The envelope: does it invite the recipient to look inside?

• Author: Turner, Jim
• Position: Direct Mail Essentials

The challenge for an advertiser using direct mail is, first, to get the message noticed--then read.

If you are sending a postcard, it's relatively easy to get noticed. The recipient is likely to at least glance at the postcard before disposing of it. The time between when the postcard is first processed and when the glance occurs is just seconds.

However, when you have a longer message packaged inside an envelope, the receiver needs to both open the envelope and to sore through the contents. That pivotal moment determines whether your message is read or tossed into the recycling bin.

Banks use a variety of approaches for envelope advertising, ranging from the simple to the complex.

For example, an envelope for a home equity line of credit: "Borrow as Low As X %."

Some are much longer, such as, "Home Equity Credit. Lowest Rate in More Than X Years. Variable Rates As Low as X % APR. No introductory Rate. Tax Deductible Interest. Act Now. See Details Inside."

Banks advertising free checking sometimes use envelope wording such as: "Free Checking Until (date)," Or, "Free Checking & a Free Gift." Or, "Free Checking Plus a Free Deposit of $ X."

Credit card mailers often use elaborate wording to explain their rates, preapproved status, no-annual-fee offer and more. Some even put the telephone number to respond to on the envelope. The reader literally doesn't need to open it to respond!

The more important your mailing appears, the more likely the recipient will read it. That can sometimes lead banks to use wording such as: "Important Documents Enclosed. Dated Material. Open Immediately."

In the effort to get your envelope opened, you don't want to lose the confidence of the reader, so balance the envelope message with the reality of what's inside.

Most banks tend to state either a feature of their product ("Low Interest...