Category: Print — Tags: direct mail, envelopes, mail, self-mailers — admin @ 7:03 am
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.
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Category: Creativity — Tags: cards, envelopes, problem solving — Sarah @ 11:16 am
We like problems.
Or, to be more accurate, we like finding solutions to problems. There’s something about watching a client go from aggravated to amused that gets us fired up. You know the feeling – it’s the same one you used to get when you would smack Super Mario’s head on a mushroom, enabling him to mature from a petite plumber to a burly powerhouse. We love to empower our clients so that they can get their stuff done more effectively.
Story time!
One particular client came to us with a dilemma that had been grinding her gears for years. Her company made gift baskets, and, as is customary, the gift baskets would arrive to their recipient with a little card attached that identified the sender and provided a place for a message.
Unfortunately, these little cards turned into a big pain in the rear for our client. Her method for putting these together involved printing the message on a teeny card and inserting this card into a slightly larger envelope. Our client ended up wasting a lot of time and spiraling into frustration as she transferred the messages onto those little insert cards. The cards were too small for the printer she was trying to use, and then once she’d finally get those going, she still had to deal with addressing the envelope and putting the two together. Overall, there was just too much time being wasted on that aspect of her product, and it was getting in the way of the point of her business, the basket itself.
That’s where we came in. Printing being our specialty, we were able to come up with a system that conveyed the same information in a much less aggravating way. We developed a different type of card that was bigger and therefore fit nicely into all standard printers. Because the card was larger, both the address and the message could fit on one card, so there was no need for an envelope. We even showed her how to fold it in a nifty little way so that the address and message could be viewed separately. Bonus: No envelopes = No envelopes to pay for. Our method was even more cost effective.
Our client’s problem wasn’t a matter of life or death, but it was something that had been getting under her skin for a long time, and she’s much happier now that the issue has been resolved.
We actually have a lot of sweet little tricks up our sleeves. If there’s a Little Goomba that has been after you for awhile, send him our way, and maybe we can stomp on him for you. Or at least show you how.
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