Definition of Paperless Marketing

Paperless Marketing is a sub-discipline and type of Direct Marketing. There are three main characteristics which distinguish it from other types of marketing or advertising.

1. The first characteristic is it must provide Paperless Paper™ to consumers and businesses by using a mobile phone. This engagement is done using a text message to request Paperless Paper™ from a Paperless Slot and have it sent to a specific email address.
   
   
2. The second characteristic is that Paperless Paper™ must focus on driving brand value. This focus provides a consumer driven on-demand engagement with a rich targeted customer experience.
   
   
3. The third characteristic is to increase the value of both traditional marketing assets ( Out-of-home, mass-media, PR) and online assets (Websites, Blogs, Video) by bridging the gap between the offline and online world.

These last two aspects of paperless marketing involve an emphasis on trackable, measureable results. (known as “engagement” in the industry)

History

The term “Paperless Marketing” was first used in a presentation by Haris Hassan in 2007, who founded Paperless Marketing. His company (http://www.gopaperless.ca/), was founded on the principles of Paperless Marketing and was the first to make Paperless Paper™ a commercially viable, environmentally friendly option for global brands.

Overview of Benefits and Drawbacks to Paperless Marketing

Paperless Marketing is attractive to many marketers, because in all cases it’s effectiveness can be measured directly. For example, if a marketer provides paperless advertising on their existing media, they can see a customer engagement rate with how many pages were requested. By contrast, measurement of traditional marketing must often be indirect, since there is no direct response from the customer.

While many marketers like this form of advertising, some paperless marketing efforts are ineffective because some consumers do not have a mobile phone to request Paperless Paper™.

Paperless Marketing

Basics

Any medium that can be used to deliver a message to an audience can be used to offer Paperless Marketing. Probably the most commonly used medium for Paperless Marketing is paperless push, in which 1-1 direct marketing is used to replace printed material with Paperless Paper™.

Types of Paperless Marketing

• Paperless Push
  The most common form of Paperless Marketing is paperless push, where marketers use Paperless Paper™ instead of printed paper to provide messages to customers in a 1-1 direct engagement.
  
  
• Paperless Pull
  The second most common form of Paperless Marketing is paperless pull, where marketers place Paperless Paper™ on existing advertising mediums (door hangers, package inserts, magazines, newspapers, radio, television, billboards, etc.)

Examples of Paperless Marketing
Paperless Marketing permits marketers to design marketing pieces in PDF formats. There is a subsector of the industry that produces PDF interactive documents and other materials for Paperless Marketing.

Some of the most common forms of Paperless Paper™ include:

• Catalogs
• User Guides
• Campaign Guides
• Sales Brochures
• Exclusive Content

Advantages and Disadvantages of Paperless Marketing
Some people respond positively to Paperless Marketing and find useful and relevant information about goods and services.

Advantages for marketers include the following:

• Targeting
• Personalization
• Optimization
• Analysis
• Accumulation

Disadvantages include:

• Technology access
• Customer Cost

Opting Out
Paperless Marketing makes it easy to opt-out of sharing consumer information with organizations by clicking on a link embedded in the email that was sent.