In the world of marketing, the concept of sustainability is just starting to gain traction. While there are a lot of green marketing techniques out there, most business owners are not really aware of them.
I even had a friend who works in finance guess that the term ‘green marketing’ referred to the money that could be made by businesses that employed sustainable practices. Even though that sounds plausible, it isn’t what green marketing is all about.
Instead, the term green marketing is used to describe marketing techniques that involve environmental awareness.
Defining Green Marketing
Sustainability is important to many of today’s businesses, with more brands than ever focusing on creating products or providing services that are environmentally-friendly. Despite that, many of these same businesses don’t use green marketing techniques.
If you are serious about minimizing your company’s environmental footprint, you should take a look at your marketing practices, as well. Here are some questions that will help you determine how you are currently doing:
* Do you avoid the use of materials that are toxic or that deplete ozone levels in all of the products or services that you provide?
* Can your products or services be reused?
* Does the manufacturing process used to make your products rely on recycled materials or adhere to the most current eco-friendly standards?
* Do you offer green and quick delivery and if so how?
* After your products have outlived their usefulness, can they be recycled?
* Do you use environmentally-friendly packaging? This includes packaging that is not only made out of recycled materials but that is also either fully biodegradable or can be recycled itself.
* Do you take steps to minimize the amount of packaging used for your products?
* Have you looked for ways to minimize the materials used in any parts of your business that are considered non-green?
If you answered yes to these questions, you are definitely on the right track since you employ eco-friendly practices in practically every aspect of your business.
As you work to implement a green marketing strategy for your business, keep these core principles in mind:
1. Your company’s values should center around minimizing your environmental impact as much as possible.
2. You should take an active role in your community when it comes to providing support for green initiatives.
3. You should focus on transparency in all aspects of your business including your sourcing, your manufacturing processes, and your day-to-day operations.
Essential Tips For Creating a Green Company
1. Environmentally-friendly practices need to be at the heart of everything you do.
If you want to truly have a green business, you need to make it a part of your company’s values. When crafting your mission statement, you should talk about how you are committed to eco-friendly practices. These practices should be clearly spelled out in your business plan.
Ultimately, the only way that green marketing will work is if everyone who works at your company is on board with the idea of minimizing your overall environmental impact. It is one thing to talk about being eco-friendly. It is another thing altogether to put that talk into action.
Make sure that what you are saying matches up with what you are doing in terms of acting responsibly toward the environment.
By implementing eco-friendly materials and practices in every aspect of your business, you can tap into all of the potential that green marketing has to offer.
2. Get Involved In Your Local Community
All companies can benefit from increasing their community involvement. One of the primary goals of green marketing involves building connections with consumers in your area through active participation in your local community.
There are a few basic protocols that you should follow if you want to set your company up for success:
1. Make community involvement a priority at every level of your business.
Encourage employees to get active by offering them incentives for taking part in community activities. Provide support for charities in your area or for programs that focus on environmentally-friendly practices.
Set aside a day during each quarter of the year where everyone at your place of business can take part in community activities. Offer financial backing for causes that align closely with the principles of your company.
2. Let people know about the work you are doing in your community.
Share photos and videos of your community involvement through your social media accounts. Consider donating a portion of each sale to a charity that is a good fit for your company’s values. When participating in community events, consider using live streaming video through Instagram, Facebook, or Periscope or via other sites on the web.
Even though this type of self-promotion may feel a little bit awkward, it is an important part of showing people that you really practice what you preach.
3. Focus On Transparency
Being socially responsible is an important part of green marketing. It is essential for companies to demonstrate their seriousness about green issues. You need to do more than just talk about how much you care about the environment. Instead, you need to show it in everything that you do.
Transparency is an essential part of this process. Clearly define your goals when it comes to your environmental practices.
As you work to reach those goals, publish regular updates to keep your customers informed.
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— Will Corry (@slievemore) October 5, 2018