Increasing Direct Mail Responses: Don’t Forget About The Envelope!

A few years ago, the United States Postal Service conducted a study of consumers to investigate what they do when they receive postal mail. The study, which is available to read on the Pitney Bowes website, is full of fascinating insights and practical tips for marketers planning direct mail campaigns.

In summarizing the survey results, the USPS coined the expression “The Mail Moment” to describe what consumers do when reviewing their mail.  During The Mail Moment, the decision-maker of the household is giving his or her undivided attention to the day’s mail – something that they look forward to receiving – and making important decisions about which mail they will take action on.  A majority of respondents said that receiving mail is a pleasure and is more personal to them than internet communications.

In other words, something personal and very powerful is happening during The Mail Moment. For marketers, it is our chance to make an impression that will ultimately lead the customer to take action.

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The Mail Moment came to mind immediately when reviewing a recent blog post on Envelope Marketing, which is the practice of using postal envelopes to deliver a marketing message and encourage action.

In addition to some very practical tips on the appropriate stock and sizes to use, the post provided some helpful guidelines for the copy and design elements to help you increase responses with envelope marketing.

Is all this attention on envelopes worthwhile?  Absolutely. Another study, also available on the Pitney Bowes website, shows that something as simple as adding color to your envelopes can increase comprehension and recall by around 75 percent.

The larger take-away from the post was the important reminder that every connection with a customer is an opportunity, and even “the lowly envelope” is part of the marketer’s toolkit, helping to create a powerful “mail moment” and increase customer responses.

What Next:

For more tips on direct mail marketing, read our post: Creative Direct Mail Marketing That Grabs Attention

What about you? What successes have you had creating The Mail Moment in your mail campaigns? Please share your experiences below, we’d love to hear from you.