feature article

Save A Tree, Build Your Brand?

With gas prices climbing near $4 per gallon, landfills reaching capacity and global warming poised to become the major issue on the global political scene, consumers and corporations are increasingly concerned about their ecological footprint. Green building and green manufacturing are growing trends in nearly every industry and corporate sustainability has become not only an environmentally-responsible policy, but a fiscally-responsible one as well.

But we here at Trilix (and many of our clients and Three Scoops readers) don’t run a factory, operate a fleet of trucks or directly mine Earth’s natural resources. We’re marketers. But that begs the question: Is there such a thing as green marketing? And if so, can going green with your marketing positively impact your brand?

It certainly goes without saying that being seen as environmentally-conscious is something that, almost without exception, can only help your brand. It’s something that more and more consumers care about, and by caring about the same things they do, you’re giving them one more reason to choose you. Below you’ll find a few simple strategies you can employ to green-up your marketing.

Go Digital
Email and the Internet have unwittingly taken much of marketers’ burden off the planet. By communicating electronically, you eliminate many of the costs and natural resources needed to get your message out.

Let’s take, for example, the simple act of sending a printed letter to one of your customers… Trees were cut down to produce the paper and envelopes. The logs, finished paper and envelopes were shipped by gas-guzzling trucks or ships. The paper mill and printing facility had potentially negative impact on the environment. And then you put it back on a truck or airplane to send that letter to your customers.

All that, or you could have just sent an e-mail and referred them to your Web site.

FSC Certification
Another great way to “go green” with your marketing is to ensure that any and all of your printed materials are printed on FSC Certified paper by an FSC Certified printer. Forest Stewardship Council certification ensures that the paper (from the forest, to the mill, to the printer) and printing process is sustainable and environmentally-friendly.

Green Providers
Partnering with green-conscious providers is another way to ensure your company’s marketing footprint is as green as possible. This can be as simple as specifying recycled paper and soy-based inks when printing, to hosting your Web site with a hosting company powered by solar or wind energy. Does your sales team drive company cars? Perhaps you should consider hybrid or alternative fuel vehicles.

The above strategies are just a few of the ways you can green-up your marketing efforts and the perception of your company. And best of all, doing these things doesn’t have to hurt your bottom line. In fact, it might just help it.

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