5 best practices for a sustainable marketing strategy
Sustainable marketing can boost brand loyalty, but marketers need an effective strategy. Brands should commit to a larger purpose, take a long-term approach and remain consistent.
Consumers show more loyalty and engagement with brands that share the same moral values as their own. Enter sustainable marketing strategies.
The practice of sustainable marketing has steadily grown in popularity, as more and more consumers have an interest in environmental, social and governance sustainability. Sustainable marketing requires organizations to consider the environmental and social consequences of their business models. Environmental factors include pollution, such as carbon dioxide emissions and the use of harmful plastics, whereas social and corporate governance factors include customer needs, values, laws, ethics and public safety.
At their core, sustainability initiatives aim to address major ecological and social problems. Organizations that prioritize sustainable marketing practices can do the following:
- Reduce their environmental footprint.
- Source materials from sustainable suppliers and create eco-friendly products.
- Donate to sustainable causes.
- Invest in environmentally-friendly work environments and office buildings.
- Incentivize employees to carpool or ride a bike to work.
Marketing teams can promote these practices in campaigns to get consumers behind their company's sustainable products and core values. Explore several important best practices for marketing teams to follow as they create a sustainable marketing strategy.
1. Commit to an environmental or social cause
Business leaders should link their company mission to a sustainable cause, as these initiatives can lead to long-term benefits, such as brand recognition, customer loyalty, innovation and cost savings. Organizations that commit to a larger purpose can help create a lasting culture of sustainability as they find ways to make a difference in their local communities.
With this commitment to sustainability, organizations can find innovative solutions to global challenges such as climate change and resource depletion. Sustainability initiatives can also help to build trust with environmentally conscious consumers.
These strategies can offer organizations an edge over their competitors that may not view sustainability as an important aspect of business.
2. Take a long-term approach
Business and marketing leaders should not view sustainable marketing as a short-term way to boost sales. Instead, they should view it as a long-term commitment. Organizations that want immediate benefits from a sustainability initiative often abandon these practices after they achieve some business benefits, such as increased brand recognition or sales. This type of thinking runs counter to core sustainability principles -- which often require long-term dedication -- and could lead to Greenwashing.
Long-term sustainability efforts involve changes in production processes and product designs. These transformations require an organization's time, capital investment and personnel expertise. Also, these businesses must continuously monitor, measure and evaluate their initiatives' effectiveness to ensure long-lasting sustainability.
3. Educate consumers
Organizations with sustainable marketing strategies should educate consumers on their company's mission. These businesses should explain their mission's importance and demonstrate specific steps they've taken to support that mission. With education, consumers are more likely to understand the organization's goals and values, which could lead to increased customer engagement and loyalty.
Customer education can also increase sales as customers learn more about environmental and social issues. Educational content can engage potential customers, which can help organizations further develop brand recognition.
4. Apply sustainable practices across the whole organization
An organization should integrate its sustainable marketing strategy across the whole organization to create a unified, consistent message regarding its commitment to sustainability. If organizations make sustainability an internal priority, they can ensure all activities and initiatives throughout the organization align with this core value.
Organizations can also enhance collaboration between departments if they inform employees about and include them in the sustainability initiative. Interdepartmental collaboration can lead to faster implementation of sustainability strategies and more meaningful business outcomes. This type of collaboration can also improve organizational resilience, as it lets teams quickly react to external pressures while they maintain their commitment to sustainability.
Additionally, organizations can ensure transparency and trustworthiness -- both internally and externally -- if they integrate sustainable practices into every aspect of the business. An integrated strategy helps customers and employees feel confident that the organization is dedicated to environmental or social sustainability. A successful sustainability initiative also requires everyone in the organization to understand and participate in the mission.
5. Be consistent
Organizations need consistent messaging to communicate their sustainability commitments to customers. Clear and consistent messaging can help customers understand a company's core values.
Consistency can also ensure that employees remain engaged and focused on sustainability. If organizations offer a consistent message across all operations, everyone in the company can know what they are working toward and how employees' individual contributions fit in to the bigger picture.
