Strategy: Setting the Foundation
It starts with a solid sustainability strategy. First, evaluate the long-term environmental, social, and governance impact of your business or organization, and create a plan to reduce it over time. Once you’ve developed an incredible roadmap, based on existing best practices and commitments of leaders in the field, you’ll be ready to start sharing your plan. As you move forward, provide updates throughout the process, whether your audience is made up of other businesses, students, constituents, or consumers. These updates will lead to additional interest in your plan and provide an avenue to garner earned media.
Marketing: Sharing Your Story
You can’t stand out without a robust, multi-channel marketing plan, no matter how sustainable your business is. Therefore, if marketing is an afterthought, take the time to create a comprehensive approach. Marketing your business as a sustainable choice means understanding current trends and where the market is heading. Consumers need to know why your brand is better and how their purchase benefits the planet and their community. Most importantly, transparency is key. Admitting to sustainability failures, along with sharing successes, fosters deeper connections and loyalty. Furthermore, consumers want to see proof of your claims and compare them to the goals in your sustainability strategy. Incorporating Community-Based Social Marketing (CBSM) best practices enhances engagement and helps create viral content. At EI, we use CBSM as a first step to improve marketing outcomes for clients and ensure their sustainable efforts resonate with their audience.
Consumer Demand: Meet the Moment
Surveys and studies show that U.S. consumers value sustainability and vote with their dollars. As long as they know that a more sustainable alternative exists, 56% of them are willing to spend a bit more on the product or service. Moreover, according to a 2020 study by CGS, 51% of US consumers consider sustainability a key factor in their purchasing decisions. That’s a large share of the total market! Align your sustainability strategy closely with the results found in these surveys and studies specific to your industry.
Verification: Show the Receipts
Consider third-party certifications, such as B-Corp, Green Business, or Fair Trade, to add credibility to your sustainability claims. EI is proud to be a certified B-Corp and offers support to other businesses going through the process. Verifying your efforts through an unbiased party builds trust and reinforces your commitment to sustainability. To get started and learn a bit more check out our article on “The Steps Before the Sustainability Framework”.
Best Practice Sharing
No “Chief Sustainability Officer” (CSO) on staff? No problem. Fortunately, in every business sector, there are existing sustainability leaders that have shared sage advice through conferences, white papers, and affinity groups/certification networks. There is no better time to start reaching out to collaborators and competitors alike to find out if they are willing to share their successes and failures. There are also firms like ours that specialize in providing the services of the CSO for your business/institution so you don’t have to hire one internally.
Before you get started on promoting your sustainability success, we’d love to talk through your plan at no cost. It helps us understand how we can help better. Contact us for a no-fee consult.