A recent study showed that sustainability is rated as an important purchase criterion for 60% of consumers globally. People are becoming increasingly aware of the need to shop ethically, and 87% of the time will actively choose a sustainable brand over the alternative if given the option.
The benefits of having a sustainable brand and marketing it as such are clear. Still, it’s also important to ensure that your business is authentic and transparent in its marketing message and brand values.
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Brand positioning
Position yourselves as thought leaders in sustainability in your industry. Create content that engages and educates your audience. Make sure it tells a compelling story about your business and its environmental goals. This can be shown through blog articles, short videos, social media posts and LinkedIn articles.
If the sustainable aspect of your business is authentic, it should never be an afterthought at the bottom of your website. Instead, it needs to be a consistent feature in your marketing content and brand positioning.
Connect with other sustainable brands
Do your research on sustainable and ethical networking groups in your local area and on LinkedIn. This will enable you to reach out and connect with other brands that have a similar message, and consumers will begin to see your company name out there and associate you with sustainable values.
This strategy can also be applied to backlinks. Backlinks are links from one website to a page on another website, and they are important for SEO. Get in touch with other sustainable companies and ask if you can write a guest post on their blog. This will be good for your off-page SEO, and it will help you to become increasingly visible with an audience who are seeking out eco-friendly brands.
Be transparent
Many businesses are very loud about their environmentally friendly products and policies. However upon investigation it’s often discovered that these businesses aren’t actually doing anything to work towards sustainability or Net Zero. ‘Greenwashing’, as it’s called, is something you want to avoid at all costs.
If there are parts of your business that aren’t fully sustainable yet, don’t shy away from mentioning it. Instead, address these issues on your website and in your communications, and explain what the plan is to work towards a more sustainable solution in the future. Your audience will value transparency and honesty over perfection.
Back up your claims
Following on from transparency, it’s essential that you are able to back up any claims of ethically sourced products. If you have any sustainability certifications, ensure that they are prominently displayed on your website. Don’t be vague about where you source materials from, include links to your suppliers. This will help to build trust and credibility with potential customers.
You don’t have to blow potential customers away by bragging about being the ‘most’ ethical, sustainable brand out there to be successful. You just need to be open about your sustainability aims and the efforts you are making to achieve them. Incorporate this aspect of the business into your everyday marketing campaigns and your brand will grow. If you would like any help with marketing your sustainable brand, why not get in touch?
