The future of the planet has never been more important than right now. It’s time for brands to switch to eco-friendly marketing and a more sustainable way of operating. It is important to have the environment at the forefront of your marketing strategy in the correct way. Environmentally conscious consumers will be able to smell greenwashing a mile off (we’ll get into that later). Therefore, you must ensure you are switching to a sustainable future as a company for the right reasons. VerriBerri are experienced in eco-friendly marketing and know the best ways to start implementing it within your brand to ensure it makes an impact in every way possible.
Find A USP
Your USP is a unique selling point which is exclusive to you and your brand. This can refer to either your products or the services that you deliver. A brand that is devoted to its sustainability and eco-friendly practices is more likely to focus on a few select USPs, rather than trying to tick every box. If you do this, it will oversaturate your target audience and make it hard to focus your marketing. You can and should use your USP to make you stand out from your competitors. It allows customers to see you are making a conscious choice to becoming more sustainable and to protect the planet we live on. Whatever practices you implement, you will find that you will attract customers who follow these same values.
Avoid Greenwashing
Greenwashing is becoming more and more common, especially within the fashion and beauty industries. It means the practice of companies launching supposed eco-friendly products, campaigns, or adverts under false pretences. Companies use this as a technique to drive sales and appeal to environmentally conscious consumers, without following through or completely delivering on protecting the environment. It is, however, incredibly easy to tell when the product or campaign doesn’t align with a company’s actions. Many brands have exploited the rise in eco-friendly marketing and have quite rightly come under fire for it.
In 2019, oil giant BP launched a campaign that acknowledged that the company and the world needed to do more to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Whilst this looks great to any naïve mind, if you are familiar with BP, you may see the issue with this. The energy sector of the economy is responsible for a large portion of greenhouse gas emissions. BP, despite making this promise and launching campaigns, still spends 96% of their annual capital expenditure on non-renewable oil and gas. This give a false impression to the consumer that if they use BP, they are helping to build a sustainable future.
Use Digital Marketing More Than Physical
The most obvious form of eco-friendly marketing to incorporate into your brand, is the use of digital marketing materials. In recent years, due to the rise of econ consciousness from businesses and due to COVID-19, the use of physical marketing has risen in popularity. Things such as leaflets and mail, has become almost obsolete. Instead, many businesses now opt for email newsletters, online advertisements, and social media. These help to reduce the impact your business has on natural resources and the waste that physical advertising contributes to the environment.
You can also use SEO (search engine optimisation) to boost your business in ways that physical marketing never could. SEO refers to the process of streamlining your website in favour of the Google algorithm. This will allow your website to climb the SERP, resulting in more organic traffic to your site.
Bring Sustainability Into Your Work Place
Another way to integrate an environmental message into your brand is to carry on this ethos behind the scenes. As the famous saying goes, change starts from within; there is no point turning your brand into a sustainable one without practicing what you preach. Try encouraging your employees to bring their own lunch to reduce waste and to use public transport if they can. Other practices include signing documents electronically, filling out holiday forms online, and turning off lights around the office.
Also, ensure the suppliers of your materials for your products meet the same values that you do. This can refer to how the components of your products are sourced, to the delivery company you use. Every little detail matters when it comes to sustainability and every change made is a positive one towards a more sustainable future.
Support The Local Eco-Friendly Community
Even if it doesn’t directly benefit you, there are other ways you can contribute to a better environment. Supporting local community projects that help the environment will, in turn, benefit your reputation. If you pick organisations and projects that align with your own beliefs, this will strengthen your standing within the community as an eco-friendly brand and will ensure you have good connection with others. You can partner with these companies and projects for giveaways and campaigns in the future. This will give you more PR and will contribute to your eco-friendly marketing.
Start Today
There is no better time than the present to start thinking about how to take your brand into a new sustainable age. It may take some trial and error, but with the right help and the right motivations, you can change your brand for the better.
VerriBerri have had a wealth of experience in eco-friendly marketing. We have worked with brands to promote sustainability through digital marketing. Our social media team know which audiences to target, and our PR team have a list of established connections with journalists from environmentally conscious publications. Working with us will allow you to completely eliminate the physical side of marketing, establish what goals you have and draw up a strategy to work towards it.
What are you waiting for? Get in touch with the team at VerriBerri today to start discussing your strategy or call us on 01376 386 850.