Standing out in the crowded mailbox is one of the chores facing any direct mail campaign.

I’m a big fan of the regular old direct mail letter in the regular old #10 regular envelope. Problem is, that delivery mechanism can be, well, regular.

One of my secret weapons (okay, not really so secret, just rarely used) is to employ the #12, not so regular, envelope. The primary difference is size. A standard #10 regular business envelope is 4 1/8 x 9 1/2 in size while a #12 is – 4 3/4 x 11. This little extra size allows your envelope to stand out and get attention, whether you are mailing a handful or thousands. It also allows you to include some oversized materials inside as well.

While they may cost a little more to buy, you can still use regular first class postage on them. I believe the extra attention, sales and appointments are worth the extra cost.

You can acquire #12 envelopes from most any office supply store, your local print shop or online printers such as Action Envelope.