Use Hand Addressed Envelopes to Increase Your Response Rates
Business owners and professionals are discovering the power of hand addressed envelopes. The envelope is the first-thing recipients see, and judgment begins the moment your letter is picked up by the recipient.
According to a study, it takes only 3 minutes for your mail to be sent to the “must read” pile or to be recycled.
This is known as the three-minute and 33 second (3:33) rule.
The rule is broken down as follows: It takes 3 seconds or less for your envelope to stand out, 30 seconds to be of interest to the reader to result in your envelope being opened or to read later, and 3 minutes or less for the contents in the envelope to be read and a response given.
Because so much relies on the outside of the envelope, it is crucial that your hand addressed envelopes have the ingredients that get it noticed.
Here are some ways you can use hand addressed envelopes to increase your response rates.
Consider the Type of Ink you use on your Hand Addressed Envelopes
Something as simple as the type of ink you use can play a part in the way your hand addressed envelopes are perceived. Black ink tends to be commercial. On the other hand, blue ink is more personable. Another thing to keep in mind is black ink is often used by individuals who try to imitate the authenticity of handwritten letters by using fonts. Choosing blue ink will indicate to your recipient that your letter is authentic. This will ensure that your envelope stays out of the trash thereby getting the contents read, and response generated.
Use a Real Stamp
Adding a real stamp to your envelope will add to the appeal of what waits inside of your envelope. Your letter will already stand out since chances are, the rest of your recipient’s mail will be from advertisers and businesses not utilizing personalized handwritten material. With a stamp, your envelope will have the added personable appeal needed to arouse curiosity about what contents your hand addressed envelopes have. Meter stamped envelopes may be professional; however, junk mail also uses this form of stamping quite often. You want to distance yourself away from anything that closely relates to junk mail. Affixing a live stamp will help you do this.
Include a Teaser
Teasers are great when you want to stir up a little curiosity in your recipient. For your teaser, reveal just enough to incite curiosity, but not too much to the point that the recipient knows exactly what’s inside. The goal is to make them feel like they need to read what is inside of your envelope. Be careful with this. If you are too flashy with your teaser, your envelope can be seen as junk mail and can be sent to the trash. It is recommended that your teaser text be placed near the left corner of your envelope if it is blank or just above the recipient’s name and address if you are using a window envelope. These locations are good based on studies done on how people scan mail when they receive them. Another important note is you should only include a teaser if you have a great offer included inside. Examples of this would be an offer that can’t be beat that you can label “time sensitive offer included inside” or “free offer included.”
Hand addressed envelopes can be just what your direct mail campaign needs to increase open rates and generate high response rates. Give these suggestions a try and see what a difference it can make for your business
Letter Friend can help with hand addressing your envelopes. We have a staff of writers who handwrite all materials without the use of fonts.
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