By Safi James-Barrow
Promoting environmentally friendly products or services can be a double-edged sword; it can be highly effective if done correctly, but it can potentially backfire if done disingenuously.
Until recently, green marketing targeted a niche audience. It slowly gained momentum in the ‘80s and ‘90s, but didn’t find a mainstream following until the middle part of last decade in the global marketplace.
However, for some, the green movement quickly became overexposed, and marketers wishing to capitalise on it seemed disingenuous. While environmentally friendly marketing initiatives are admirable, the collective rush to jump on the “going green” bandwagon has a high potential for consumer backlash.
Does this backlash mean that green marketing isn’t effective? Not at all. It simply means that it needs to be done right. The key is finding ways to build loyalty with your green-minded constituents without appearing desperate or opportunistic.
Don’t Forget “Regular” Marketing
For every organization, the starting point in eco-marketing should be a value proposition that’s meaningful to your clients. It’s important not to get too carried away with the “green-ness” or sustainability of your offering at the expense of explaining how well it solves your customer’s needs.
Green marketing must satisfy two objectives: improved environmental quality and customer satisfaction.
Although no consumer product has zero impact on the environment, in business, the terms “green product” and “environmental product” are commonly used to describe those that strive to protect or enhance the natural environment by conserving energy and/or resources while reducing or eliminating the use of toxic agents, pollution, and waste.
If you don’t manage your business with respect to environmental and social sustainability, your business will not be sustained. But the converse is true too. A strong commitment to environmental sustainability in your offerings can yield significant opportunities to grow your business, to innovate, and to build brand equity.
As with any other major business endeavor, this is easier said than done. Even very responsible companies have run into trouble with sustainability-minded NGOs and consumer groups, thanks to a poorly planned and crafted marketing message. Protect your company from these common pitfalls and start taking advantage of new opportunities by heeding these simple rules of green marketing:
--- Know your target audience: Who are they? How would you describe them?
If you want to sell a greener product to consumers, you first need to make sure that those consumers are aware of and concerned about the issues that your offering attempts to address.
--- Articulate your customer’s needs or pain points: What are their concerns? What problems do they need solved? Is sustainability high on your customer’s list of requirements? What words do they use to describe their requirements and the results they are seeking?
--- Define your product or service in terms of the benefits to the customer: How does it solve the customer’s need? How much of an improvement will it be over what they are currently using or doing?
Think and act holistically. It is no longer enough to focus on functional benefits alone. Determine if your offerings are really “green”. Tell the truth and substantiate your claims. Be careful to avoid greenwashing! Do not stress your “green-ness” at the expense of what is important to your customer.
--- Know your strengths: What are you particularly good at? What problems does your product or service solve? How is your product or service unique or better than what the competition offers?
Make sure your offering satisfies more customer requirements than the alternatives because it is green or sustainable. Also consider your pricing. If you’re charging more for your service or product—as many environmentally preferable products cost more due to economies of scale and use of higher-quality ingredients—make sure that your customers can afford the premium and feel its worth. Many consumers cannot afford premiums for any type of purchases these days, much less greener ones, so keep this in mind as you develop your target audience and offering specifications.
--- Revisit the green part of your message: How much do your customers care about the environment? Where does green rank in their buying criteria? Is there a new market that’s now open to you because of your “green-ness”? Is your product or service intrinsically green, such as renewable energy? Or are your operations green by you having a comprehensive sustainability program? How much does this matter to your customer?
--- Certify your “green-ness”: Assuming it’s important to your customers, utilise legitimate and widely recognised certifications, ratings, and client testimonials. It’s good to describe how you’re green but it’s even more important to quantify the benefits and results.
Be transparent! Consumers must believe in the legitimacy of your offering and the specific claims you are making. There is a lot of skepticism out there that’s fueled by the push of false claims made in the go-go era of green marketing that occurred during the late ’80s to early ’90s.
--- Get the word out: What do you want people to do when they learn about your offering? Consider how your customers acquire and use information.
Empower them! Make sure they feel they can make a difference. Through empowerment, your customers will feel more compelled to buy greener products or services. This powerful principle underlies so many campaigns full of simple tips for lightening one’s impact on the environment. Just make sure that your strategy and goals are set before you select the methodology and tactics.
--- Establish an ongoing conversation with your prospects and customers: You can set up a campaign to push the message out but it is also important to provide a forum for communication and feedback. Continuously improve your messaging and your offering based on customer needs and feedback.
By doing this, you can reassure customers and potentials that they need to believe your offering does what it’s supposed to do. They will not forgo product quality in the name of the environment. Besides, offerings that perform below expectations will likely end up in the trash bin…and that’s not very kind to the environment.
--- Walk the talk: Make sure to use sustainable practices in your own operations and marketing events. For example, provide recycling opportunities at customer events and use natural lighting whenever possible.
