Bangtail envelopes are a relatively uncommon paper folding design where a loose slip of paper is attached to the envelope flap or the back of the envelope, just like a tail. This slip is attached with a perforation, making it easy for the recipient to remove it without force, tearing or scissors.
Marketers love bangtail custom-printed envelopes because they place calls-to-action or tempting offers directly in the customer’s hands as they remove something from their mailbox. Several steps are skipped that would typically weaken a piece of direct marketing’s message, instead allowing a recipient to see the offer without having to even open the envelope beforehand.
Ignoring messages attached with a bangtail design is practically not an option. Customers are going to be physically touching and looking at the attached slip from the moment they remove the letter from the mailbox. Letter Jacket suggests that marketers or industries that want a blatant and un-ignorable message as part of their campaign consider using a bangtail envelope to meet their marketing needs and goals.
Sending Consumers a Hot Potato
Have you ever received a piece of mail, opened it and had a million tiny slips fall out? Sometimes, you are not even aware that there was a slip tucked away until you unfold the main letter. This problem makes it easy to miss the message on the slip, lose it or prematurely disregard it as irrelevant to your needs.
With bangtail custom-printed envelopes, ignoring the emphasized message is impossible. Customers must literally put their hands on it, often needing to do so to even open the envelope. For this reason, some envelope manufacturers colloquially call bangtail envelopes “hot potatoes” or a “hot-potato envelope.” A customer comes in direct contact with the most important offer or call-to-action, effectively “burning” their hands on it like a hot potato because it is sizzling with enticement.
The most common industry to take advantage of this type of envelope is financial services. Credit card offers or banking offers with a slip attached front-and-center communicate directly to recipients before the envelope is ever opened. Banks also use these envelopes for by-mail banking services, such as having a bangtail form attached to a cash deposit slip, forcing recipients to notice the form and fill it out as instructed before using the cash slip.
Similarly, non-profit organizations soliciting donations can use a bangtail in combination with custom remittance envelopes to have an easy-access form that can be detached and sent back with prepaid postage. Bangtails can even be attached to brochures, booklets or practically any type of envelope design.
Benefits Galore
No matter what the industry or interest, bangtail envelopes are a powerful tool for enhancing their direct marketing efforts. Calls-to-action, coupons or offers are far more likely to be seen and heeded.
Recipients are also given fewer steps to take between taking notice of the mail piece and taking the desired conversion action since the slip is readily available. This reduced effort quickens response times and increases the likelihood that conversion actions will be taken.
Best of all, bangtail envelopes can be made using custom-printed envelopes just like remittance envelopes or any of our other products. Take advantage of this unique, attention-grabbing device to speak more distinctly to your audience and help them understand what the most important part of your message is.
