How To Create More Sustainable Marketing Tools For Your Business

Julie Starr • May 26, 2020



Marketing is an essential element of any business. Whatever industry you work in, you need to be able to promote your products and services to your customers. 

But does marketing need to come at the expense of sustainability?

In a business that is trying to consider the sustainability of every one of its actions, how do you ensure your marketing efforts are as sustainable as possible?

Here’s how you can create more sustainable marketing tools for your business

 

Make Use Of Recycled Materials

It can be hard for businesses to exist in modern-day without producing anything. While much of your marketing can be done online, your offline marketing will involve paper. 

Create designs for flyers online and use a brochure template . Once you have the perfect design, find locally sourced sustainable supplies of recycled paper from paper recycling companies.  

By taking control of the printing process, you will have a better understanding of where your paper has come from. 

The same logic should be applied to all of your packaging design. 

 

Use Green Servers For Your Website

Every time someone opens a web page, it burns 6 grams of C02 . This may not sound a lot, but think about how many web pages you open in a day and consider how many people on this planet are doing the same. 

Internet usage accounts for 2% of all carbon emissions. With that in mind, it is essential that you consider this when carrying out your web marketing. 

Much of the environmental impact associated with this figure will come from the power it takes to run the hosting sites on which websites live. 

Find a web host for your website that only use carbon-neutral renewable sources to run their servers. 

You may need to shop around and dig deep into the way each web host operates; however, there are several green hosting companies out there that can help you lower your carbon footprint in this way. 

 

Focus On Education 

Whether your business is marketing based on its green credentials and you have a product that is designed to be environmentally friendly, or, you just want to your bit for the future of the planet, there is always room for education in your marketing. 

Point out when you are making a conscious effort to employ sustainability within your marketing. If others see you using this, it will have a two-fold benefit. Firstly, it may influence other brands to follow suit and join you on their sustainability journey, and secondly, it will give you credibility with your customers. 

If you can educate others while selling your products at no extra cost, then why would you not?

 

Use Your Green Credentials To Make The Sale

Many companies will market based on sustainability . If your products purposely shun animal testing, are ethically sourced, or are made of sustainable or recycled elements, then these are powerful sales tools in themselves. 

Make use of your green credentials, and you will appeal to a wider, more environmentally conscious customer base.

How To Identify Companies That Match Your Values

By Julie Starr • 22 Apr, 2024
As you try to develop a sustainable brand , you need to consider what other companies you work with. These could be collaboration opportunities or suppliers and vendors that help you develop the product or service you want to sell. But, many companies may not share your values, so how can you identify the right companies that meet your eco-friendly attitude? Make Use Of Marketing Platforms It's frustrating to reach out to multiple companies to identify collaboration opportunities. For one, there’s no guarantee you even get a response, and cold emailing or other measures are rarely successful. However, you can use marketing platforms and their many features and resources to companies or influencers that align more closely with what you feel is right. Various platforms offer unique options that enable you to whittle down possible companies until you find the perfect match, saving you plenty of time. Research Their Website However, you can’t just leap into any partnership since these platforms may have outdated information, or companies could have selected everything they think will get them a partnership. As with any approach, extra research is essential. Once you’ve identified a company that seems to match your values, it’s with checking out their website. Look at their blog and customer reviews to get an idea of where their ideals lie so you can get a more transparent picture. Meet With Companies Businesses can also meet directly with potential companies when they have established the possibility of a partnership. Whether you’re looking for a better green transport service or need central laboratory services , having face-to-face conversations is a must. You can open discussions via video calls before arranging an in-person meeting which gives you the chance to visit their location, such as an office or warehouse, to ensure that you aren’t stepping into something you may regret. Look For Accreditation and Certification Modern businesses require certification and accreditation to back up claims they are the most sustainable or to prove they have adhered to necessary compliance laws and regulations. Usually, you can find this on their website but there could also be PR pieces on various industry news sites that can prove the company has obtained the necessary certificates. Identifying these certificates will add confidence they are the right company to work with. Offer Value To Them While you hope the potential partnership brings value to your company, you also need to provide value to them. This point is key for strategic collaboration as it otherwise means you take without offering anything in return. Consider what your business can do, such as increase their awareness or help them develop new research projects. In doing so, you will have a mutually beneficial partnership that helps both companies achieve the goals they have outlined for the year. Values and Value Every partnership or collaboration should bring value. This value should apply to your business and any partnerships but also your customers. If you can identify companies that align with your brand values, you’ll have an easier time developing a positive relationship that ensures you stay on track to meet your goals.

Fresh Content: Where Do You Get The Green For Your Green Business?

By Julie Starr • 19 Apr, 2024
If you’re looking to start up a business that puts environmental responsibility at the forefront of how it operates, or that aims to offer new eco-friendly products and services to the market, then you need to make sure you have a plan for it. In part, you need to think about where the money is going to come from to help you get the business up and running. Here, we’re going to look at a few examples of places you can get the funding your green business needs. Finding like-minded investors A lot of capital in the startup spaces comes from investors who will take the time to look over a host of prospective businesses that are looking to get their start and will choose those that best align with their goals. Finding an investor isn’t always easy, so start by networking in the right professional spaces, especially those that might built specifically for entrepreneurs and business owners in the green sector. There are websites that can help pair your business up with investors, as well, but this can be a fairly competitive space. You want to have the room to be able to talk to potential investors about the profitability of your business, as well as the values and dedication to eco-friendliness that drive it. Getting hold of some credit The other traditional means of funding any business is to get a loan that can allow you to cover all of the necessary upfront costs, and running costs until you’re able to get yours up, running, and making money. Banks were the typical method of borrowing money like this, originally, but as banks got bigger, they lent less to smaller businesses, and as such, commercial funding solutions rose up to take their place, to some degree. If you’re going to try to borrow money, then you need to ensure that you are completely prepared for the application process, which can necessitate a business plan, which is designed, in part, to help show the viability and path to profitability to any lenders. Finding green grants and other financial incentives The push towards greener businesses and more sustainable industries isn’t something that’s only on the minds of a few business owners. There are always state-funded and non-profit-funded initiatives that aim to help those with green businesses on their mind get their start. You should take a look at the range of green business grants and other funding options set up, be it locally, in your state, or federally. Some of these funds and grants will be set up for businesses tackling climate change, ecosystem change, and environmental waste in specific ways, but there are always more grants to keep an eye out for, so make sure you learn how to write a grant proposal well. Finding those who are like-minded, either in seeing the profit potential in your business, or in getting behind the values of it, can help you not only get the funding you need, but it can lead to very advantageous relationships in the future, as well.
Share by: