An Essential Guide to Sustainable Marketing (Part 2)
As promised, here is the second half of our two-part sustainable marketing guide:
The 3 Principals of Successful Sustainable Marketing
However, the same three core principles apply if you approach sustainable marketing. Creating and implementing a sustainable marketing strategy is not as easy as choosing a worthy cause and randomly channelling money and resources in its direction.
It takes defined goals and a clear direction to extract the most from a sustainable marketing campaign.
Above all else, you need to ensure the following are prioritised on an equally high level:
Your plan must have long-term viability
Sustainable marketing only works when a brand’s commitment to eco-friendliness is ongoing. You cannot simply throw your weight behind a random cause in the short term and expect anyone to take you seriously. The reason you support needs to have long-term relevance, and the plan you implement needs an appropriate level of longevity.
Carefully consider your plan's costs and resource requirements and ensure it is affordable. If necessary, determine whether you are happy to accept short-term losses if doing so could lead to long-term gains for your brand.
Consistency is crucial
Like it or not, your so-called ‘commitment’ to sustainability will be scrutinised to the nth degree, right down to the finest detail. You can bet your bottom dollar that any inconsistencies identified along the way will be brought to your attention and the attention of your entire target market.
For example, you may use only 100% sustainably sourced ingredients to produce a Fairtrade drink, from which some proceeds are returned to the community. But it’s all for nothing if the bottles you package it in are neither recycled nor recyclable. You’ll be accused of hypocrisy that rarely bodes well with conscientious consumers. Either it's consistent, or it isn’t going to work – it is as simple as that.
Your strategy in everything you do
If you intend to make sustainability a key selling point for your business, it must be woven into the very fibre of your brand’s DNA. It is not simply showcased to the demographics you think will respond more positively to it, but it is a core component of everything you do. Something that begins with competitor research, providing essential insights into how similar brands are approaching (and succeeding with) their sustainable marketing campaigns.
Conduct a comprehensive customer journey audit and ensure your sustainable message is apparent at every stage. Keep your marketing communications consistent, and make sure your frontline staff are adequately trained to respond to customers’ queries and questions regarding sustainability.
Key Takeaway
The key to success with sustainable marketing lies in positioning your SME as an active, outspoken, and influential figure in a specific societal or environmental issue. Not a passive bystander who sits on the sidelines and watches as the world goes to pot. From the smallest e-commerce to the largest consultancy firm, commitment and consistency are everything.
While it can be a complex and potentially costly initiative, sustainable marketing can also bring huge rewards—financial and otherwise. It can humanise your brand and bring credibility to your marketing messages, which can be worth its weight in gold.
This is precisely why ‘sustainability’ cannot realistically be referred to as a buzzword. As one of the biggest concerns and priorities shared by a growing consumer market worldwide, it’s something that businesses of all sizes could pay more attention to.