Is direct mail really dead? Not according to Sean Bannon, Business Development Manager at EnvyPak, whom Loyalty360 spoke with recently. He believes that his company’s solutions are as much a part of the customer loyalty space as any service or technology provider. Its state-of-the-art mailing solutions enable brands to connect with consumers in unique, cost effective ways that drive real results.
In addition, Bannon focuses on a few foundational techniques to help his company succeed. Bannon believes that brands need to know how to differentiate, how to keep products personalized and relevant, and how to make customers feel special. Mastering these basic strategies should lead brands to improved revenue.
What core services do you offer? Which is your strongest?
EnvyPak manufactures high-impact clear polypropylene envelopes. Loyalty marketers love EnvyPak because it’s an affordable vehicle, with a high perceived value, that allows personalized content to show through. Our clear, curbside recyclable, machine insertable envelopes are a perfect fit for most loyalty campaigns.
A recent monumental USPS automation letter approval drastically lowered the cost to mail EnvyPaks, creating a surge in demand. ALR (automation letter rate) envelopes are EnvyPak’s strongest core product.
Based in Ohio, EnvyPak also manufactures clear packaging products for the medical, industrial, and hospitality industries. Additional core products include traditional EnvyPak clear envelopes, adhesive pockets, pouches, and custom solutions.
What is the market asking for? How has that changed over the last 12 months?
Our target is a big brand, high-end client that uses direct mail. Our target client who used traditional paper direct mail envelopes in the past may have stopped using them because they no longer work very well. Today’s marketers demand a better ROI. They’re asking us for something more, something totally unique. The EnvyPak USPS Automation Letter Rate clear poly envelope meets those expectations.
What are some key ways you differentiate from your competitors?
The main reason we’re different is that we’re the only supplier of a clear envelope that can be mailed at a letter rate. And unlike our competitors, our products are not plastic bags or sleeves. EnvyPak envelopes are open on one end, and welded on the sides and bottom.
Our clear poly envelopes can be also be fully customized. We work with our customers to create vibrant, full cover images and type, printed directly on the envelope, using our high-end printing capabilities. Although we stock many popular sizes, we can also design unique shapes and sizes for a truly custom product. EnvyPak is also one of the only clear envelopes that can be machine inserted and sealed with hotmelt glue. This is a huge time and cost-saving benefit for our customers.
How do you define customer loyalty, experience, and engagement?
At EnvyPak, we believe loyalty is making our top clients feel special and well-taken care of. We believe we create loyalty by providing truly valuable products that work the way they’re expected to.
We offer our clients a product no one else has. An EnvyPak envelope is engineered and formatted in a way that gives direct mail the “Wow!” factor. The envelope is completely clear, so the contents can peek through and spark the recipient’s curiosity. We like to say our clear envelopes create “direct mail magic” because of how they interact with their contents. An EnvyPak mailer creates customer conversations, which drives results. That’s how we provide value for our customer.
What’s going to be the biggest trend in 2019? How does your company plan to address it?
The biggest trend we see impacting us is the use of data-driven, very personalized direct mail. Marketers who use EnvyPak clear envelopes have the ability to do something very interesting with personalization. Someone who receives an EnvyPak direct mailer can see through the envelope and read the personalization printed on the inside contents. Moving the personalization to the contents frees up the EnvyPak envelope to be used for full color art and graphics. Our poly envelopes withstand the rigors of mailing and distribution and sail through automation machines, making it a win-win for direct mail.
Conclusion
Our discussion with Bannon offers valuable insights for marketers in the customer loyalty space. Brands need to remember to make their customers feel special. This can be done through personalization and differentiation. Even when brands operate in different industries, cross-benchmarking is a still a good practice. Figuring out ways to create the same “direct mail magic” in the food service industry or in the online retail industry is still a necessity. We expect that brands that do create this magic for their customers will be more successful than brands that don’t.