Welcome to the new and improved Steady Glow! After providing full digital marketing services for over four years, we have transitioned to focus on creating meaningful online content for small businesses and providing sustainable marketing solutions to help reduce marketing waste.
Having worked in design and marketing for over 20 years, I’ve become tired of all the waste I see. There are printing overages, disposable supplies, over-air-conditioned offices, recycling contamination…everything. I want to show businesses that they can still market themselves effectively, but do it with more sustainable marketing.
As someone who has always strived to live in better balance with the environment, it’s been hard to justify the workplace behaviors I was complicit with. At my home and home office, I enact numerous sustainable practices. I grow my own organic food, compost, collect rainwater, use only 100% PCW recycled paper packaging and paper, use Energy Star equipment and made my home more energy efficient with insulation and a more efficient HVAC unit.
It Started With a Sustainability Blog
I began right here, blogging about my efforts in my home and workplace. Surprisingly, I saw a real interest from others in how their day-to-day affects the environment. Most of the eco-friendly options I write about are simple, affordable changes that mainly require a willingness to do things differently. Even though we blogged about it, I don’t ask people to live off-grid and raise their own chickens. Instead, I suggest using digital documents instead of paper, choosing biodegradable swag over plastic or printing only what you need.
After several years of writing, I decided to create a new program. I would walk businesses through different categories of how to reduce their marketing waste, water use and energy use. I’ve narrowed it down to topics that are the most apparent problems in marketing. I researched data on how much water, waste and carbon was produced for materials like paper so I could create calculable forms. Ultimately, businesses can then use these forms to enter information I’ve determined to generate their current usage, actionable steps and how much waste/water/carbon they could save.
Evolving the Concept
With this in mind, I started to form a new business concept for Steady Glow. My Eco Marketing solutions have the potential to make a real impact on the waste each business produces. I see a clear desire for many businesses to save money, reduce waste and attempt to repair damage to our environment. Mostly, people just need someone to guide them through the process. After years of experience in printing, digital marketing and e-commerce I’ve become familiar with the many eco-friendly options available. Now, I want to share this with others to show them that promoting your business doesn’t have to be so wasteful.
Starting With the Essentials
The first step in this process is now available in my Essential Eco Marketing Checklist. This list stems from the four basic things I’d recommend to any business to start their sustainable marketing journey. One item on this list that has always irked me is the amount of plastic swag (promotional items) businesses use. If a business stopped distributing these quickly disposable items we’d start to get somewhere. Plastic production encompasses a larger portion of our oil production every year, utilizing a staggering 7-9 million barrels of oil. Instead of cheap, plastic products, businesses could opt for recycled paper coasters, bamboo power chargers or organic screen-printed t-shirts. Companies like Eco Promotions and others have PLENTY of affordable earth-friendly options. I have researched and personally worked with these companies, sourcing them for my own clients.
For years, I’ve been guiding my clients into sustainable marketing decisions. It doesn’t cost them more and, if anything, has saved them money. Now it’s time for me to expand this mission to other small businesses interested in having a positive impact on the planet.
Eco Marketing Assessments
In the next few months, I will begin to roll out my new Eco Marketing Assessments. The first one will focus solely on paper use in the office and in marketing materials. Participants can purchase this DIY assessment for only $100. This form requires them to enter information about office paper use (printing, copying, etc) as well as commercially printed materials. Then, it will calculate the current data based on their usage and then further calculate their goals based on how much they’d like to change their practices. This will provide them with projected savings in cost and paper use which in turn will provide overall water savings, carbon impacts and tree use reductions. Each assessment participant will receive a 6-month check-up to help keep them on track and address any issues.
With each assessment, I’ll be able to calculate how much waste, water and carbon is being offset, potentially encouraging others to participate. Once we can see how small changes in businesses can have a cumulative effect, we can gain encouragement about our collective action. I look to a future where businesses no longer order copious amounts of unused printing or flood a trade show with plastic cups and frisbees!
Eco Marketing Webinars
With this Eco Marketing Assessment rollout, I’ll begin holding free webinars about getting started on a journey to sustainable marketing. Stay tuned for announcements! Hopefully, these webinars will help spread the word and expose more potential participants to the DIY assessments. For those looking for a more hands-on approach, I can work directly as a consultant.
The Future of Sustainable Marketing
Moving forward, each Eco Marketing Assessment I offer will become part of a more comprehensive marketing sustainability plan. Participants can choose to DIY-it by purchasing the full plan or having me work directly with them as a consultant. I would love for this to become a regular part of a business’ sustainability plan! I even have pie-in-the-sky hopes that something like this could be integrated into B-Corp certification…I can always dream!