Is Your Direct Mail Marketing Campaign Environmentally Friendly?

One of the biggest arguments against the use of direct mail marketing and other forms of print advertising is the environmental impact. With the increased adoption of digital technologies, paperless offices are often seen as superior and more progressive. But knowing the merits of direct mailing as part of an integrated marketing approach, it is important that marketers adopt eco-friendly practices to make mail pieces acceptable to “green” recipients.

Here are some ideas to reduce the environmental impact of your next direct mail marketing campaign:

1. List management

   Revising your mailing list is a great place to start. Before sending out your next batch of mail pieces, you should remove any wrong addresses or recipients who have shown little interest – no results or response – from the past campaigns. This will reduce the materials used – ink, paper, and postage – in your direct mail campaign, which will in turn reduce your carbon footprint and maximize your return on investment through targeted marketing.

2. Use recycled paper

   Most direct mail pieces are in the form of paper, whether it is a standard letter, a postcard, or a catalogue. Marketers can use papers with a higher amount of recycled content to reduce their carbon footprint. While these materials usually cost more than their counterparts, they provide greater variation in terms of texture, brightness, and coating to help your mail piece stand out. Moreover, the goodwill benefit may be worth the investment.

3. Be creative and innovative when creating mail pieces

   Direct mail marketing generally demands out-of-the-box thinking to make your mail pieces stand out from the rest, and at least get the recipient interested in opening them. Here are some creative ideas along the lines of environmental awareness:

   • Using paper made from consumer waste and other materials like sugarcane
   • Using lightweight papers for your letter-based mail pieces
   • Using chlorine-free paper – manufactured from chemical-free processes
   • Using mail pieces that require less paper and minimal packaging

   You can also choose to work only with environmental-friendly paper mills that employ best practises.

4. Use eco-friendly inks, varnishes, and coatings

   Research inks and coatings with the least environmental impact, to enhance the visual appeal of your mail pieces. For instance, you can switch to using agri-based inks and special coatings without reducing the effect of the design.

   Lastly, print environmental certifications clearly on your mail pieces and remind your recipients to recycle direct mail when they are done with it.

Interested in adding direct mail marketing to your advertising mix? Please call our Toronto mailing house at 1-866-486-0423. Troi spells success, one letter at a time!