Earth Day Marketing and Education- Do They Have to Be Mutually Exclusive?

Austin, Texas: With Earth Day only a few months away (April 22), we are getting our yearly calls and online orders for eco-friendly promotional products–mostly used for outreach programs.

Many of my clients are participating in Earth Day celebrations as a way of promoting their brand. Nothing  wrong with that, as Earth Day helps businesses to reach a green-friendly audience.

However, many of my best clients view Earth Day as an opportunity to try to educate the public on improved recycling and conservation techniques and strategies.   This provides for a robust interchange of ideas that can improve both short-term and long-term reduction in one’s carbon footprint.

I like to think of Earth Day as a way to combine both aspects–outreach and branding for businesses of all sizes. If you show that your company is truly committed to green causes, then you will want to educate.

Make Earth Day a part of your brand  strategy–not an afterthought.

An educated customer is a life-long customer–so spend time educating your customers on why they should go green and how they can go green.

Don’t tout your company.  Promote the cause and your branding will follow.

Speak at schools and community events.

Leave the audience with action steps that they can take to reduce energy consumption immediately.

Explain the whys and hows of recycling.

Discuss the need for reusable tote bags instead of plastic single-use bags.

Be a valued resource on issues of the environment.

Here are some ideas of educating the public and branding that you might find helpful:

If you are trying to reach students, some of our most popular promotional out-reach items are imprinted coloring books that make it fun to learn about recycling or energy conservation. Another low-cost item are recycling temporary tattoos that promote recycling and other green causes. These can be stock or have your logo added to them.

If you are reaching a more mature population, than recycling information guides have been a very useful way of education consumers on ways to reduce energy consumption, improve recycling and cut their carbon footprint.

Another popular items for Earth Day include jar openers made from recycled car tires, each with tips on improving the planet.

You can also use flower seed packets with tips on them, live tree seedlings with tips, and recycled journal books–again with helpful Earth Day tips.

Don’t give away items that will end up in a landfill.  Make Earth Day a time for education and out-reach–and the branding will take care of itself.

Believe in Earth Day..and make it a daily cause–not a yearly event.

Here’s to a greener tomorrow, today.

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Robert Piller, President of Eco Marketing Solutions, has over 25 years of experience in running and implementing green marketing campaigns and is a leader in the recycled promotional products industry, including offering one of the largest selections of reusable and organic tote bags, recycled and biodegradable water bottles, recycled pens and pencils in the country.

His company’s website, EcoMarketingSolutions.com, features over 25,000 eco-friendly promotional items in all price ranges, for any business or organization interested in going green. The site’s handy search tool helps you easily find biodegradable, organic and recycled imprinted promotional items in your price range and time frame.

You can also reach him by email (robert (at) ecomarketingsolutions.com) or comment on his blog postings at GreenSpotBlog.com or below at his Twitter link.

Product Safety and Quality Taking a Lead Role in Promotional Products

Austin, Texas: In my years of experience, I can sort the buyers of promotional products  into four main classifications:
1) Price is King

2) Need it Yesterday

3) Gimme the Newest, Latest & Greatest

4) Image is Everything

Up until recently, those four categories were sufficient. Sure, there were splinter groups–insisting only on eco-friendly promotional products or only promotional products Made in the USA.

But, with CPSIA and other health and safety related requirements and lawsuit threats, product safety and quality needs to become number one for any company that fears potential negative feedback or legal issues.

Eco Marketing Solutions has committed itself to working only with leading factories and suppliers that hold compliance issues at the forefront and build it into their business culture.

In fact, many of our top suppliers are active or founding members of the Quality Certification Alliance, an independent, accreditation organization whose mission is to elevate the standards by which industry firms that import and/or manufacture promotional products provide consistently safe, high-quality, socially compliant and environmentally conscientious merchandise.

QCA Accreditation is granted to companies who complete multiple independent third-party audit and comply with stringent standards, which are based upon a combination of state and national laws, international standards and industry-accepted best practices that are recognized for their strength and effectiveness by QCA Accredited companies, the promotional products industry and end-user clients.

