How to Keep Costs Low when Ordering Custom Printed Envelopes

When it comes to making money as a small business, sometimes the best offense is a good defense. By this I mean, a small business owner should take every opportunity to lower their costs. By squeezing every penny, you'll increase your profits, taking your business further out of the red and in to the black.  Small business owners need to be looking in to every single aspect of their business and consider how they can save money (without sacrificing quality, that is). And, as the owner of Precision Envelope, I thought I could offer some insight in to how our customers (many of them business owners) have saved money buying printed envelopes:

• Look For Coupon Codes: This is one of the easiest ones (and yet so many people don't do it!). Odds are you're shopping around online for the best price on envelopes, so make sure you're also checking around for coupon codes. Most online envelope stores will be running some type of sale, so be sure to check websites like RetailMeNot, or look around on the envelope companies' websites for ongoing specials and discounts.
• If Possible, Reduce Colors: With envelope printing, the more ink colors you use, the more expensive it will be. Often times our customers request that we change their artwork from full color to 2 color or 1 color, and our graphic designers are happy to oblige. Obviously if you have a business logo, you might not want to lose your brands colors, but if you can possibly reduce the number of inks used, you can save a great deal on your order.
• Check for Price Breaks at Higher Quantities: You might only need 500 envelopes at the moment, but if you can order 1,000 and put the other 500 in storage, you can save a ton of money. Just to give you an example, on our site you can order 2,000 #10 business envelopes for $131.59 (at $0.07 a piece). But you could order 2,500 for just $134.51 (at just $0.05 a piece). That's 500 more envelopes for 3 dollars! You might not need 2,500 envelopes immediately, but as a business owner, you know you'll need them in the future. So why not buy them now and save?
• Avoid Custom Sizes: If possible, stick with standard envelope sizes. You may have a very specific direct mail marketing campaign you want to run, and you think you need a unique envelope size, but that non-standard envelope will cost a great deal of money, as they'll need to be made from scratch. Plus, since it's not standard, the turn around time for creating those envelopes will be much longer.

Finally, if you are looking for custom printed envelopes and you want to save money, I'd be remiss not to share with you a coupon code for free shipping for my website PrecisionEnvelope.com. Use the coupon code FREESHIP while in your shopping cart and you'll get free UPS ground shipping.

Need Help Pruning Postage Bloat?

A letter here and there might not break the bank, but when you’re mailing out hundreds of letters each month to your customers, shipping and postage costs really start to add up. Direct mail marketing can be an effective part of your lead generation, as well as customer retention program but you can boost ROI of your mailing by cutting postage costs. The direct marketing association offers these tips:

• Fine-tune your mailing list and delete duplicate names.
•  Eliminate non-responders and marginal prospects.
• Use accurate addresses, including apartment and suite numbers.
• Check for correct ZIP codes and missing directional, such as N for North.
• Ask your mailing house about the latest postal discounts before you design your envelope and mail piece.
• Use NCOA to keep your mailing list current.
• Address Service Requested to the face of your mail piece.
• Remember to print your barcoded ZIP +4 on any reply envelopes. 

Case Study: Direct Mail Generates Better ROI

Commerce payment systems traditionally sought new accounts through paid search advertising, until they decided to add direct mail to the marketing mix. Using a tri-fold mailer, the company targeted newly incorporated businesses in sectors that usually sought credit payment services. Additionally, they tested response of first class vs. standard mail.

Results: Six months of monthly 12,000 piece mailings cost approximately $9,000 per mailing. Each new client had a $50,000 value to the company. “we’re bringing in 200-250 clients a month from direct mail” reported the company’s CEO. Interestingly, the first class mailings generated better responses than those sent via standard Mail.

An essential, yet sometimes overlooked aspect of direct mail ROI is the right choice of envelope. A tastefully personalized, custom envelope can be the difference between your direct mail piece being read or being thrown in the trash. As Commerce payment systems, demonstrates, direct mail is alive and well. And as the first impression of your direct mail campaign, your envelope choice can make all the difference in ROI. 

Direct Mail Meets Tight Security:

With the issue of security a top priority for many of us, here are some guidelines you may want to think about when targeting your direct mail marketing programs to larger companies and organizations.

·         Op for self mailers or postcards, i.e., mail that doesn’t need to be opened.

·         Use printed, not plain, envelopes.

·         Print envelopes in color. They’re less likely to appear suspicious.

·         Don’t overstuff envelopes. Keep them slim.

·         Use a clear, identifiable return address, preferably with your logo. Use a pre-printed indicia instead of stamps.

·         If you meter mail, use a phrase to show that the piece is really being sent by you.

·         Include a telephone number or website address on your envelope.

·         Use email to notify recipients that mail is on the way.

A printed envelope including your logo and return address adds credibility to your direct mail piece. A person knows immediately who the mail piece is from, and if targeted  and designed correctly, the user will even be excited by the potential offer inside. Whether you’re launching a brand new lead generation campaign or simply sending out thank you notes to past clients, custom envelopes are the smart choice. In fact, this month Precisionenvelope.com is offering free shipping on select envelope styles. Just use the code “FREESHIP” at checkout. Click the link to get custom envelopes with free shipping.