Marketing is an invaluable tool because it builds familiarity and name recognition, drives profit and growth, and provides the appropriate scenario for building meaningful interactions. Having a business without marketing is nearly impossible. In the corporate world, companies have been rapidly adopting the sustainability mindset, measuring their success in three key aspects – profit, people, and the planet. Innovative enterprises have demonstrated time and time again that it’s possible to do well by doing good. People want to help the environment in any way they can.
An ever-increasing number of businesses are adopting sustainable marketing, which promotes socially responsible products, services, and practices. Even if your brand isn’t rooted in this mission, it’s still worthwhile to invest time and money into sustainable marketing as you can reach new audiences and increase your market share (and revenues). With climate change making itself more visible by the day, it’s your responsibility to create a more sustainable future. Please continue reading to discover the best practices for creating a sustainable marketing strategy.
Re-Think Your Promotional Products
To stand a chance of success in today’s competitive world, you must differentiate your business from that of your competitors and pave the way for consistent growth. Promotional products let you secure valuable impressions at a relatively reasonable cost, familiarizing potential customers with your brand and offering. They carry your tagline, logo, name, phone number, and website address. Unfortunately, they require the use of raw materials, energy, and water. What is more, promotional items create waste, as they’re eventually discarded. Many of them are made from plastic or other non-degradable materials.
Since promotional products are vital to your marketing campaign, opt for eco-friendly giveaways like business cards made of seeded paper. Seeded paper is a viable alternative to traditional paper products because human life has become dependent on plants for the qualities they provide, including medicine and food production. It’s perfect for growing flowers of all varieties, but the seeded paper needs to be watered more often; after a couple of days, the paper decomposes, just leaving the plant and flowers. The seeded paper supports any format and design you want to give it to suit your marketing campaign.
If You Have a Physical Shop, Get Online
E-commerce provides various benefits, such as access to a seemingly endless variety of products and ease of price comparison, but it’s not without its flaws. Don’t worry because, with the right strategies in place, you can lower your carbon footprint and reap the rewards of doing so. A significant portion of this carbon footprint is attributable to shipping, so use recyclable packaging, use thermal printers to save ink, and opt for paperless invoicing. Returns have a similar environmental impact, so ensure accompanying information about your products so people know exactly what they’re purchasing.
Use Recycled Paper Instead of Virgin Premium Paper
It’s no secret that using recycled products is better for the environment because they reduce the need for extracting, refining, and processing raw materials that create air and water pollution. The question now is: How easy is it to adopt a circular mindset? Swap virgin premium paper for recycled paper that reduces greenhouse gas emissions, methane being a major contributor to global warming. Seeded paper, discussed earlier, is made from recycled paper waste turned into pulp; the seeds are immersed during the papermaking process. The sheets are naturally dried to avoid pressure and heat, which can affect the seeds.
Recycled paper can be used for anything from business cards to newsletters (and more). Even in a technology-driven world, very few marketing tools help you reach and engage with the audience, like brochures. They can be handed out following discussions with prospective clients, providing a tangible piece of marketing. If you want to show your company cares about the impact it has on the world, play your part within the local and wider community by choosing eco-friendly promotional gifts from suppliers such as Greengiving (https://www.greengiving.eu/). Make progress in considering the planet in your marketing.
Forget About Tired Loyalty Tactics
The best loyalty program has the power to transform your business into a profit machine centered on people. Customers who are already enthusiastic about your brand will most certainly continue buying, meaning they’re the number one target for your marketing efforts. Even so, a gap is present. The reason for this is that loyalty programs were established years ago when customer expectations and the competition were totally different. If you want to boost your eco credentials, create a high-performing loyalty program that relies on the principles of reduce, reuse, and recycle.
Instead of offering a free coffee, you should better plant a tree. Not only can you engage customers in combating climate change, but you can also foster brand loyalty, which makes this marketing tactic meaningful. Shoppers are tired of living in a capitalist society due to heightened environmental awareness, so they’re more inclined to support organizations that align with their values and, above all, are transparent in their operations. As far as corporate gifts are concerned, handing out trees shows you’re committed to the environment and actively taking climate action, so you’ll form a stronger connection.
Concluding Thoughts
As a brand, you must promote something bigger than your products and services, transcending any particular industry. Integrate sustainable marketing practices across your enterprise to create a uniform, consistent message concerning your commitment to the planet, becoming one of the most valued and respected organizations. Sustainability means thinking ahead to create long-term value, so don’t concentrate on immediate returns. It’s crucial to enhance collaboration among departments to foster more meaningful outcomes, improve organizational resilience, and enable teams to react better to external pressure.
If you make a mistake regarding sustainability, own it; that is, apologize quickly and publicly. And when you say you’re sorry, promise you’ll do better in the future. When it comes to marketing, making changes is challenging, so get everyone on your team involved to shift the mindset. Give yourself permission to make the changes in phases; getting to where you want can take anywhere from nine months to two years.