According to the QCA website, in order to provide the accountability necessary to assure buyers and end users that products meet applicable measures of compliance, QCA Accreditation tests not only for the presence of and completeness of compliance programs but also the effectiveness of these programs in detecting and deterring noncompliance. This comprehensive program assess five key areas:

Product Safety

A QCA Certified Supplier has policies and procedures that are robust and able to detect and deter non-compliant product from shipping to customers. Corporate brand equity is also protected by reducing the need for product recalls, thus keeping news of any unsafe product out of the headlines. The processes include:

• A commitment to assuring consumer safety and brand security
• Design guidelines that cover legal and product performance requirements as well as raw material specifications
• A product approval protocol that assures only product meeting specified design guidelines is approved for manufacture
• Testing guidelines for internal evaluations and third-party assessments
• Mechanisms for assuring traceability
• Recall protocols

Product Quality

A QCA Certified Supplier has procedures in place governing product quality from design through manufacturing that provide a means to monitor and verify quality standards are maintained throughout the process. An expectation of quality is established with:

• A formally documented Quality Manual
• A process that assures only product for which an approved standard exists are manufactured
• Inspections for both pre- and post-shipments
• A process for evaluating root cause and assigning corrective actions
• Supplier qualification programs

Supply Chain Security

A QCA Certified Supplier’s policies and procedures meet the security criteria established by U.S. Customs’ C-TPAT (Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism) program that protects our borders. A supply chain security program should encompass both domestic and offshore process and facility review. It should include:

• Container security
• Facility physical security
• Procedural security
• Access control
• Supply chain visibility

Social Accountability

A QCA Certified Supplier’s policies and procedures ensure that those facilities that are part of its supply chain adhere to legal and ethical standards that are based on internationally agreed upon protocols of the UN Global Compact. These include:

• Worker’s rights
• Legal compensation requirements
• Physical working and living conditions
• Worker safety

Environmental Stewardship

A QCA Certified Supplier’s policies and procedures promote an ongoing stewardship of the environment, which includes:

• Compliance with local environmental regulations
• Recycling
• Restriction and monitoring for banned substances
• Resource management

Does it cost a little bit extra to go with factories that test and re-test for the highest quality standards? Yes, but only minimally.

When we checked prices between QCA products and similar non-accredited products, there was a price discrepancy of between 1.4% and 5.7% on 100 randomly selected items, with an average of 2.33% difference.

Is it worth it to your organization to pay an extra 2.33% to ensure the highest standards in quality and product safety?

If you are looking for the absolute cheapest promotional products without concern for safety or social responsibility, we are not going to be your best bet.

If you are looking to get promotional products that portrays your brand and image in the most positive light, we aim to be your client and partner in your marketing efforts.

Give us a call and let’s discuss how we can help you promote an environmental message in a socially responsible way.

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Robert Piller, President of Eco Marketing Solutions, has over 25 years of experience in running and implementing green marketing campaigns and is a leader in the recycled promotional products industry, including offering one of the largest selections of reusable and organic tote bags, recycled and biodegradable water bottles, recycled pens and pencils in the country.

His company’s website, EcoMarketingSolutions.com, features over 25,000 eco-friendly promotional items in all price ranges, for any business or organization interested in going green. The site’s handy search tool helps you easily find biodegradable, organic and recycled imprinted promotional items in your price range and time frame.

You can also reach him by email (robert (at) ecomarketingsolutions.com) or comment on his blog postings at GreenSpotBlog.com or below at his Twitter link.

The Golden Rule for Business

Austin, Texas: As an organization that is practicing sustainability and promoting the green movement, you are probably feeling good about your company and about yourself.

Good for you. Congratulations!

As a businessperson, we all have the ideal type of client we like to work with.

What are some characteristics of your ideal customer?

Doesn’t constantly haggle you on price?

Pays their bills on time?

Is a pleasure to work with?

Values your expertise and advice?

Sends you referrals?

Great. Now, put the shoe on the other foot and ask yourself these questions:

Are you acting the same way toward your vendors?

Are your practicing what you preach?

Are you following the Golden Rule (Do unto others as you would like them to do onto you)?

