Earth Day: Eliminate Junk Mail and Go Green with Inbound Marketing

Today is Earth Day. It’s a cause that most can get behind. After all, who doesn’t want a cleaner Earth? Today you’re probably taking time to be more conscious about your carbon footprint and consider some changes that you can make in your everday life to be more environmentally friendly. As you explore the changes that you may want to make in your life, don’t miss one that’s right under your nose: the way you market. Traditional marketers prepare yourself: Currently there is 71.6 million tons of paper waste annually in the United States.

If you don’t already know, we’re huge proponents of inbound marketing around here – that’s marketing that lives almost exclusively on the web. No print ads, no flyers, no direct mail – just straight up content published on one of the greenest mediums there is – an intangible world wide web. The reach is infinite and the environmental impact is minimal. Don’t believe me? Let’s explore some frightening statistics about direct mail.

Junk Mail Statistics

• Junk mail in the US accounts for over 100 million pieces of mail each year – about 20% of all mailed delivered in the world.


• Every year, American households receive a total of 104.7 billion pieces of junk mail, or 848 pieces of junk mail per household, which requires 6.5 million tons of paper.


• Approximately 44% of junk mail goes to landfills unopened.


• The greenhouse gases created each year by junk mail are the equivalent of 2.4 million cars, idlng 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.


• When paper decomposes in a landfill, it releases methane, a greenhouse gas 23 times more potent than carbon dioxide

Junk Mail Response Rates vs Inbound Cost

44% of junk mail goes to land fills unopened with a response rate of only 1%, on average. If the response rates and waste weren’t bad enough there’s the investment. Direct mail is not cheap. In fact, inbound marketing costs on average approximately 62% less than outbound marketing tactics. Inbound marketing also focuses on a single buyer persona with keywords that that persona would likely be using to find you – much more targeted than an arbitrary envelope in a stranger’s mailbox.

Give the people what they want.

• 80% of business decision makers prefer to get company information in a series of articles versus an advertisement.


• 68% of consumers are likely to spend time reading content from a brand that they’re interested in.


• 90% of consumers find custom content useful and 78% believe that organizations providing custom content are interested in building good relationships with them.

Beyond the environment, the fact of the matter is that your potential customers want more from you than a creative tagline on an overpriced ad or some pitchy letting touting a promotion. They’re looking for expertise and guidance when they find you.

This Earth Day, make a change. Do your part to eliminate the unnecessary waste caused by junk mail and start your first inbound marketing campaign today.

via Business 2 Community http://ift.tt/1rfQ2au