Promoting environmentally friendly products or services can be a double-edged sword; it can be highly effective if done correctly, but it can potentially backfire if done disingenuously.
Until recently, green marketing targeted a niche audience. It slowly gained momentum in the ‘80s and ‘90s, but didn’t find a mainstream following until the middle part of last decade in the global marketplace.
However, for some, the green movement quickly became overexposed, and marketers wishing to capitalise on it seemed disingenuous. While environmentally friendly marketing initiatives are admirable, the collective rush to jump on the “going green” bandwagon has a high potential for consumer backlash.
Does this backlash mean that green marketing isn’t effective? Not at all. It simply means that it needs to be done right. The key is finding ways to build loyalty with your green-minded constituents without appearing desperate or opportunistic.
Don’t Forget “Regular” Marketing
For every organization, the starting point in eco-marketing should be a value proposition that’s meaningful to your clients. It’s important not to get too carried away with the “green-ness” or sustainability of your offering at the expense of explaining how well it solves your customer’s needs.
Green marketing must satisfy two objectives: improved environmental quality and customer satisfaction.
Although no consumer product has zero impact on the environment, in business, the terms “green product” and “environmental product” are commonly used to describe those that strive to protect or enhance the natural environment by conserving energy and/or resources while reducing or eliminating the use of toxic agents, pollution, and waste.
If you don’t manage your business with respect to environmental and social sustainability, your business will not be sustained. But the converse is true too. A strong commitment to environmental sustainability in your offerings can yield significant opportunities to grow your business, to innovate, and to build brand equity.
As with any other major business endeavor, this is easier said than done. Even very responsible companies have run into trouble with sustainability-minded NGOs and consumer groups, thanks to a poorly planned and crafted marketing message. Protect your company from these common pitfalls and start taking advantage of new opportunities by heeding these simple rules of green marketing:
--- Know your target audience: Who are they? How would you describe them?
If you want to sell a greener product to consumers, you first need to make sure that those consumers are aware of and concerned about the issues that your offering attempts to address.
--- Articulate your customer’s needs or pain points: What are their concerns? What problems do they need solved? Is sustainability high on your customer’s list of requirements? What words do they use to describe their requirements and the results they are seeking?
--- Define your product or service in terms of the benefits to the customer: How does it solve the customer’s need? How much of an improvement will it be over what they are currently using or doing?
Think and act holistically. It is no longer enough to focus on functional benefits alone. Determine if your offerings are really “green”. Tell the truth and substantiate your claims. Be careful to avoid greenwashing! Do not stress your “green-ness” at the expense of what is important to your customer.
--- Know your strengths: What are you particularly good at? What problems does your product or service solve? How is your product or service unique or better than what the competition offers?
Make sure your offering satisfies more customer requirements than the alternatives because it is green or sustainable. Also consider your pricing. If you’re charging more for your service or product—as many environmentally preferable products cost more due to economies of scale and use of higher-quality ingredients—make sure that your customers can afford the premium and feel its worth. Many consumers cannot afford premiums for any type of purchases these days, much less greener ones, so keep this in mind as you develop your target audience and offering specifications.
--- Revisit the green part of your message: How much do your customers care about the environment? Where does green rank in their buying criteria? Is there a new market that’s now open to you because of your “green-ness”? Is your product or service intrinsically green, such as renewable energy? Or are your operations green by you having a comprehensive sustainability program? How much does this matter to your customer?
--- Certify your “green-ness”: Assuming it’s important to your customers, utilise legitimate and widely recognised certifications, ratings, and client testimonials. It’s good to describe how you’re green but it’s even more important to quantify the benefits and results.
Be transparent! Consumers must believe in the legitimacy of your offering and the specific claims you are making. There is a lot of skepticism out there that’s fueled by the push of false claims made in the go-go era of green marketing that occurred during the late ’80s to early ’90s.
--- Get the word out: What do you want people to do when they learn about your offering? Consider how your customers acquire and use information.
Empower them! Make sure they feel they can make a difference. Through empowerment, your customers will feel more compelled to buy greener products or services. This powerful principle underlies so many campaigns full of simple tips for lightening one’s impact on the environment. Just make sure that your strategy and goals are set before you select the methodology and tactics.
--- Establish an ongoing conversation with your prospects and customers: You can set up a campaign to push the message out but it is also important to provide a forum for communication and feedback. Continuously improve your messaging and your offering based on customer needs and feedback.
By doing this, you can reassure customers and potentials that they need to believe your offering does what it’s supposed to do. They will not forgo product quality in the name of the environment. Besides, offerings that perform below expectations will likely end up in the trash bin…and that’s not very kind to the environment.
--- Walk the talk: Make sure to use sustainable practices in your own operations and marketing events. For example, provide recycling opportunities at customer events and use natural lighting whenever possible.