Have a green business? Why not tell the world about how you support our Mother Earth with your green practices? In fact, you may be the example that motivates other entrepreneurs to go green too.

Promoting a green business is pretty much like promoting any other kind of business. The only difference is that your marketing strategies seem a little bit more narrow. And, this may sound a little intimidating. 

Yet, let us tell you that sustainable branding is gaining momentum these days. Today’s consumers have become so aware of our planet’s environmental concerns that they no longer support businesses that don’t go green. So, consider yourself a tough competitor on the market already because consumers are voting with their dollars against unsustainable brands and they are willing to help those businesses that go green. 

Avoid greenwashing 

Words like “all-natural”, “organic”, “fair trade” and “green” are the buzzwords written on more and more products across stores these days. But how accurate these descriptions are? A good example of greenwashing would be putting on your product that is “recyclable”. Sounds eco-friendly, right? Yet, although your product may be recyclable, if consumers don’t recycle it, it is only a beautiful lie you tell to yourself and your customers. 

On the flip side, if your product is 100% made of recycled materials, then you can truly say that you are a green business. So, point is that you need to avoid misleading your audience with your marketing strategy. Why? Because your lies will most likely come out to light eventually and this can truly hurt your reputation. 

Therefore, make sure that in your marketing strategy, you only use data about your green practices that are 100% accurate and eco-friendly. Even if you feel like there is much more you can do about making your business greener, be honest about it with your audience and tell them that you are making great efforts to achieve these goals. Trust us on this one, your customers will appreciate your initiative more than if you would tell a lie that will later come out. 

Use eco-friendly marketing materials 

It’s no brainer that if you want to promote your business as a green one, you need to make sure that the materials you use are eco-friendly. Yet, don’t worry, it doesn’t mean that you need to go entirely paperless and focus your marketing strategy on the online environment. You can, for example, use recycled paper to create your pamphlets, business cards, and flyers. 

However, the best way to use green marketing materials is to not use paper at all if possible. So, you may want to focus on online marketing campaigns since you, anyways, have so many promoting tools online. You can, for example, use social media platforms, create a professional website, and, why not, even a mobile app. Also, you can use influencer marketing by connecting with an environment influencer and ask them to help you promote your products to their audience. 

Choose your audience carefully 

Choosing your audience is a key element that can determine the success or failure of your marketing efforts. How so? If you choose the wrong audience, consumers that don’t care about environmental concerns, for example, your marketing will most likely won’t have the impact you are hoping for. 

If you will try to persuade people who don’t care about the environment to go green, like it or not, you will just be spending your money in vain. That being said, you need to concentrate your marketing efforts on places that are most visited by eco-friendly potential customers. So, make sure that you select the channels that will allow you to connect with people that are already environmentally-conscious. From that point, you can focus your advertising efforts to turn these potential customers into loyal customers. 

Show what your business can do for the future 

Eco-friendly initiatives, in general, have a long-term goal. We all know that throwing waste in the trash bin, for example, is a green practice but its effects can only be visible in the long-term.  

Therefore, you shouldn’t hesitate to show your audience what are your brand’s sustainable goals for the future. Why? Because customers understand that one company can’t change everything overnight on its own but they want to know that you get involved and care about this kind of stuff.  So, for example, you can create a video that shows the positive impacts of your green business in the future. You can even use futuristic music as background music to evoke stronger emotions in your audience and engage them to help your brand achieve those goals.  

Attend green local events 

Even in today’s digitalized era, face-to-face meetings remain a key element in establishing strong brand-customer connections. Keep in mind that today’s consumers are overwhelmed by online ads from faceless companies that don’t even care about the but only about their profit. So, making efforts to truly connect with your audience is the key to their hearts and long-term customer loyalty.  

Therefore, identify green events in your surroundings (be it festivals, conferences, parades or small gatherings focused on environmental concerns. Next, take advantage of these events to spread the word about your company, your products, and, most importantly, about your green practices. 

With today’s consumers preferring sustainable brands over those that don’t go green, promoting your eco-friendly business will be easier than you’d imagine. All you have to do is to use sustainable marketing materials and to make sure that you reach out to the right audience.