If you are a coupon user or thrifty shopper as I am, you’ll like a new site for eco shoppers – Ecobunga.com. Unlike my husband who will buy anything on sale, I’m picky.

I shop at the Farmer’s Market for organic produce…15 minutes before closing. I select any product I want to buy online and then Google “ x product coupon”. I check for overstocks on organic and natural products at Big Lots.

I’m the original Eco deal shopper. Maybe you are too!

Business partners, Jennifer Hastings and Karen Schiff were inspired to create Ecobunga! when they learned that the 2007 GfK Roper Green Gauge Study cited cost as the top reason shoppers were reluctant to go green.

So they thought they’d help. The result is Ecobunga.

Ecobunga! is a comprehensive directory of giveaways and deals on green products and services, including sweepstakes, contests, coupons, rebates, sales and free shipping. We link shoppers to great bargains and prizes while helping companies get the word out about their eco-friendly products and services.

I was just recently introduced to their site and I’m already busily clicking away to find the best deals on eco products I’d buy anyway.

The site is a repository for promotions, sweepstakes and contests sponsored by purveyors of natural and organic goods. Working both with consumers and with companies, this turns out to be a great central gathering place for finding out who has a promotion on what, when.

I clicked through the natural body care section and found some great deals on natural skincare as well as a link to a Whole Foods specials page. In Babies and Kids I found a few different sales on organic baby clothes.

For a work in process I was quite impressed at the offerings. As a marketer I can spot a company that has a plan in place to provide a real consumer benefit. They certainly will find me coming back.

1. Branding – Associating with a good cause
2. Awareness – Getting the nonprofit organization to promote the business among its supporters
3. Promotion – Incenting consumers to buy from a business in a particular time frame, such as by donating a certain percentage (or a fixed amount) of sales to a charity

Businesses need to beware that the effort to create a unique program with a particular nonprofit organization can be very labor-intensive, even if the program seems “cheap” in terms of cash expenses. In order to limit the time and effort needed to run a cause-related marketing campaign, many businesses opt to participate in third-party programs such as 1% for the Planet. Member businesses pledge 1% of sales to worthy causes and receive networking and promotional benefits in addition to the recognition (via a logo on their website) that they are a member.

Unique Programs May Stand Out More and Can Get You Press

If you have a PR budget for your business and some time to develop a unique marketing partnership, you can get some extra mileage from a creative program. No member of the press is going to write a story about your business joining a standard program. However, you might interest the press in a special event or a program with unusual features.

Make Sure the Marketing Program Relates to the Audience You are Trying to Influence

Face it. If you are a business owner, you are creating a marketing partnership with a nonprofit to boost your business. You want your customers and potential customers to appreciate your efforts.

Say, for example, you are Banana Republic, and you want your brand to be more green. How do you associate your urban and suburban stores with an environmental cause. Banana’s solution is to donate 1% of in-store and online sales during Earth Week, April 22nd thru April 27th, (up to $100,000) to The Trust for Public Land, a land conservation organization. The donation is specifically targeted to preserving open space in urban settings (generally fixing up and creating new parks and public gardens). Banana Republic could have chosen any number of worthy environmental projects, but they chose an environmental organization that is greening many of the locations where Banana Republic has a high density of stores.

Long-term Association

Not every potential customer is going to see your promotional event even if it lasts for an extended period, like a month. And even a customer that knows about a one-time event may not be convinced about your social responsibility or commitment to a cause right away. Longer-term programs have a much better chance of associating your brand to both a particular cause and to “the greater good”. In the example I am using here, Banana Republic has made a $1 million commitment to The Trust for Public Land and has organized volunteer events in New York and San Francisco on April 27th, for Banana Republic employees and the public. (If you are interested in signing up or just want more information, go to www.BananaRepublic.com/Earthweek.)

Walk the Talk

You won’t get a lot of marketing benefit from supporting a nonprofit organization, if the way you operate your business conflicts with the mission of the nonprofit. Not a moment too soon, Banana Republic has just come out with a collection of clothing made from renewable or sustainable fabrics (like bamboo, organic linen and cotton, and soy/silk knit blends). Unfortunately, I can not find them on the Banana Republic site, but maybe that is just me, or maybe they are not yet on the site.

To really be seen as an environmentally concerned business, Banana Republic will need to do a lot more in terms of store design and locations, as well as distribution, packaging and operations, but I see their Earth Day promotion as having legs beyond Earth Day.

Your Experience?

If you have conducted a cause-related campaign or have seen one that you thought was particularly good or bad, we’d love to hear from you. Please let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

Photo by: Lisa Hokholt, USDA (Visitacion Valley, San Francisco)

A recent ICOM study of U.S. shoppers found that two-thirds said they are more likely or somewhat more likely to use coupons during a recession. Well, the recession is here and eco-entrepreneurs should consider using this effective promotional tool.

“The consumer incentive certainly is there,” said Peter Meyers, ICOM marketing vice president. “Look at it this way: households of two adults and two children who use coupons wisely can save 25% on their grocery bill annually, without cutting purchases. That saves $2,400 a year based on a typical $800 a month grocery spend, which outstrips the $1,800 economic stimulus check this family has coming in May from Washington.”

While seemingly simple, developing an effective coupon requires research and forethought. Over the past decade, coupon redemption has declined to about 1%. That is, only 1 out of every 100 coupons distributed, on average is redeemed. But, a 3-5% or higher return is not unheard of if the couponing program is developed effectively.

With consumers more interested in and more likely to try green products than in the past, providing an incentive for purchase can build your business rapidly as word of mouth travels from consumer to consumer. An effective couponing program uses key selling point copy prominently displayed on the package and reinforced on the coupon face.

But, what about all of that paper waste? To a green company, couponing, at first glance seems ecologically wasteful and contrary to eco-business practices. Fortunately, today e-couponing has become mainstream with sites like coupons.com and ecoupons.com. Savvy shoppers check out the top coupon sites prior to making a major purchase or embarking on the weekly shopping trip.

The ICM survey found even more ways to leverage your couponing program.

In the area of coupon technology, 58% of consumers responding to the ICOM survey see their coupon use increasing if they could download a coupon from the Internet and have it automatically connected to an electronically swiped frequent shopper card.

Major grocery store chains, like Kroger are currently testing these programs. If successful we should see more of them in the future.

In the meantime, consider posting coupons on your company website. Include copy referring to your couponing program in press releases and test various means of distributing coupons for your products.

A more technologically savvy consumer combined with an economic downturn makes this the perfect time to perfect your couponing strategy.

Related Posts:

How to Write a Press Release In The Internet Age

How To Package A Green Product

Target Practice - Finding The Right Green Consumer

Photo credit: ninjapoodles at Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/ninjapoodles/ under a Creative Commons license.