Environmental Marketing, Done Right!

So I have no idea if Marcal‘s line of recycled and environmentally-friendly “small steps” paper products live up to their claims, but you might want to steal a sheet from their marketing playbook. They do a terrific job of making it seem easy to do something for nature – they’re completely candid that purchasing recycled paper products is a “small step.” So when they claim that these small steps add up to a big difference, you tend to believe it.

For good measure, they report on how many trees have not been cut down, thanks to their customers’ efforts. The fundamental technique at work here is something you can use for other kinds of communications: Fundraising, issue advocacy, behavior change. Emphasizing how easy that first step is, and how it adds up to something if a lot of people do it.

Getting people to take that first step is hard, so making it seem easy is just plain smart. But some of those first-steppers have now developed an appetite for more. Assuming Marcal keeps track of who their customers are, there is an opportunity out there to “upsell” them from that first small step to a bigger next step. Perhaps one you has an idea to pitch them on?

Perhaps they want to donate a small amount to protect old-growth forests? Perhaps their big institutional customers would like to send their staff out for day-of-service tree planting party along along some eroded stream bank somewhere?

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