If not, why not?

Take some time to re-evaluate how you are doing business.

Do you like to be haggled on price on every job?  Neither do your top vendors.  Vet your vendors wisely, but then stop beating them up on price each time.

Do you return e-mails and phone calls promptly?  If you are not interested in an idea or proposal, do you at least answer their emails with a “Thanks .. but no thanks”.  Or do you ignore each message, hoping it goes away and never getting back to them –frustrating both of you with a series of unreturned phone calls and emails?

We all like referrals and the word-of-mouth business it brings us. Are you giving referrals to your vendors? I am sure it would be appreciated.  Are they on Facebook or Linked in? If so, give them a shout-out, a referral, a recommendation – a few simple words of thanks.

Are you paying your vendors promptly? It is not your suppliers fault that you are still waiting for one of your customers to pay you, or that you had an off-month.  Pay your vendors on time–or even early.

Are you buying recycled or sustainable products-for all your shopping needs (both business and personal)?

Are you trying to buy US-manufactured products whenever possible?

Business is a two-way street.  We rely on our vendors to make us look good.  They rely on us to keep them in business.

Let’s all take the time to conduct ourselves in a manner more to the way we would like to be treated.

Here’s to a better tomorrow, today.

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Robert Piller, President of Eco Marketing Solutions, has over 25 years of experience in running and implementing green marketing campaigns and is a leader in the recycled promotional products industry, including offering one of the largest selections of reusable and organic tote bags, recycled and biodegradable water bottles, recycled pens and pencils in the country.

His company’s website, EcoMarketingSolutions.com, features over 25,000 eco-friendly promotional items in all price ranges, for any business or organization interested in going green. The site’s handy search tool helps you easily find biodegradable, organic and recycled imprinted promotional items in your price range and time frame.

You can also reach him by email (robert (at) ecomarketingsolutions.com) or comment on his blog postings at GreenSpotBlog.com or below at his Twitter link.

Austin, Texas: Since the new year has just begun, now is the ideal time to think about volunteering and helping a green non-profit organization increase awareness and help to raise much needed funds.

As a green marketer, we are all in this together.

Creating educated consumers is good for your business, as they are the ones that can better appreciate the importance of buying green and going green.

Outreach is one of the basic tenets of green marketing–promoting the need for, and the importance of, green causes, behaviors and political and social movements.

Look into some green organizations–either at the local, state or national level and volunteer your time.  Get involved.

Get known as an organization that cares about the environment-not just about making money.

Help this organization politic for greener standards.

Help them to raise much needed money.

Help them recruit new volunteers.

Help them to create greater awareness.

It is a win-win relationship. Don’t sit back and let the green movement come to you.

You need to come to the green movement.

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Robert Piller, President of Eco Marketing Solutions, has over 25 years of experience in running and implementing green marketing campaigns and is a leader in the recycled promotional products industry, including offering one of the largest selections of reusable and organic tote bags, recycled and biodegradable water bottles, recycled pens and pencils in the country.

His company’s website, EcoMarketingSolutions.com, features over 25,000 eco-friendly promotional items in all price ranges, for any business or organization interested in going green. The site’s handy search tool helps you easily find biodegradable, organic and recycled imprinted promotional items in your price range and time frame.

You can also reach him by email (robert (at) ecomarketingsolutions.com) or comment on his blog postings at GreenSpotBlog.com or below at his Twitter link.

Austin, Texas: As the year comes to a close, it is time to take a look back at your marketing efforts to see if you met your green marketing goals.

As an eco-marketing company, you must be at the forefront of green technology,  waste reduction, recycling and other green initiatives.

Take a look back to see if you can pinpoint measurable reductions in paper usage, miles driven by you and your fellow employees, energy reductions in running your business, supply chain mandates, etc.

Talk to your employees about other areas where you can achieve energy savings, whether it be as simple as thermostat changes and weatherization or more profound and deeper changes.

As the new year approaches, take time to see where you can lead on environmental causes, promote green outreach programs and motivate and inspire your employees, your customers, your vendors and the general public.

Look over your marketing materials to see how you can educate your audience both on the value of your greener product or service, but also on environmental issues in general.

