Envelopes

Envelopes

There are various factors to consider when selecting the type of envelope to use in your mailing. There are four different types of envelope you can choose – and the choice you make will have implications in terms of cost of the envelopes, cost of the postage and the response rate to your mailing. These various factors are all discussed here and if you wish you can always call the sales team at Hamilton House to discuss the matter further.

Options

When planning a mailing you have the choice of four types of envelope. Each has its own benefits – and its disadvantages. We deal with each one here.

Expensive to buy and can add to mailing costs, but excellent for protecting items you don’t want to bend. The price of card, as with all packaging, declines greatly if you buy in significant volume.

If you do choose to use card do make sure that it only gets used for the purpose you intended. Every week I get several items posted to me using card, which could easily have been sent using cheaper packaging.

Finally, also consider the sealing of the card. If every mailed item has to have tape applied to the edges and joins then you are adding further to the cost, not just in tape, but also in the man-hours taken in packing each item up.

Often known as “jiffi” bags these can work well for sending out CDs, DVDs and the like. They offer good protection, but like card, are expensive. Padded bags come in a variety of sizes, and many is the time you will see people wasting money by sending out goods in bags which are too large for the product. Indeed not only does this waste money it can also reduce the protection you get in the post with the bag.

There are several different manufactures involved in the production of these bags – do make sure you are using the quality that you find acceptable.

Paper envelopes are more expensive than polythene and weigh more than polythene (which might, in some cases affect the postage you pay). They give extra protection – and have to be used when you are only sending out a few sheets of paper. However paper envelopes have only limited rigidity, and it should never be thought that sending out a sheet of A4 flat in a C4 envelope (C4 being the size of an A4 sheet, plus a little extra to enable it to be inserted) is going to allow the sheet of A4 to arrive flat. Generally speaking one or two sheets of A4 sent alone are better being folded in half and sent in a C5 envelope (C5 being large enough to take a sheet of A5 paper).

It is sometimes argued that people open paper envelopes more than polythene. This is only true if they do not know who the paper envelope is from and if the polythene envelope reveals something they don’t want to look at.

In short, if you know people like to look at your catalogue, put it in a polythene envelope so that they can see at once it is your catalogue.

Printing on paper envelopes can raise or lower your response rate, depending on what you say and the state of mind of your recipient. There was a time when American Express mailed me regularly. Whenever I saw the Amex details on the envelope I threw it away without opening - and thus I never got to see their latest offer which just might have tempted me to buy something. So in this regard putting your details on the envelope can reduce your success. However, when we use slightly quirky or surreal phrases on mailshots, interest rises. A phrase as bizarre as "Ladders must be used at all times" with no explanation on the front as to why this phrase is there, can put the reader into the right frame of mind - especially if the sales letter itself is quirky or unusual. Simply saying, "our greatest discount offer yet" generally doesn't seem to do much good. If you would like to discuss this further, please do call Tony on 01536 399 000

These are the lightest and cheapest form of covering for direct mail. They are no good for sending just a few pieces of mail – there is no rigidity in polythene. Polythene prices rose dramatically in 2005 following the hurricane in the United States in the region where a lot of polythene is processed.

The best way to enhance response rates while using polythene is to ensure that what the recipient sees through the polythene is something really exciting. Hamilton House has undertaken a lot of experiments on this, using headlines on letters and newsletters in various ways to help encourage recipients to open the mail. If you would like to know more, call 01536 399 000 and ask for the creative team.

When considering which type of envelope you are going to use, you need to balance several factors:

The fact is that if the recipient will want to open the package once they know it is from you, there is no point hiding your product away – so put it in polythene. But sometimes the nature of what you are sending demands that you put it in one of the other forms of packaging. In which case you will need to consider the options.

Since August 2006 postage within the UK has been charged not just by weight but also by size, and this again will have an impact on how you package your goods. In general terms, A4 costs more to send through the post than A5 – which will have a knock on effect as to the envelopes you should use.

As with so much else in direct mail, don’t assume that you should be using one form of envelope instead of another. If you would like to discuss such matters please do call 01536 399 000 or email Sales@hamilton-house.com

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