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.

We could put a letter in a mailbox at the end of our street, and it can wind up in Hawaii.  Or Turkey.  Or Hong Kong.  It’s a pretty crazy concept.

Of course, in most cases, for this scenario to work, you do have to place whatever you are mailing into an envelope or box of some kind.  However, thanks to the beauty of self-mailers, this is not always the case.

Mail As You Are

Self-mailers are designed to be mailed just they way they are — and without the help of additional packaging.  The most basic type is probably your standard postcard.  But self-mailers these days can include a lot more sophisticated stuff than your typical postcard does.

One of our favorite examples of a funky self-mailer is a Netflix envelope.  These bad boys not only protect and mail a DVD once, but they allow the recipient to safely mail the DVD back – without involving a new envelope or additional postage.  It’s genius.  It’s fun.  And if you could use something similar in your business, it’s something we’d love to set up for you.

That’s right.  Whether you need a Netflixesque double duty mailer, a basic postcard with a fun twist, or something in between, we’d be totally into helping to design the right self-mailer for you.  We can get you multiple-fold mailers with plenty of room for photos and copy or peel-apart mailers for extra security.  Basically, no matter what your direct mail needs are, we can hook you up with a self-mailer that will work for your business.

Save Money, Save the Earth

By the way, besides being fun and versatile, self-mailers are often very cost effective.  It makes sense – if you don’t have to buy an envelope, you’re probably going to pay less money.  Plus, if you happen to be looking for a greener print alternative, self-mailers can help you out in that department too – they involve less packaging which often results in less waste.

So combine the awesomeness of mail with the endless possibilities of self-mailers and get your message out in a green, economical, and fun way.