Be sure to practice what you preach in terms of using recycled paper for print, as well as using recycled promotional products to carry your branded message.

Going green cannot be a one-person plan. Be sure your employees are actively behind your green initiatives and agenda.

Did you reach the goal of 10% energy reduction in 2011?

If not, let’s double down and make it happen in 2012.

If so, can you achieve 11% reduction this year?

Keep striving for a greener planet.

We’re all in it together.

Happy New Year!

May 2012 be the greenest one yet.

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Robert Piller, President of Eco Marketing Solutions, has over 25 years of experience in running and implementing green marketing campaigns and is a leader in the recycled promotional products industry, including offering one of the largest selections of reusable and organic tote bags, recycled and biodegradable water bottles, recycled pens and pencils in the country.

His company’s website, EcoMarketingSolutions.com, features over 25,000 eco-friendly promotional items in all price ranges, for any business or organization interested in going green. The site’s handy search tool helps you easily find biodegradable, organic and recycled imprinted promotional items in your price range and time frame.

You can also reach him by email (robert (at) ecomarketingsolutions.com) or comment on his blog postings at GreenSpotBlog.com or below at his Twitter link.

Austin, Texas: A few weeks back I had attended a trade show for the wholesale trade and was amazed at the number of people with banners touting “Eco-Friendly” and “Go Green”, etc.

Being a green marketing company, those signs immediately attracted my attention and I stopped at most of these booths.

Unfortunately, I was quite disappointed at how these firms substantiated their claims.

Just because an item can be recycled, does not necessarily make it eco-friendly. Many of these companies had no clue as to the recycle symbols on their products, whether or not it had any recycled material, country of origin, etc.

Customers are wary of claims that cannot be backed up with proof.

Then, on top of that, the majority of these companies had business cards that were not made on recycled paper stock or FSC-certified paper– nor were their catalogs or flyers.

Pay attention to the little things.

Going green means paying attention to the details, big and small..

If you claim to be green, at least know the issues that are affecting the country in terms of sustainability, carbon footprint and even climate change.

If your business cards and flyers are not recycled or FSC-certified, take down your “eco-friendly” banners- and decide if marketing to a green niche is the right target audience for you.

Marketing takes consistency.

Is your green marketing message consistent?

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Robert Piller, President of Eco Marketing Solutions, has over 25 years of experience in running and implementing green marketing campaigns and is a leader in the recycled promotional products industry, including offering one of the largest selections of reusable and organic tote bags, recycled and biodegradable water bottles, recycled pens and pencils in the country.

His company’s website, EcoMarketingSolutions.com, features over 25,000 eco-friendly promotional items in all price ranges, for any business or organization interested in going green. The site’s handy search tool helps you easily find biodegradable, organic and recycled imprinted promotional items in your price range and time frame.

You can also reach him by email (robert (at) ecomarketingsolutions.com) or comment on his blog postings at GreenSpotBlog.com or below at his Twitter link.

Austin, Texas: I have written several posts over the past few years on the need for more green outreach programs to help promote environmental causes.

Good news- November 15th is America Recycles Day - a full day to promote the value of recycling.

If you are a green marketer or promote the fact that you are “going green”, this is a tremendous opportunity to put your money where your mouth is.

Promote recycling to your audience.

     Be loud.

     Be proud.

     Be seen.

     Be heard.

     Get noticed.

One place to start is by joining with your nearest affiliate branch of Keep America Beautiful, which you can find at the link.

If you are  a recycler, this day should be highlighted on your calendar every year..and planned far in advance, so you can coordinate outreach programs.   I find it funny that I am still receiving calls, faxes and emails for last minute imprinted recycled tote bags and recycled pens– and the event is less than two weeks away. This seems to be the pattern year after year.

The  America Recycles Day website offers several useful toolkits that you can re-print to promote the one day event. This is an easy place to start, as they have slides, handouts, activities, games and other pre-planned programs available.

Sponsor a recycling drop-off program or pair up with those already in place.  The website has a zip code guide to the nearest recycling locations.

