4 Reasons Why Envelopes Are Just as Important as the Message You’re Delivering

Before envelopes were mass-produced and accessible to the common people, letterlocking was a popular way to seal a letter. People used elaborate folds and slits to keep the contents of their letters private. The act of letterlocking kept prying eyes from spying on important messages, but they were too complicated and time-consuming. Luckily, letterlocking wasn’t the only way to secure letters and messages. The envelope was said to have been developed as early as 2000 B.C. by the Babylonians. Using baked clay, clay documents were protected by another hard shell. To take out the main clay document, ancient Babylonians would have to break the clay outer shell. Many years after, envelopes have developed into something made of leaves and animal skin. Many more years later, paper was invented and envelopes have continued to change. They’ve become easily accessible as well. In fact, nowadays you can buy business envelopes online for offices and businesses and have them custom printed.

No matter how envelopes were made, they all served a single purpose: protect important messages, whether they be mortgages, deeds, invoices, or personal letters. The contents inside the envelopes were almost always valuable, but did you know the envelope is just as important as the message you want to deliver?

Here are 4 reasons why:

Your envelope represents you

The envelope is the first thing your recipient sees. While this may seem nerve-wracking, it’s best to see this as an opportunity to make yourself known. If you hand over a crumpled and torn envelope, or if you’ve selected an envelope that does not match the kind of paper you’ve inserted, you’re sending a message that you haven’t tried hard enough. Your recipient may also think you don’t know much about formal communication. That’s not the kind of message you want to send especially if it’s only the first time you want to reach out to someone.

It helps your brand and message stand out from the rest of the crowd

Although many messages or letters are being sent via email or social media, many other brands and businesses are still sending out actual mail. You’d want your recipient to pick your envelope first, and you’d want to stand out from the rest of the pile of envelopes. You must know this will only be possible if your envelope catches your recipient’s attention. How do you do this? You can add eye-catching décor on your envelope. If you’re sending a message on behalf of your business or company, adding a logo could make your envelope look more professional.

Your envelope may be your only chance at making a good impression

Your recipient may or may not open your envelope. If he/she doesn’t like what he/she sees on the envelope, chances are, the message inside it is never going to be read. This is what makes your envelope just as important as your actual message. You don’t want a waste of time and effort. However, the truth is that only an envelope that creates a good impression makes your recipient open the envelope. Like a handshake, how an envelope looks like determines how much your recipient would want to take a look inside.

It helps create a sense of urgency

The physical availability of your letter or document lets your recipient know that your message is important and not a spam. It also triggers curiosity by packaging the message in an envelope they are yet to unseal and open.

Many markets have attested that direct mail marketing is still important and going strong. Unlike emails and/or online advertisements, physical letters in envelopes are difficult to ignore. Unless opened or thrown away, these envelopes will be lying around until your recipient opens them. And aside from its actual function of protecting messages and documents, an envelope can be used in many ways such as a marketing tool that introduces you and your brand.

You can increase the chances at making a good impression by taking into consideration the look and the quality of the envelopes that you use for your business. Imagine holding two envelopes in your hand: one dirty and tattered and one clean and smooth. Which would you rather want to open? The impression of each envelope influences what you would want to do next, which surely couldn’t be picking the envelope that looked like it was something nobody paid attention to. Make sure that just as your content should be of the highest quality, so should your envelopes be.