Category: marketing

Closeup photo of shipping envelopes from EcoEnclose with logo stamped on.

Eco-Friendly Shipping and Packaging Supplies for Small Business

Sustainable shipping and packaging options are getting easier find and I’m here to share what I use! There’s no denying that eco-friendly supplies cost a little bit more. But for me, the extra cost is worth it in order to minimize the environmental impact of my art. Read on for some of the paper and envelope options I use.

This post contains affiliate links. That means I receive a small commission (at no extra cost to you) if you make a purchase after clicking the link.

#1 Postcards Printed on Recycled Paper from GotPrint

Postcards from GotPrint sitting on table with eco-friendly shipping envelopes.
Postcards from GotPrint printed with soy-based inks on recycled paper.

I’ve printed with GotPrint since about 2007, they have been my go-to option for a while. They have some of the best pricing, plus they also offer recycled paper. My thank you card inserts are GotPrint’s 4x6in postcards printed on 100lb recycled cover stock. Plus they print with soy-based inks! I recommend ordering one of their paper sample kits. It gives you a good idea of paper weights and sizes to more effectively plan other print pieces.

#2 Shipping Envelopes from EcoEnclose

Brown paper shipping envelopes from EcoEnclose

I have a variety of envelope sizes from EcoEnclose‘s 100% recycled mailer options. I recommend ordering some free samples to get a sense of what will work best for your needs before making a large order. Their website has lots of resources to help you understand the best options based on your goals and needs. My goal was to focus on biodegradable mailers whenever feasible, so most of my options are are from their paper options. Click this referral link to get $20 off your first order with EcoEnclose!

#3 Rubber Stamp with Soy-Based Ink from Noissue

Closeup of rubber stamp with Breanna Cooke's logo

The rubber stamp from Noissue is perfect for stamping your brand on paper products. The manual version (what I have) is made from FSC Certified wood and synthetic rubber and the inkpad is soy-based ink. The self-inking version is made from 65% post-consumer plastics. Noissue also offers a variety of eco-minded packaging options.

#4 Stickers Printed on Recycled Paper from Online Labels

Close up of white circle sticker that read "thank you." The sticker seals the back of an envelope.

My “thank you” stickers are the 1.5 inch circle labels printed on recycled white from OnlineLabels.com. There are 30 labels to an 8.5×11 sheet. I like that you can also order blank label sheets that work with home printers. This is also where I order the jar labels for my bioglitter!

#5 Water Activated Paper Shipping Tape from EcoEnclose

Closeup photo of water-activated paper shipping tape from EcoEnclose

All of my mailers have a self-sealing adhesive strip, however the larger apparel mailers from EcoEnclose get a little lumpy when they’re packed, so the adhesive strip doesn’t have the best grip points. I like to add the extra security of packing tape over the self-sealing flap. Water-activated paper tape works the easiest with the dispensers that wet the tape. However, if you’re like me, you might not have one of those dispensers yet! A wet sponge works just as well and for me, it’s a minor inconvenience in order to use more sustainable tape. Click this referral link to get $20 off your first order with EcoEnclose!

Hooray for a green online printing option!

I just found a promising option for sustainable printing:  www.greenerprinter.com!  I received their package of samples and it all looked great.
Aside from a nice website 🙂 here are some of the features that caught my eye:

  • Use soy and vegetable-based inks
  • Gloss, matte, and uncoated papers have a high percentage of recycled content.
  • 100% wind-powered thru Renewable Energy Credits (how cool is that!)

Let me know if you’ve printed with them! I can hardly wait!

www.greenerprinter.com

CRM Email Marketing Add-ons..from a designer’s eyes

There are a lot of email marketing tools out there, so be sure you have your list of requirements ready before you try to research.

In this case, I was looking for a third-party add-on for Microsoft Dynamic CRM 4.0 so we could send HTML emails (remember, I’m thinking from a designer perspective)

My email marketing criteria:

  • Fully interated with CRM (so it “looks” like it’s part of the CRM)
  • WYSIWYG editor and template builder (Think of it like the text formatting toolbar in you email, like Hotmail or Gmail)
  • Image/asset library (A place to view and store your images)

If you’re in a similar situation as myself, here are some of my finds:

Exact Target
www.exacttarget.com

  • YES Integrates fully with CRM
  • YES WYSIWYG editor & template builder
  • YES image/asset library

c360
www.c360.com

  • YES Integrates fully with CRM
  • NO WYSIWYG editor & template builder BUT you can upload your own HTML templates, so if you have a web designer to create templates, then this could work for you.
  • YES image/asset library

Eloqua
www.eloqua.com

  • pricing structure is geared towards companies with large marketing lists, so it didn’t turn out to be the best solution for us.
  • YES Integrates fully with CRM
  • YES WYSIWYG editor & template builder
  • YES image/asset library

Vtrenz
www.vtrenz.com

  • pricing structure is geared towards companies with large marketing lists, so it didn’t turn out to be the best solution for us.
  • YES Integrates fully with CRM
  • YES WYSIWYG editor & template builder
  • YES image/asset library

I’m sure there are more out there, feel free to add a comment if you think I’ve missed something.