In this blog post, why your marketing going green will aid your bottom line, with five tips for sustainable practices.
If you’re a small business owner, you’re always looking for ways to help your bottom line.
And sometimes, that means making changes to your marketing strategy.
One way to do that is by going green.
Read on to find out how shifting your marketing focus to sustainability can benefit your business.
Marketing going green
We know consumers are increasingly making conscious buying decisions based on sustainability.
Despite the consequences of high price inflation and supply chain disruption, the latest research shows we continue to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle.
In an increasingly more competitive marketplace, your green credentials make a real difference.
Sustainability should be a key theme if you want to stand out from the crowd and secure more business to grow your bottom line.
Plus, it’s the right thing to do!
We often think of the environment as distinct from us when, in reality, we are very much part of it.
With climate change, pollution, overpopulation, habitat loss, and so many other environmental challenges, your business can be part of the solution rather than part of the problem.
#1 – Stay local
Where do you do business? Regarding your sustainability, the more local your business, the better.
Conducting your business locally is likely more convenient, cost-effective and attractive to your customers.
At the height of the pandemic, when travel options were limited, we rediscovered local businesses, including independent retailers and food producers.
Despite habits returning to the old ways, there’s a lingering (positive) memory of the benefits of local business.
Doing business locally means less mileage, lower costs and the ability to target your marketing messages better.
Instead of spreading a finite marketing budget across a wide geographical area, you can make every penny count by speaking to fewer people more often.
#2 – Work from home
The working from home revolution accelerated by the pandemic means a lower environmental impact from commuting.
During the pandemic, when working from home became mandatory, emissions in London fell by 25% during the typical morning commute and 34% during the evening commute.
Of course, not everyone can work from home. But, where remote or at least hybrid working is possible, celebrate its sustainability credentials and the other positives, including time saved for your team members.
Where you can’t work from home, consider having remote meetings where possible, to save on the miles travelled by those taking part.
Fast Internet, high-resolution webcams and screen-sharing tools make video meetings as effective as seeing each other face-to-face.
#3 – Use green energy
While you might not have the budget (or sunny aspect) required to install solar panels on your business premises, you can buy renewable energy.
Green energy providers, including Bulb and Octopus, supply energy from green sources, reducing your carbon footprint and taking away some of the guilt associated with burning fossil fuels to power your business.
You can also reduce your environmental footprint by improving your premises’ energy efficiency, adding insulation to the walls and roof, cutting out draughts and switching to low-energy lightbulbs.
Where you want to go the whole hog and generate your own sustainable energy, speak to your Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) to find out about grant funding opportunities.
#4 – Rewild your community
All of us have an opportunity to rewild our lives.
Restoring and protecting areas (large or small) for nature helps to draw down carbon from the atmosphere, means wildlife can adapt to climate change, reverses biodiversity loss, supports diversified economic opportunities, and improves our health and wellbeing.
One of our clients has a ‘living roof’ on their building, created using trays filled with sedum and wildflower mix.
You can turn the smallest corner of your office, shop or garden into a rewilding project by allowing nature to take its course. Microhabitats are just as crucial as more extensive areas.
From a green marketing perspective, your mini-rewilding project allows you to tell a story, documenting its progress during the year.
#5 – Audit and join
Become part of organisations that require sustainable credentials.
Being a part of a larger group allows you to gain inspiration from others, share best practices and ask for help.
Bear Content is a member of Surrey Hills Enterprises, a membership organisation with The Trade Mark Surrey Hills as an accreditation and a Mark of local provenance, quality and sustainability.
You can also explore the global B Corp movement, transforming the global economy to benefit all people, communities, and the planet.
Understanding where your business sits today before creating a plan to make progress in the future is an essential first step.
What next?
We passionately believe that sustainability should be a core marketing pillar for every small business.
Finding opportunities to reduce your negative impact on the planet and increase your environmental contribution will be central to business success in the future.
Placing sustainability at the heart of what you do creates a powerful marketing opportunity, aligning your values with your customers and demonstrating why it’s better to do business with you than a competitor that hasn’t yet woken up to the reality of 2022.
