How To Market Your Green Credentials

Aside from the environmental and financial benefits, becoming more environmentally sustainable will help you gain a competitive edge by appealing to the growing share of consumers seeking greener products and services and improve your appeal in the supply chain.

There are various shades of green marketing, which means that you can tailor your promotional efforts so that they are appropriate to where you are at on the green scale. If a focus on improving your environmental performance is new to your business, but you have made a strong commitment to doing so, take the opportunity to highlight what your intentions are and any progress you've made - but don't position your product as "eco-friendly" or "green" in your marketing because it is unlikely that you will be able to substantiate it.

Alternatively, if your business is advanced in terms of its environmental management strategy and performance, you are more likely to be able to position yourself as a green business, because you will have the systems and information to back up your claims.

Below are some helpful tips on how to maximize your EcoBizCheck credentials.

1. Display your framed EcoBizCheck certification certificate at reception or in a place where your customers and suppliers can see it.
2. Upload your EcoBizCheck certification logo onto your website and email signature.
3. Enter the blogosphere. Use email newsletters and social networks (e.g. Facebook, Twitter dedicated to this niche that will help you tap into new markets with just the click of a mouse.
4. Break down the range of promotional activities and opportunities associated with each point that a customer might engage with your business, and make sure you are consistently promoting your environmental achievements at each point.
5. When using print collateral, use eco-friendly print solutions. Avoid customized paper shapes and sizes that require cutting and wastage of paper, use eco-friendly inks, recycled paper and don't print excessive amounts.
6. Distribution channels. Inform agents selling your product or service of your EcoBizCheck credentials, this will be a great selling tool, a point of difference that meets rising consumer demand.
7. Utilize your EcoBizCheck logo at trade events, community sponsorships, etc.
8. Responding to an enquiry - provide information about your EcoBizCheck credentials when you are responding to an enquiry.
9. Booking/ After Service information - once a customer has placed an order or received your services, supply pre/post green information about how to reduce their environmental impact in relation to your product or service, highlighting your EcoBizCheck certification. E.g. proper disposing of packaging, energy consumption, the best types of associated products to purchase.
10. Product delivery - train staff to deliver key messages to your customers to advise what you are doing and why.
11. Relationship building - explore how can you keep the information flowing to ensure they recommend your product or use your services again. E.g. how your improvements to environmental performance are progressing in a newsletter, or offer them the opportunity to provide feedback on how they thought you performed from an environmental perspective during their visit. Engage them by getting them to tell you what they believe is important. This feedback could help you refine your green strategy.
12. Capitalize on your PR opportunities! If your green activities are innovative then your local paper or radio station may want to hear about it.
13. Release regular reports on your achievements. Let your customers and suppliers know about the efficiencies created or how you have contributed to saving the environment (i.e. since 2009, our new packaging processes have saved X tones of paper). Get creative about how you share information with your customers - they will be interested in the story you have to tell about your journey and in your achievements.
14. Research any government grants/awards that may be available to your company, as implementing EcoBizCheck certification may make you an eligible candidate for grant money or nationally recognized awards.
15. Talk about what you are doing to minimize impact where you have control, and if possible, talk about what you are doing to address the areas where you don't have control. E.g. if a recycling service is not available in your region, make sure you tell your customers this and raise the issue with your local council to get it on their agenda.
16. Have visible signs of your environmental activities, such as recycling bins available for use and prompts to remind people to conserve precious resources.

Please note: Your marketing messages must have integrity. If you aren't prepared to truly commit to improving your environmental performance, and dedicate resources to doing so, it's likely that any superficial efforts will soon become apparent to your customers and the ACCC (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission) and it carries serious penalties for businesses that fail to meet these requirements. The ACCC have published a guide to help educate businesses about their obligations under the act, called 'Green Marketing and the Trade Practices Act' . If you are unsure of how to best represent your claims please refer to this manual.

By Holly McCarthy, EcoBizCheck