Volunteer to talk to a school about the need for increased recycling activity.  Children are the greatest demographic for environmental awareness activities, and as the future protectors of this planet, the best place to start.

If you are a bit more daring, volunteer to speak at senior centers, church groups, Chamber of Commerce, Kiwanis, Lions Clubs and other organizations and encourage them to take a pledge to recycle .  I say more daring, as there will usually be more climate change deniers among those crowds, so you need to be prepared for a little more push back.

Be sure your company is implementing a recycling program for all employees, so you are practicing what you preach.  Encourage employees to recycle at home, as well.

Promote recycling on your company website, catalogs, blogs, etc.  Get the message out.

Learn recycling facts and bring them up on as many occasions as possible.  I found a great source of recycling facts and figures at Recycling Revolution‘s website that are sure to amaze and inspire.  For example, “If every American recycled just one-tenth of their newspapers, we would save about 25,000,000 trees a year.”

America Recycles Day is November 15th.

How will you be promoting recycling to your audience?

Please let me know what type of activities you will be participating in, send images, etc. so I can mention them in future blog posts.

Let’s Make Every Day, Earth Day.

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Robert Piller, President of Eco Marketing Solutions, has over 25 years of experience in running and implementing green marketing campaigns and is a leader in the recycled promotional products industry, including offering one of the largest selections of reusable and organic tote bags, recycled and biodegradable water bottles, recycled pens and pencils in the country.

His company’s website, EcoMarketingSolutions.com, features over 25,000 eco-friendly promotional items in all price ranges, for any business or organization interested in going green. The site’s handy search tool helps you easily find biodegradable, organic and recycled imprinted promotional items in your price range and time frame.

You can also reach him by email (robert (at) ecomarketingsolutions.com) or comment on his blog postings at GreenSpotBlog.com or below at his Twitter link.

The Value of Recycled Promotional Products

Austin, Texas: I got a call this morning from a green marketing consultant wondering whether or not she should spend the extra money getting recycled journal books rather than regular ones, imprinted with her name.

The price difference was nominal– maybe 25 cents on a $4 imprinted journal book.  

I was shocked, speechless for a few seconds.  Then I started to laugh.

If you are a company that is serious about green marketing, your thinking has to be focused 100% on green.

• No dithering.
• No “sometimes”.
• No “maybe”.
• No “only if I get a great deal”, etc.

If you do not show a genuine commitment to eco marketing, then you are, at best, not serious about the environment– and, at worst, a fraud or hypocrite.

Going green is not a part-time cause.

It is a way of thinking – a way of acting.

It is a change in your behavior, activities and a change in the way you look at the world.

Going green should be a trigger to change how you do many of the everyday tasks in life–from driving, to shopping, eating, switching to energy efficient lightbulbs and appliances, etc.

If you are to consider yourself a green organization, you need to live green.

• Act green.
• Think green.
• Read about green.
• Write about green.
• Preach green.
• Vote green.
• Editorialize about green.
• Be green.

If not, do not even think about using the words “eco”, “green” or “environmental” anywhere in your name, in your logo – on your mission statement, your website, etc.

We don’t need green wash. We don’t need subterfuge.

If you are going to carry the green banner, let’s take a more serious view of our commitment to the environment and to social causes.

Let’s make a difference.

Here’s to a greener tomorrow, today.
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Robert Piller, President of Eco Marketing Solutions, has over 25 years of experience in running and implementing green marketing campaigns and is a leader in the recycled promotional products industry, including offering one of the largest selections of reusable and organic tote bags, recycled and biodegradable water bottles, recycled pens and pencils in the country.

His company’s website, EcoMarketingSolutions.com, features over 25,000 eco-friendly promotional items in all price ranges, for any business or organization interested in going green. The site’s handy search tool helps you easily find biodegradable, organic and recycled imprinted promotional items in your price range and time frame.

You can also reach him by email (robert (at) ecomarketingsolutions.com) or comment on his blog postings at GreenSpotBlog.com or below at his Twitter link.

Austin, Texas: I have written in the past about the need for more than one day a year to educate the American public on energy conservation and sustainability.

