How to market yourself as green and mean it
The first consideration when deciding how to tell your green story is whether you have a green story worth telling. While all businesses should implement green practices, not all businesses should communicate these efforts to consumers and stakeholders.
Whether you choose to communicate green practices hinges on several factors, including whether there is a logical connection between your brand and the environment. For example, there is a logical nexus between the transportation or energy industries and the environment — most consumers are aware of the negative impact these sectors can have on the environment — and so a green story of reduced environmental impact is relevant and logical to the consumer. On the other hand, health care or financial services are better served by supporting and communicating causes more closely aligned to their actual work — childhood obesity and financial literacy as respective examples. One exception to this general rule: a CEO of a company whose brand is not connected to the environment but is herself a passionate environmentalist. This in and of itself creates an authentic story.
Don’t tell a green story that isn’t authentic and genuine. As with any story, it has to be relevant, make sense and be engaging. When considering your story, ask yourself, “Does this matter?” If you’re struggling for answers, then the answer is no. With the din of companies claiming to be green and sustainable as background noise, now is a good time to tell non-green stories (e.g. diversity hiring practices, efforts to reduce hunger, etc.)
Once you decide you have an authentic green story, here’s what to do:
Begin the story-telling process internally. As with any other marketing initiative, you need to think strategically and plan your course of action. Consider whether you’re capable of handling the communication or whether you’ll need a marketing firm to assist you. Will your “green” message be incorporated into your overall marketing strategy or be separate? The former is more effective but sometimes not possible or practical. How will you tell your story — through earned media, advertising or some other way?
Begin with a baseline assessment and hire a consultant to do a sustainability audit. If this is cost prohibitive, at the very least spend some time determining where your strengths and weaknesses are as they relate to sustainability and green practices. Are you well versed in the three Rs: reduce, reuse, recycle? Have you reduced your energy consumption? Is your energy coming from clean sources? Is your office space energy efficient? Do you encourage employees to carpool or commute in a green way? Be sure to pick this low-hanging fruit before you start telling your story publicly. Not only can this save you money, it will also make your green story credible and less likely to be labeled as greenwashing; solar panels on the roof are not compelling if you don’t have a recycling program.
Create a sustainability mission statement that details your sustainable and green practices. This document can be incorporated as part of your overall communication strategy and will help you stay focused and consistent when talking about your green practices.
Educate your employees about your green practices, whether new initiatives or practices that have been in place for years. Employees are your best spokespeople, but if they don’t know about the good things you’re doing, they can’t communicate that information. In addition, as you’re educating employees on company best practices, hosting lunch-and-learns for your employees on such topics as how they can reduce their carbon footprint, save money by weatherproofing their homes and grow their own food provides a nice benefit and gives your green story more credibility.
When you’re ready to go public with your green story, remember, less is more. You need to communicate your initiatives clearly and concisely. Do not try to communicate every green practice — communicate only those that are unique or relate directly to your business. Your goal should not be to appeal to the green consumer, but to build a strategy that has a green outcome — let your strategy tell the story for you.
The only way to effectively communicate to the consumer is to engage them, and you can’t engage consumers unless you have an authentic story to tell. Being authentic means discussing your shortcomings candidly — if you don’t acknowledge them, you can be sure someone else will be happy to do it for you. Becoming “green” is a process we’re all involved with and discussing shortcomings openly is a far better strategy than denying they exist.
There is no magic to communicating a green story effectively. As with any other communication, it must be authentic, genuine and relevant. It also must be clear, concise and consistent. If you’re able to maintain a disciplined approach to your communication, you’ll find your employees, stakeholders and consumers are more engaged with your brand. By telling your story well, you benefit both your bottom line and the environment — a happy outcome for all.
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