We decided to write a list of just a few helpful Green Marketing tips to consider in 2013. If you would like to add a few of your own, feel free to leave a comment or email us your most successful tips at [email protected].
Print all marketing materials on recycled paper.
Hold your meetings remotely. Try to coordinate meetings with colleagues and external vendors, over the Internet. Try utilizing tools such as Skype, TokBox, Google + and other free videoconferencing technologies.
Send email instead of paper newsletters. Email marketing (EMS) has a huge way of providing insights on how your marketing efforts are being received. For example, EMS can generally tell you what percentage of your emails were opened, how long they were opened, and which links were clicked.
If you’re going to use paper flyers, make sure you clearly indicate that they are recyclable. MAKE SURE to clearly print the phrase “THIS FLYER IS RECYCLABLE” on the backside. Though it may be obvious to some, many people need that instantaneous reminder.
Buy marketing materials locally. This will minimize the shipping costs both to your business and to the environment.
Use GreenSeal.org products in your marketing efforts. According to Green Seal they use a life cycle-based sustainability standard for their products, services, and companies. They also offer third-party certification for those that meet the criteria. They've done the sourcing. All you have to do is choose from the products they've already certified.
Sell online. This instantly expands your customer base from local to the world. This is great for the environment too, means you can sell more products with fewer people driving to your store, which reduces the amount of emissions polluting the atmosphere.
Buy promotional products that directly encourage green behavior. For example, instead of buying disposable bottles - order reusable mugs or water bottles. By using this promotional product you're putting the idea in front of people’s eyes for far longer, as the coffee mugs and/or water bottles are reusable.
Visit TheGreenOffice.com. TheGreenOffice.com is an ecommerce website that allows you to purchase all types of green-certified office products, many of which you’ll need for nearly any form of offline marketing.
Explore using reusable envelopes and/or recycled post-consumer content envelopes in your next direct mail campaign. Check out this leading reusable envelope brand: EcoEnvelopes.com.
List your products on GreenSeal.org and GoodGuide.com. GreenSeal.org and GoodGuide.com are great ways to get your eco-friendly products in front of people who are buying with green wallets.
Provide your customers with incentives to participate in green behavior. For example, offer coupons if customers provide evidence of green actions, such as 20% off coupons to customers who participate in your community’s park clean up event.
Think about how you can encourage green behavior within your own business. Reusable coffee mugs?
Use shredded scrap paper to ship promotional products. For even more sustainable packaging ideas, visit SustainablePackaging.org.
Environmentally friendly printing. Make sure you’re printing in a way that minimizes its effects on the environment, check out this website - GreenerPrinter.com it is a good place to start.
List your website in a variety of green directories. This alone isn’t a green activity, but it does do two things: 1. Helps you attract green-conscious customers. 2. being listed is legitimate, a useful directory helps advance your search engine optimization efforts, which is one of the greenest marketing methods available.
Encourage satisfied customers to review your business on Yelp.com. Yelp is increasingly becoming an integral part of any local marketing plan.
Balance the negative effects of travel with innovative carbon offsets from organizations like TreesForAll.info.