As consumers become more environmentally conscious, businesses must adapt or risk losing customers to competitors pursuing a green strategy. As a company tries to rebrand itself as green, it risks accusations of "greenwashing" or using marketing tactics to create a false impression of environmental responsibility. Small businesses seeking to leverage the power of "going green" should carefully coordinate genuine actions and marketing strategies.
Electronic Press Kit
For businesses with regular media contact, an electronic press kit puts a big dent into paper usage. Press kits typically include a company history, product brochures, biographies of the company executives, photos and press clips. Companies often send a press kit to every media outlet in the area. A business could convert all of the documents and images into electronic files and offer the kit as a downloadable folder on its website. The electronic press kit requires no paper and no postage. The website could even indicate that the electronic press kit is part of an ongoing effort to reduce the business' environmental impact.
Packaging that cannot biodegrade takes up enormous amounts of space in landfills. A business that manufactures and packages products can convert to eco-friendly packaging. Converting to biodegradable packaging provides customers with a visible symbol of the company's commitment to "going green." The business can also leverage the eco-friendly packaging as part of its advertising program to help draw in new environmentally conscious customers.
Small-business owners often serve as the most visible representative of the business itself. In effect, their public personas function as marketing for the business. If a small business owner tries to rebrand the business as green, but drives a fuel inefficient truck or SUV, the green marketing effort seems deceptive. Switching over to an electric or hybrid vehicle serves as another visible reminder that the business pursues a green policy.
A very simple type of green marketing is to make a public announcement, through a press release for example, that the business will pursue green policies. The announcement should include details about the specific changes the business will make and on what time frame. If the changes go off as planned and, particularly, if they reap benefits like reduced costs, follow public declarations about the change can help to solidify the public perception of the business as green.
Many businesses offer monthly newsletters to their customers. A business can cut paper waste and printing costs, while providing equal or greater levels of content, by shifting over to e-newsletters. In this case, the newsletter itself serves as marketing for the business and the delivery method functions as an easy way to go green.
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