By Kim Peterson
About 4 min
Direct mail doesn't have to be environmentally unfriendly. In honor of Earth Day 2022, we're sharing the Monster approach to direct mail sustainability.
Do You Believe These Common Myths?
- Dogs only see in black and white. NOT TRUE
- Swallowed gum stays in your stomach for seven years. NOPE
- Direct mail campaigns can’t be eco-friendly. TOTALLY FALSE!
Direct mail has come a long way in going green.
Today as we honor our planet’s natural resources, we’d like to highlight just a few ways that Monster Lead Group incorporates sustainable practices into our clients’ direct mail campaigns.
Want to Eliminate Waste? Use Targeted Data.
One of the best ways to eliminate unnecessary direct mail is to use targeted data. Targeting contacts most likely to convert is Marketing 101, right?
Mailing to the right people cuts back on all kinds of wasted expenses that impact the environment like paper, ink, printing, postage, and delivery fuel.
Monster has a distinct way of approaching consumer data. We pull information from many sources and run that data through a rigorous analysis like none other.
Our clients’ targeted data list is first run through a benefit algorithm, next, a qualification algorithm, and last, a profitability algorithm. But hang on, we don’t stop there.
We then feed those results into different propensity models: (1) a propensity to transact and (2) a propensity to respond.
The end result is, we’ve picked the best consumers for our client’s product offering.
Want to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint? Mail Intelligently.
Before Monster sends any piece of direct mail through the postal system, the contact addresses are run through the National Change of Address System (NCOA) and the Coding Accuracy Support System (CASS). These filters ensure that addresses are valid and deliverable.
Monster has relationships with mail houses all over the country. This not only makes for faster delivery, but reduces emissions as mail is produced closer to its end destination.
Want to Use Less Paper? Don’t Duplicate Mailings.
One business practice unique to Monster Lead Group is we don’t sell the same list of contacts to two different clients during the same mail cycle. Each Monster client has exclusive use of that list for one week.
In addition, the Monster data team removes any of our clients’ existing contacts they wish to suppress from the mailing. This not only prevents waste, but also prevents borrower confusion.
And as for recyclability, the Sustainable Mail Group reports that a single piece of paper can be recycled and processed up to six times before its fibers are too depleted to hold together.
Paper is one of the most recycled products in the world. In fact, according to the American Forest and Paper Association, the paper recycling rate for 2020 was 65.7%.
Direct mail done right should make everyday Earth Day.
The good news is, you don’t need abandon direct mail marketing in order to embrace good environmental practices. Let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water. Whatever marketing strategy you use, digital, direct mail, or ideally both, we all have a role to play in protecting Mother Earth.