Format Tips & Advice ↓

I noticed that recently someone did a search within our blog for “envelopes vs postcards” and I thought it’d make for an interesting post topic.

Obviously, both formats are more ideal than the other for certain situations so it’s hard to pick an absolute winner…but if I HAD to pick one, I’d choose envelope packages.

Yes, postcards are much cheaper and they throw your marketing message right out there for your prospect to see…but envelope packages allow you to use curiosity and I think that’s extremely valuable.

“What exactly is in this envelope? I should at least open it to find out.”

And there are also many variations you can test with envelope packages. Ballantine’s main area of expertise is printing and mailing, not creative strategy…but I see so many different outer envelope variations pass my desk that it enables me to list a bunch of test ideas.

Here are some:

• Different size OE’s – #10, #14, 6×9, monarch, etc.
• Label on OE or faux label
• Window or no window
• Different window size or positioning
• Stickers or stamps on OE
• Teaser copy on OE
• Colored paper

I could rattle off more, but I think the items above are enough to get you brainstorming.

So that’s my 2 cents – what do you think? If you’d like to express YOUR opinion on this topic, we would love to hear from you…just comment below.

And if you’d like me to send you envelope samples through the mail, please email me, Ryan Cote, at: ryan (at) ballantine.com.

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We received a quote request recently that included an outer envelope measuring 4″ in height by 9″ in width. We suggested to the company that they adjust these numbers a bit to a standard #10 which is 4.125″ in height by 9.5″ in width.

If possible, always go with standard size envelopes because it will save you money.

Reason being, many printers place bulk orders for standard size envelopes and store them for when needed. Placing the orders in bulk means they get them at a lower price which results in YOU getting a lower price.

Custom size envelopes usually have to be created for that particular project…and this obviously comes with a higher price tag.

If you mail flats — which is defined as a mail piece measuring 6-1/8″ x 11-1/2″ or larger — than you already know that the USPS increased the postage on this format by 40%.

In light of this postage hike, there was an article not too long ago in DM News called Creative Ways of Optimizing Flats.

In the article, 4 experts shared their advice and it was an interesting read…so we’re going to re-publish some of the content here…and also share our thoughts.

One last thing to note — on January 28th we’ll be releasing another industry report — this report will focus on what formats marketers surveyed will be testing in 2008.

We’ll be posting a link to the report on this blog so if you’re interested in reading it, please subscribe to our RSS feed or enter your email address in our opt-in box up top to the right.

OK, back to the DM News article…here are the pointers the 4 experts shared:

Mike Dietz’s Takeaway

“Package planning is key to making your direct mail flats a success.” Mr. Dietz recommends not building a mail piece to the maximum or minimum requirements. He also recommends developing a live paper sample and then making sure it’s in compliance with USPS limitations.

Victor Benson’s Takeway

“Effective envelope creative motivates consumers to open your piece.” Mr. Benson recommends mailing No. 9 and No. 10 envelopes (that mail out at letter rate). He also suggests that “Free gift inside” is a very effective envelope message to use…for the gift part, he’s found that free mailing labels work well.

John Cayne’s Takeaway

“Alternative formats can help you qualify for lower postage rates.” Mr. Cayne recommends taking tangible results from creative and messaging tests and applying them to alternative formats that qualify for letter rate.

Jim Stewart’s Takeaway

“Value-added postcards can help mail get attention.” Mr. Stewart recommends testing over-sized postcards for consumer mailings.  You can mail a postcard up to 6″ x 11″ and still qualify for letter rate.  He also recommends testing geo-targeting if it’s relevant to your product or service.

Ballantine’s Advice

We see a lot of clients that previously mailed flats taking their artwork and shrinking it down to letter rate. For example, one of our clients that was mailing a 9″ x 12″ envelope is now mailing the same exact artwork, but shrunken down to a 6″ x 9″ package. The piece still looks great and saves them a ton in postage dollars.

Free Format Suggestions

If you want us to take a look at your flat and suggest alternative formats that would qualify for letter rate, please email Ryan Cote: ryan (at) ballantine.com.