Just how Green is Affordable Image?
Everyone knows Affordable Image by our striking, vibrant green color in our branding but keeping in line with the “green”/ environmental issues, how is marketing a green industry?
Recently, I had the opportunity to attend a Green Business Event sponsored by S.C.O.R.E. Phoenix. It was really informative learning about the different “green technologies” and such, but one of the speakers had mentioned that marketing is an emerging green business. That struck me as odd because our industry, marketing and printing,has been a so called “green” business before green had made it into our current business culture’s buzz language.
So you may be asking your self “What the heck? How is marketing a green technology/ business?” Let me count the ways…
#1. Printing. For years the technology in the print industry has been making strides in helping the environment with digital presses. With digital presses, some of the old ways of printing offset eliminated the needs for creating films for press plates. For those who didn’t know, film is made out of oil products, so check one off the green friendly list.
#2 Paper & Ink. Did you know that there is about a bajillion different types of paper? Bonus points for you if you knew this fact…. That paper mills get their trees from Tree Farms not from endangered resources or forest preserves? Triple Bonus Facts if you know how many products that we use in our daily life that use the byproducts of wood.
Ink & toner is also plant based so that is why there are color variations between print runs!
#3. Using paper helps cut down electricity costs. If your business uses a printed piece of collateral, that single piece can act as a sales person for you 24/7, 365 days a year. Computers help cut down on the amount of what you see printed with email marketing but how much is that costing you the end consumer? You have to pay for the electricity to help power your unit, maintain and upgrade your equipment and if the electricity goes out, well, then you’re just out of luck. Electronics are harder to recycle then print products which put a greater strain on our landfills. Paper at least is biodegradable.
#4. You can use various forms of marketing to creating the ultimate plan to help generate more “green” for your wallet. By utilizing a blend of traditional and new forms of marketing, it can help generate business by covering all your bases and customers/ target market. If you put too much emphasis in one area versus spreading your message out (ex. Print collateral/ direct mail campaign/ website/ social media), you do yourself and your target market/ customers a disservice because they may not be able to get your message and not use your services!
#5 The Ultimate Green Marketing tool: Word-Of Mouth marketing. How much greener can you get? I don’t think that increases your carbon footprint in anyway unless you eat some funky stuff… Have some great printed tools to back that up and you are a marketing superstar! Just make sure you give out your business cards to back up what you say so people can contact & find you.
And the cherry on top of the sundae….
We care about the future of this blue marble we call Earth, so we decided at Affordable Image to implement a in-house recycling program so every bit of plastic, paper, cardboard, glass, and metal is recycled. We encourage our employees to bring in their recyclable items from home if they don’t have one in their neighborhood. Each month, we recycle more and more, making Affordable Image the true image of “green”.
