Before stuffing your business correspondence in any old envelope, stop and consider the possibilities these small presentations bring. Envelopes can do much more than just hold content, they can help promote your business and insure the important paperwork inside is actually read. Your printed return address is standard and for no additional cost, your business envelopes can be designed to draw maximum attention and stand out from the rest of the mail received that day!

To understand how to discuss cost savings with your envelope supplier, you first need to know how an envelope is constructed. For printed envelopes, flat sheets of paper are printed that contain several envelope shapes that are “nested” or positioned on the sheet so that they can be die cut out later. A remoistenable strip of gum adhesive is added in position as well. Once the envelope shape is cut out, the envelope is “converted”, meaning each envelope is folded and glued, leaving the remoistenable glue flap open. The parts of an envelope are:

Front or face. This is where the address and postage is displayed and normally, your return address.

Back. Opposite from the front, duh, this is where the flap of the envelope meets the body of the envelope when it is folded and sealed.

Flaps. These are the parts of the envelope that are folded in to hold the contents. Usually the side flaps are folded in first and then the bottom flap is folded up and glued in place. Once the contents are inside, the top flap is folded down and then sealed. The top flap comes in different styles—square, pointed, and sometimes with a tear-off section for remittance or a special offer.

Envelope Marketing Tip #1- If your business envelopes are printed with your return address you can add even more printed copy at no additional charge, if printed in the same ink color or colors. Perhaps you would like to add something special to call attention to an important offer inside or let the receiver know that the contents are time sensitive. Maybe you would like to include your website address on the envelope or just add a simple design element. If you are printing your return address anyway, be creative and use the blank areas on both sides of the envelope to promote your business and add interest to your mailings.

Did you know that an envelope can be just as important as what is inside it? We all know that envelopes can come in all sorts of sizes, colors and styles, but often the look of the envelope itself may influence whether or not the receiver even bothers to open it.

A hand addressed envelope is much more likely to be opened than one with a label or an automated address printed on it. An envelope with a postage stamp glued to it is also viewed as more important than one on which postage is printed on it by a postage meter.

In future blogs we will discuss the finer points of the envelope. Taken for granted, this piece of folded up and glued paper can be quite exciting! Tomorrow we’ll discuss ways to use envelopes that you may not have considered previously, so stay tuned!

Yes, postage is going up again. It happens every year around this time as rates are adjusted. On May 11, a first-class stamp will go up by 2 cents to 44 cents. Still not a lot of money when you consider the services offered. Greeting cards sent through the mail from all over the U.S. right into the mailbox outside your front door are quite special and fun to receive. Considering the distance this one stamp will take your card or letter, which is less than the cost of a soda, 44¢ is pretty much a bargain, even in these tough economic times.

If you act quickly, before May 11, you can even avoid the 2 cent price increase by buying Forever stamps. The Forever stamp is the one with the bell on it and “Forever” printed down the side. You can buy as many of these as you want now and use them… you guessed it… forever!

The postal service is experiencing the same problems all businesses are. The Postmaster General asked Congress for permission to cut mail delivery to five days a week, given the $2.8 billion loss in income last year. So, don’t complain about the price hike, stock up on Forever stamps now and you’ll be set for whatever increases might occur in the future.

                                                                     
You’ve heard the term “Twitter” but what does it mean? Ellen spoke about it with Jay Leno Wednesday night and on The Ellen Show yesterday. She is going for over 1 million followers and has 111,597 right now. Seems everyone is twittering for business or pleasure but what is this all about? Here is a beginner’s guide to help you learn How to Use Twitter.

CardsDirect twitters. Follow us and you’ll be in great shape to receive updates on special discounts, new products, interesting information and more.

For business use, twitter can help you promote your brand or product, create buzz for upcoming events, interact with your customer base and see what others are saying about your company. It really is easy if you follow a few simple directions so get going and start tweeting!

And, as Ellen would say, “Tweet each other nicely!”

So how many of you are actually still holding to your New Years resolutions? A huge majority made weight loss a priority and that is a tough one to stick to especially if you enjoy eating out as much as I do!

If your job requires that you sit at a desk all day you probably look forward to going out for lunch. Years ago a business lunch lasted more than an hour and included a few adult drinks. These days if you eat lunch at all, you rush out for fast food and then scurry back to quickly consume it at your desk.

Great news! I just found a great resource for locating restaurants near you that will allow you stick to your diet and price range so that you can enjoy eating out without the guilt. Go to heathydiningfinder.com to find a restaurant in your area that features tasty and low calorie fare for lunch or dinner. You plug in your zip code, mileage range and price category and up pops several restaurant options from fast food to sit downs. Many healthy dining menu options are listed along with calorie counts and nutritional information.

Give it a try and enjoy eating a smart lunch out!