Years ago, the traditional refrigerator magnets and mouse pads worked fine for her. But once the Green Queen identity took hold, they were no longer relevant. To help spread the word about her business, she ordered plenty of imprinted tote bags made of recycled plastic material. The bags feature a stenciled image of the historic London Terrace apartment building, for which she is a broker, as well as her contact information and branding for Corcoran Group Real Estate. She says she decided not to include the name of the London Terrace building so that the bag would have wider appeal – she wanted it to be, “just about living in New York and having an eco-friendly bag … that way people will want to use them and it’s just free advertising.”
Singer sent the totes to her neighbors, clients and potential clients – and gave one to every unit in London Terrace. She also distributes them at events when the opportunity arises. For example, she recently offered the bags after she spoke at an Earth Day seminar at Baruch College in Manhattan.
The totes direct people to Singer's website, www.susansingerspaces.com, where they will find information about her properties ranging from Brooklyn to Uptown Manhattan, as well as Tales of the Green Queen, a regular comic strip in which a cartoon version of Singer tours the city, helping people save on energy costs. While she acknowledges that these days the economy often weighs on real estate buyers more than the environment does, she says the totes get an enthusiastic response. “I've had people call me or e-mail me saying, ‘I am so grateful for this tote, it's so sweet and reminds me of the building,’ and people from the building have just stopped me on the street,” she says. “It's really been very good for me.”
Whether your marketing plan fits well with a sustainability theme, or some other theme, make sure that the promotional products in your branding effort are a good match. Consistency is key.
