Self-mailers make us so giddy and gleeful that we couldn’t help but write a little more about them this week.

Last time, we professed our love for self-mailers because they’re versatile, cost-effective, and often environmentally friendly.  But we didn’t really get a chance to talk too much about another great feature of self-mailers – they can really stand out and get your message noticed.

Envelopes Are Old News

Think about it.  A typical mail-opener’s internal monologue might go something like this:

Okay, let’s open this envelope…ew, it’s a bill.  Now let’s open this envelope…ew, my college wants me to donate money.  Not gonna happen.  And how about this one…ew, another unsolicited credit offer.  Now let’s see…Ooooh, a postcard from Rodolfo’s vacation!  Fun!  Ooooh, the latest issue of my favorite magazine!  Sweet!

Okay, so out of that stack of mail, we got three “ews” and two “Oooohs.”  Interestingly, the “ews” were all the result of opening up envelopes, and the “Oooohs” all came from self-mailers (Yes, it was a little rigged.  But still.).  Now, if we had included a sixth piece of mail to that stack that was, perhaps, a direct mail message from your business, we think you’d have a better chance of being an “Ooooh” if your message arrived in a self-mailer.

This is because letters in envelopes are so overdone that they aren’t really screaming to get noticed.  And years of opening bills and junk mail have conditioned many mail-openers of America to dread envelope opening or even skip it and toss envelopes right in the recycle bin.

But with self-mailers, especially self-mailers with unique designs, you can get your direct mail message out there in a way that the average mail recipient doesn’t see every day.  And if your design is eye-catching enough, you have a good chance of getting a second look.