Direct Mail Saves the World.... Again

Times are tough, and both pocket books and the planet are taking a beating. But good old Direct mail comes to the rescue once again, and fitting your campaign with earth friendly green practices can not only  draw in some customers, but maybe even save a little green in the wallet too. So maybe it won't save the world... but its a start.We love these tips from the USPS website on going green! 


Green ideas for mailers:

Artist Sandhi Schimmel Gold has another take on going
green with mailers. She uses "junk mail" (her words, not mine)
to create portraits, like this one.

• Regularly update and improve your mailing lists to limit duplication and waste.
• Use research to effectively target your customers. Folks who live in apartment buildings, for example, probably don’t need lawn services.
• Allow customers to opt out of your mailings to ensure you’re not sending them unwanted mail.
• Use recycled materials for the mailings you create.
• When sourcing paper, make sure that it comes from forests managed with practices certified by independent, third-party organizations such as the Sustainable Forest Initiative (www.sfiprogram.org) and the Forest Stewardship Council (www.fsc.org).
• Design your mailings to be recyclable, too, by printing with water-based inks, on uncoated paper stocks, and sending windowless envelopes.
• Print on both sides of the paper to save resources and reduce mailing costs.
• Ship your products with USPS Cradle-to-Cradle^SM certified packaging, and encourage customers to save energy with USPS delivery.
• Encourage your customers to recycle the mailing once they’ve read it, and tell them how you made your mailing as green as possible.
• Use a PURL instead of a BRC. It will save paper, and money on postage.

Want to evaluate the environmental impact of your marketing process? With help from the DMA you can. Complete the checklist and generate an environmental action plan and/or policy for your company.