get the point across in a manner that utilizes your resources to the fullest.
That concept can even be the heart of your message. For example, a company touting green efforts can talk about how using just the envelope instead of a printed letter helps save trees in the long run.

Artistic Atmosphere With Printed Envelopes

Another effect that can be achieved through interior envelope printing is that of more intense artistic expression. A brand that is able to use every element to contribute to their message sends the idea that they have high standards and attention to detail. Using a pattern like animal prints, maps or tiled icons looks attractive and offers a rich experience to the mail recipient.
Some interior designs can even lend a touch of drama. For example, a car insurance company offering roadside assistance can have the image of a wreck in the contents of the envelope with a pattern of heavy rain droplets printed inside the envelope interior, recalling memories of being stranded in the worst weather conditions imaginable.
Feel free to use these ideas as a springboard when you use our custom envelope printing services to achieve the maximum impact on your customers. Visit our products page to learn more about how we can make your brand’s direct mail campaign stand out.

Meta desc: When you send out a piece of direct mail, you want the content to have a lasting impact on the recipient. Using elements of the envelope in unconventional ways can help achieve this goal.