Many months ago, I sat down with the data team at John Roberts and I grilled them about variable data printing. I wanted to understand how variable data works. And, no, I didn’t need a basic overview of what variable data is, and the components that were needed to make it happen.

I understood the principles of the process, what I needed to know was how a normal human being can start using variable data from scratch for the first time. I needed the practical tips and strategies for the common man, so to speak. Luckily, I was talking to the right people.

I’ve seen a lot of mail, and I can tell you that a lot of it is the same. Different content, yes, but the carrier is often a #10 envelope or a large card (a “billboard” as they call it in the mail industry).  Now, I’m not knocking these staples in the mailing industry — they’re proven formats that can be very effective, however they’re predictable.

These days I study all of the different ways we can be engaging as direct marketers, and the great news is, you don’t have to spend a ton of money to stand out. Today I’m going to share with you a few of my favorite “cheapskate” direct mail ideas.

As marketers, we’ve really met our match in the Millennials. They’re hard to reach, and they have the innate ability to completely tune out conventional marketing methods. In fact, a current study of Millennials by SocialChorus¹ uncovered some horrifying statistics for marketers:

• Only 6% think online advertising is credible
• 67% never click on sponsored stories
• 95% see friends as their most believable source for product information

We also know they skip commercials, skim content, multitask and have short attention spans. Their attention is limited, of course, because they are inundated with content—consuming more than 8 hours of content per day, according to a recent study by ZenithOptimedia.² So how can marketers break through the noise and get noticed?

In an eco-conscious day and age, the trend is to denounce print as evil and wasteful and bad for the environment. The argument is of course that it’s a physical thing, so why make something and send it, right? Save the natural resources—communicate digitally, and think before you print your email, too! 

When you get a letter in the mail with your name on the outside of the envelope, and your name in the greeting of the letter, do you ever wonder how it got there? Before you open it, do you ever question if what’s in the envelope is actually for you? If you’re like most people, the answer is no. That’s because the process of creating personalized mail components—and the technology behind it—is so good that almost no one gets the wrong mail.