Earth Day is great, but it is too hard to cram everything in to one day in order to make much of an impact and change people’s attitudes and perceptions about the environment.

This series of events would allow schools, government entities, and businesses more time to engage with its public and to seek solutions for a greener and cleaner planet.

I had previously suggested Earth Week or Earth Awareness Month instead of Earth Day, as two simple alternatives.

Another option would be to have a series of 12 one-day events, each focusing on a different aspect of the environment, as well as on alternative energy discussions. This could be under a larger umbrella, such as Earth Day: Solar, or Earth Day:Recycling, to add some cohesiveness to these days

Recycle Day: Yes, I know that there already is an America Recycles Day, in November, but as part of a 12-part Earth Day series, I believe it would generate more buzz.

Solar Day: This new movement, which is in June, would also gain panache and standing if it was part of the Earth Day Series.

Other suggestions for this series would include:

Compost Day

Carbon Footprint Day

Sustainability Day

Unplug Day

Wind Power Day

What eco-days would you suggest and why?
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Robert Piller, President of Eco Marketing Solutions, has over 25 years of experience in running and implementing green marketing campaigns and is a leader in the recycled promotional products industry, including offering one of the largest selections of reusable and organic tote bags, recycled and biodegradable water bottles, recycled pens and pencils in the country.

His company’s website, EcoMarketingSolutions.com, features over 25,000 eco-friendly promotional items in all price ranges, for any business or organization interested in going green. The site’s handy search tool helps you easily find biodegradable, organic and recycled imprinted promotional items in your price range and time frame.

You can also reach him by email (robert (at) ecomarketingsolutions.com) or comment on his blog postings at GreenSpotBlog.com or below at his Twitter link.

Austin, Texas:  Companies of all sizes are talking about corporate culture these days.

But are your employees all on the same track? If not, how can they positively shape your brand?

As more and more companies open up their social media to all employees, it is imperative that each employee buys into your agenda, so that your corporate culture can be expressed freely, but with a clear understanding.

For green businesses and organizations that are going green, it is crucial that when hiring, you seek employees that understand and appreciate the green movement, and understand global warming, sustainability and how mankind impacts these issues.

Ask questions to uncover their thoughts on these important green issues.

What are their thoughts on global warming?

See what kind of car they drive.

Discuss your corporate culture and be sure the buy into it.

A company is only as good as their weakest link.

Without complete buy-in, this employee might engage with customers online, in person, at a trade show or on the phone or with peers — and their message may not be in sync with your own.

Each employee must truly understand and believe in your green mission in order to spread your culture.

Take time before hiring your next employee.  Instill in them your green mission, your corporate goals — and make sure they are in alignment.

This is true from everyone from the shipping clerk to your bookkeeper, and everyone in between.

Corporate culture shapes brand culture.

Keep training and instilling your green mission and culture into your employees. Brand it into your employees as much, if not more, than you brand it to your customers.

A green corporate culture must be nurtured.  It cannot be a one time event, or mentioned and promoted only for your annual Earth Day celebration.

It must be a part of how your company does business. It must be a part of your company’s footprint and brand identity.

And it must be part of your employees personal beliefs.

Shape those already on board for buy-in.

And make sure all new hires understand and agree with your corporate green mission and stance on sustainability and environmental agenda.

I am all for diversity in a workforce.  Political parties, race, religion, age — variety is the spice of life and it is good to have a broad mix.

But if your employees do not believe in your green agenda, they can unintentionally subvert your mission and show your company in a poor light during customer interactions.

What kind of questions are you asking your new hires to make sure they want to be a part of your green business?

Please share them with me.  I’d like to know.

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Robert Piller, president of Eco Marketing Solutions, is experienced in green marketing campaigns and recycled promotional products.

His company’s website, EcoMarketingSolutions.com, features over 25,000 eco-friendly promotional items in all price ranges, for any business or organization interested in going green. The site’s handy search tool helps you easily find biodegradable, organic and recycled imprinted promotional items in your price range and time frame.

You can also reach him by email (robert (at) ecomarketingsolutions.com) or comment on his blog postings at GreenSpotBlog.com or below at his Twitter link.