With direct mail campaigns, you have a formidable foe: the envelope. The envelope is a necessary element with brochures, letters, flyers basically anything other than the postcard and it can be the one thing that stands in the way of the prospect seeing your message.

But it does not have to be. You can use the envelope to work for you, not against you. An envelope does not have to mean a one-way ticket to the trash can. All you have to do is adjust your envelope printing methods and you can change a foe into a friend.

Here are some envelope printing ideas to make your envelope enticing instead of a roadblock:

Ditch the plain white, look-like-everyone-else envelope. White is not your only option when it comes to envelopes. This is an easy one since most other envelopes are white, you can choose any color other than white and have a great chance of sticking out from the crowd. A yellow, red or green envelope can work wonders for getting peoples attention. Just make sure your envelope is a light color so that the post offices ink can still be seen clearly.

Try this on for size: use a different size envelope. Mail your letter in a huge envelope. Mail your brochure in a tiny envelope. Or use a square envelope. Use a size or shape that will help your marketing piece stand out from the rectangular boredom that is the rest of the mail. You cannot get too crazy though check out the U.S. Postal Services Web site at www.usps.com to make sure your shape or size is legal with them. If it is not, you will end up just wasting your money. Unless, of course, you like having wallpaper made out of odd shaped envelopes.

Hey, you! Personalize the envelope. That is right, I am talking to you. Use the recipients name on the envelope and address that person directly. (And no Im not talking about the address label I am talking about using space other than the address label.) Use a colored font (red or green work well) to send a message directly to the recipient on the front of the envelope, preferably in a handwriting-type of font. Use the first name: George, you can save 50% on your next gardening purchase.

Start your advertisement on the front of the envelope. This goes along with the previous recommendation of personalizing the envelope. If you do not want to take the time to print each individuals name on the front of the envelope, print something more generic. You can use a teaser like Look inside for a coupon for $10 off XX product or Who can give you the lowest interest rate?