A solid marketing strategy can bring enormous benefits to businesses, irrespective of their size or sector. These include higher engagement, stronger brand reputation, and reaching a wider customer base, which can all translate into higher revenue. This is why companies are allocating a growing part of their budget to marketing activities.

The problem is that “marketing” is a broad term. And given that marketing is often linked to people’s needs and expectations, the techniques needed to make it work change over time. Right now, we’re seeing sustainability become a top concern for consumers all over the world. According to a 2019 survey, nearly 90% of consumers interviewed said it was very important for companies to actively protect the environment.

Green marketing has emerged in response to those concerns. In this article, we’ll discuss how you can align your marketing strategy to make it greener.

A Short Intro to Green Marketing

Green marketing is a set of product development and advertising techniques designed to have a minimal impact on the environment.

To understand the concept better, we can compare it to traditional marketing. For example, printed marketing campaigns use large amounts of paper, generate waste, and require fuels for the distribution of materials. By contrast, an entirely digital campaign is paperless, and distribution can be done with a click of the mouse.

Green marketing also extends to the supply and distribution chain and the practical implementation of corporate social responsibility.

1. Transparency By Default

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Customers who care about green values expect to have a wide range of additional data about the products they buy. Transparency is one of the cornerstones of green marketing, so always make an effort to provide the following information about your products:

– Their origin
– A full list of raw materials and ingredients
– A description of the product’s impact on the environment through its entire life cycle

You can go a step further and explain the rationale behind your choices, going into detail about how those choices reinforce your values. Consider writing detailed blog articles or social media posts covering these points instead of just limiting transparency to the product information page. This will highlight your company’s accountability in the eyes of consumers.

Ensure that transparency shows in your actions and not just in your words. Consumers can be wary of a company’s green credentials since greenwashing is sadly common. Any “green claims” should always be supported by facts and actions, and here are some examples of how to do that:

2. Make the Message Appealing

It’s not enough to disclose a product’s origin and impact. For a stronger impact, build green practices and your commitment to them into a message that customers will identify with and remember.

This means spelling out what’s the message behind each product and how that makes a positive contribution to the environment. Also, make the message unique. Customers who care about the environment are exposed to many of these messages, so you want to stand out.

One way you can do this is through storytelling. Humans are naturally drawn to stories, so weaving this technique into marketing messages can yield great results. Social media content can help with effective storytelling because:

– It has the potential to go viral.
– It has a strong influence on consumers. A survey found that more than 40% of eco-consumers research products or brands using these platforms.
– Its features revolve around engagement: video, highlights, hashtags, short stories, etc. Everything is ready for your message to capture the audience’s attention.

When creating an appealing message with storytelling, think about the following:

– What’s the story behind this product?
– Who was involved in creating it and what’s special about them?
– What were the challenges and how did you handle them?
– How does the product and its creators relate to the target customer?
– What green values does this product embody?

You can find examples of effective social media storytelling here.

3. Partner With The Right Businesses

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Have a look at your suppliers or partners to see if they share your green values. Being associated with companies or industries that are perceived as damaging to the environment can backfire. This is particularly the case of oil and gas, mining, and fast fashion. Remember that information about the environmental impact of certain industries is readily available online – customers only have to do a quick search to find out who’s behind a product.

Making changes to your supply chain is a big investment in terms of time and effort. But on the other hand, partnering with companies that share your green values can bring a huge boost to reputation, which will be eventually reflected in your sales.

4. Cause-Related Marketing

To establish eco-friendliness as a true part of your brand identity, take action in spheres other than product development and distribution. For example, you could consider supporting charities or foundations known for their green values. Donating products or money shows you truly care – and not only on Earth Day!

You can also encourage customers to participate or donate, and promote the initiatives on social media. This reinforces the idea of alignment between a business and its customers. You can find a list of UK charities to consider here.

5. Over to Your Customers

User-generated content (UGC) is an effective marketing strategy since this type of content is seen as more trustworthy by potential customers.

Let your environmentally responsible customers have a say on what green practices mean to them or show them using your products – social media makes it easy. For example, if you sell EV charger installations, you could showcase customer testimonials in video format. Here are some additional tips to help you get UGC right.

Conclusion

Green marketing can deliver optimal results if it’s aligned with your business mission and values and with the values of your customers. This is a key aspect of corporate social responsibility, which is a determining factor in customer satisfaction, trust, and loyalty.

Infusing your marketing strategy with transparency, storytelling, user-generated content, and partnering with the right charities and suppliers can propel your business forward and make it the obvious choice for environmentally conscious consumers.

Author Bio: This article was written by Slaven Litera of Wizer Energy. Slaven and his team specialize in marketing Solar PV Systems and EV Charger Installation services across the UK and Ireland.