The DMA is now being set recycling targets by DEFRA, the department for environmental and rural affairs, the first of which is to recycle 30 per cent of mail by the end of 2005; hence it is in everyone’s interest to play their part.
There are an increasing number of ways to carry out green marketing, but the key is education. Decide what your environmental plan is going to be and advise personnel of your goals. Staff, clients and suppliers can all be involved in devising a strategy that suits all parties. This will enable a more streamlined operation and ensure the most effective plan of action for your business.
Many solutions can be implemented efficiently inhouse, although in order to see the maximum cost benefits, many companies choose to work with a data management bureau.
By pulling together the following solutions, your company can improve the environmental performance of its direct marketing strategies:
Effective data hygiene
This should form the basis of green direct marketing. A well-maintained database will ensure reduced waste by eliminating duplicates and poor-quality addresses. Your clients should also be encouraged to advise of changes to their details, by being offered a quick and easy method of notification. Provision of a simple form to be returned via post or fax is a popular method, although an email address or link to a web-based form to be completed online is more modern and would further support a green strategy.
Management of goneaway returns
This can yield significant benefits. It helps keep your database up to date and also reduce the amount of money spent, and waste created through mailing businesses that are no longer there.
When disposing of goneaway returns, recycling collection services are available free of charge from many local authorities. Many companies have also eliminated polywrap from their mailings due to its large recycling costs.
Use suppression files
Many suppression files are available, providing lists of businesses that have moved. These lists can be cross-referenced with your databases and whilst these files carry an initial fee, they can provide significant savings in the long term and also helps to further reduce wastage.
Matching your data against the Mailing Preference Service (MPS) list ensures compliance and reduces the instances of mailings being sent to customers who do not want them. Although the MPS file is predominantly a consumer list, many SME and SoHo companies are registered and therefore, recommend its use as best practice.
All direct marketing companies are, of course, obliged to allow clients to opt-out of mailing lists at any time.
Design and production
It is also possible for companies to use environmentally-friendly design and production techniques for direct mail campaigns. The use of recycled paper is already fairly prevalent but also consider using recycled plastics, lightweight paper and decreased packaging. The use of the right envelopes is also surprisingly important. Envelopes with plastic windows are much harder to recycle than plain ones.
The introduction of Royal Mail’s Pricing in Proportion has also seen many companies revise the design of their direct mail.
The electronic alternative
DM is experiencing massive change and electronic technology can offer major savings both environmentally and financially. Marketing campaigns can benefit from combined communications in which traditional methods such as catalogues work alongside electronic campaigns. Your monthly mailshot, for example, can be reduced to a bi-monthly mailing, whilst every other month an email is sent to support your campaign. Unlike bulk mailings of hard copy material, emailed communications can now be personalised to suit the buying relationship you have with a customer. This practice reinforces your company/client relations whilst drastically reducing paper usage.
Emails also provides the opportunity to alter the frequency which mailings are distributed. A large percentage of your client base will be dormant and mailing material to them will gain little or no response. These entries can be segmented and dealt with separately from active clients, again reducing costs and waste.
Self cleaning emails
Finally, the waste from out-of-date databases can be reduced through self cleaning emails. Some large marketing and stakeholder databases are now maintained automatically the database server tracks record updating and if a record is not updated within a given period, usually 180 days, the email is sent out with all the recipient’s details, inviting them to make changes. These are then automatically updated on the database. Clever design and the ability to tailor the pursuit of business have made electronic marketing an increasingly popular option with many companies, and it presents the opportunity to combine modern cost-saving marketing practices with a conscious commitment to the ongoing welfare of our environment.
