Take the Green Marketing Challenge: Little Works
May 19th, 2010 by Carolyn Parrs & Irv Weinberg , Mind Over MarketsThis post is part of our TAKE THE GREEN MARKETING CHALLENGE series. Here’s how it works: Send us your green message (logo, tag line, graphic, copy), and we’ll evaluate it. That means a green team of three (Art Director, Copywriter and Account Manager) will thoughtfully assess your brand and we’ll post the results here on our Green Marketing Blog. Then you can join in on the conversation too with your comments. Here’s ours…
Next up in our Green Marketing Challenge is Little Works a greeting card company. And with a little work, they could be doing a lot of good for their company.
We like the name because it is charming and a million miles away from Hallmark and American Greeting Cards — and that’s a good thing. One thing that you should think about is adding a descriptive line to your name so we know what you do. Little works could be anything. Miniature crafts, small collectible items, even baby clothes. You need to tell us right from the beginning that Little Works are beautiful handcrafted cards made by South African women. That can be the differentiator between you and all the other card companies around.
Here’s a tag line you can try on for size: Little Works Mean A Lot. We like this for a couple of reasons. It sounds like “little things mean a lot” which is part of the everyday jargon so it has a familiar and easily memorable quality to it. It also says that not only will your cards mean a lot to those who receive them — but also speaks of the “deep roots” embedded in each and every handcrafted card by the women who make them. It’s a line that has legs — meaning it works for you on a lot of levels.
IRV: Your line now, “Handcrafted cards so beautiful you won’t want to give them away,” actually is in contrast to what you want to achieve. You want people to give them away so why not speak in the positive? Reinforce that they are so beautiful you’ll want to share them and bring beauty to those you know and love.
Visually, please consider rescaling your cards on your product page. They are different sizes and some are hard to see. So much of your message is about beauty. We want you to show us cards that are beautifully presented, not just sitting there. Since they are handcrafted, also consider featuring a profile of the South African artists who make them. Who they are and what they are about is important to building a relationship between your cards, your artists and your purchasers.
NICOLE: Why not build in a bit of craft into your site? Consider the use of handmade paper and some of your images as a motif for the site. And most of all, remember that you are selling beautiful things so the site should reflect beauty in everything…colors, fonts, typefaces and the general layout of the pages.
CAROLYN: I like the simplicity and placement of your social media buttons. And your products are perfect for social media. Tell your purchasers to share the love and tell their friends about your company and your cards. Reward them for doing so. Send one of your cards by snail mail to say thank you. Your social media influencers, those that love your cards dearly and talk about it, can end up being your most successful media so use it well.
These little works to your message and site can bring about great works for all involved. With some tweaks and tweets, you can do it a little better. We wish you continued success with what you are doing.







May 27th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
Thanks for the post. Your valuable inputs on green marketing and the benefits of going green is indeed a great idea. Do keep up the good work and while you are at it visit http://www.karmiccoach.com and http://www.mysticselling.com. Here you will be able to find great blogs that not only deal with topics on green marketing but also offer pointers on other issues.
-Sunoj
June 17th, 2010 at 8:37 am
I am always up for a challenge, anything new coming from you soon?