Perfect Life

There is a new trend in marketing which involves making sure that marketing efforts are done along environmentally responsible lines. This is occurring as it is being realized that not only manufacturing activities need to be environmentally conscientious. Marketing represents an entire other area of business activity that can have an impact on the environment as well.

With this in mind the following are some ways to promote your business in an environmentally responsible manner.

Organic Promotional Items

One common way to promote a business is to give customers cheap or free gifts with the name and logo of a company on them, or to allow them to circulate in some way. These are called promotional items and they are recognized as a very effective marketing method. The customer gets some item that already has value and uses it often, thus being exposed repeatedly to the name. Others with whom they come into contact are also made aware of this business this way.

Common types of items of this sort are pens, calendars, coffee mugs, T-shirts, pencil sharpeners, and the like. Any of these items that are produced in an environmentally responsible manner represent a green promotional method. And with the growing trend toward protection of the environment and ecologically sound methods of production, finding products of this sort is fairly easy. Contact manufacturers of eco-friendly pens, T-shirts made from sustainable fibres, organically produced paper, and also items made from recycled material. You can even find key chains made from bamboo or recycled tires!

Both large and small businesses are quickly learning that one of the fastest ways to directly reach consumers is through their mobile devices. A recent report by Borrell Associates, a media research firm based in Virginia, has revealed that small businesses in the United States are on track to spend nearly $ 800 million in 2011 in mobile ads. Half of the cost, approximately $ 400 million, will go to the creation of mobile promotions that offer contests, coupons and other incentives.

There are more than 64 million mobile users in the U.S. and they often use their devices to buy goods and services. Consumers prefer to use mobile devices for banking, travel, shopping, watching videos and listening to music. They also prefer to pay their financial transactions through them. The mobile payment or m-payments as they are known in the industry will be worth 240 billion dollars worldwide in 2011 and is a trend that can reach over a trillion dollars by 2015.

So how can you make the most of this growing trend? Small business owners need to plan specific campaigns that reach consumers on their mobile devices. Text messaging or SMS is a great way to do so. It offers instant communication and instant gratification. It is imperative that customers receive something of value. What else can you do to maximize their mobile marketing efforts with limited resources?