Thursday, July 15, 2010

Case Study - "Green Queen" Uses Eco Message


Recycled tote bag is a self-promotion success.

Sustainability has become a key selling point in the real estate industry. This is why Susan Singer, senior vice president of sales for The Corcoran Group and a self-proclaimed “eco-broker,” has branded herself “The Green Queen;” she promotes the sustainability of the properties she is offering, and drives potential clients to her website with an eco-friendly promotional product.

“Years ago, I used refrigerator magnets and a mouse pad, and they both got me a lot of mileage,” says Singer. “But I wanted to do something that was eco-friendly this time and that could be used in an eco-friendly way.”

To help spread the word about her business, Singer ordered plenty of imprinted tote bags made of recycled plastic material. The bags feature a stenciled image of the historic London Terrace apartment building, which she is a broker for, 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, 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 Singer 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.”

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