MARKETING FEATURE

Everyone seems to be hopping on the “go green” bandwagon—except for direct marketers. That’s according to a Forrester Research study published last month that finds less than one-third of direct marketers surveyed listed environmental concerns as a factor when making decisions.

Whether you’re a marketing generalist or a direct marketing specialist, the decisions you make affect on the environment. So how can we, as marketers, have a positive impact on the environment without negatively impacting the bottom line of the business?

Suggestion #1: Smarter direct mail
While one option is to stop all direct mail and rely completely on the email channel, that’s neither practical nor possible for most of us. How would you reach the large portion of your audience who are not opted-in to email? How would retail cataloguers reach that portion of society who still doesn’t shop online? Response rates would decline even further from the lack of best practice multi-channel marketing.

Clearly, ceasing direct mail is not an option. But we can all do smarter direct mail.

What is smarter direct mail?  Smarter direct mail:
>  Is sent to a more targeted list
>  Is printed on recycled, bio-degradable paper
>  Uses a smaller form factor
>  Drives people to the web for the bulk of the content

Suggestion #2: Read/Do Research
Be sure to order the DMA’s “Green 15” Toolkit.  It’s only $5 per copy for DMA members and provides a checklist of things marketers can and should be doing to improve their commitment to the environment.

Suggestion #3: Put your content on the web
Make sure your printed publications (i.e. quarterly magazines and newsletters) are published online. Begin to phase out the printed versions. Not only is this an excellent way to save paper, it’s a good way to get your customers to finally opt-in to receiving email. This also provides greater SEO because it’s web searchable and helps users find your content when they want it.

Suggestion #4: Market yourself internally
Marketers often forget to do what we do best inside our own companies. Once you have some initiatives launched, share the news with other departments to encourage them to do the same. Share results. You’ll find that doing something good for the environment makes everyone feel good.

Suggestion #5: Go virtual
In today’s world of high gas-prices, bumper-to-bumper traffic, BlackBerrys, and high-speed internet, why not go virtual? Encourage your staff to telecommute from home. MergingDesign has had a virtual environment for over five years and our staff thrives on it. So save the gas money and time sitting in traffic. Use it instead on creative ideas and strategic thinking for your next campaign.

Being concerned for the environment is something we shouldn’t be guilted into doing. There are business-driven motivations that make green thinking more than a bandwagon to hop on. You can improve your marketing effectiveness—and you’re your bottom line—at the same time you reduce your carbon footprint. That’s a smart message your audience will be happy to hear about.