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Go For The Green
Essential tips for turning green
marketing to gold
By Kim T. Gordon
Sales of environmentally correct
products and services have gone mainstream. Not only is this good for the
planet, it’s great news for your business because consumers are often willing to
pay more for products that protect or enhance the natural environment by
conserving energy or resources and reducing or eliminating use of toxic agents,
pollution, and waste. The vast diversity and availability of green products and
services from major manufacturers ensures that many consumers are already buying
green. Organic foods, green household cleaning products, and recycled or
biodegradable paper products, for example, are widely available.
But that doesn’t make marketing
green products and services a walk in the park. In fact, a spring 2007 study by
Ipsos Reid showed that seven in ten Americans either “strongly” or “somewhat”
agree that when companies call a product green it’s usually just a “marketing
tactic.” To build trust – and sales – it’s essential to base your claims in
irrefutable fact and provide true environmental benefits. Third-party
certifications or seals of approval can show your product meets respected
standards that bolster consumer confidence. And your marketing campaign must
ring true. Consider the fallout when Ford Motor Company ran magazine ads touting
its new eco–designed plant. Some critics viewed the campaign as a smokescreen
for the poor fuel economy of the company’s SUVs.
Motivate Green Shoppers
Even with today’s spotlight on the
urgent need for action, the majority of consumers will not necessarily purchase
green products for environmental reasons alone. The growth in sales of organic
foods and energy-efficient appliances, for instance, is largely because shoppers
want to buy healthy food and save money. Successful green marketers look beyond
the greater environmental benefits to the tangible advantages individuals gain
by purchasing a product or service. It comes down to the answering the basic
question that every consumer has in his or her mind, “What’s in it for me?”
Show Them the Money
Saving money – when coupled with
the additional benefit of saving the planet – is a terrific motivator.
Particularly with a more expensive product, the key is to present a marketing
message based on value to the consumer in the form of cost-efficiency or savings
over the product’s lifetime. Products such as compact fluorescent lightbulbs and
energy-saving water heaters, for example, not only benefit the world we live in,
they deliver measurable cost savings to the purchaser over time.
Promote Safety and Good Health
Composite decking material, for
example, though more costly, is gaining favor over pressure-treated lumber,
which is imbued with toxic agents such as arsenic and requires labor-intensive
painting or staining plus the use of chemical preservatives. Decide how your
product will enhance the health and safety of users and create a green message
that relates directly to the customer’s personal environment. A study by S.C.
Johnson found that consumers are more likely to act on product benefits such as
“safe to use around children,” and “no toxic ingredients,” over benefits such as
“packaging can be recycled.”
Make Convenience a Plus
Early on, green marketers failed to
consider the importance of convenience to customers. Electric cars introduced in
the late 1990s were a dismal failure in part because of their need for constant
recharging. Today’s green products and services must deliver all the convenience
consumers expect by saving them time or being easy to use. For instance, states
including California and Virginia have given hybrid vehicle drivers the okay for
solo-occupant access to HOV lanes. And Toyota has marketed this convenience to
drivers in high-congestion areas on its Prius website. Your product may
ultimately have the power to save the world – but it will be purchased by more
consumers if it also promises to save them time, money, and their health.
Get In-depth
Coaching on this Topic>>
Kim
T. Gordon's columns and articles are read by more than
3 million small-business owners each month. She is a small-business expert
and the author of four books, including Maximum Marketing,
Minimum Dollars: The Top 50 Ways to Grow Your Small Business.
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whole or part without expressed permission from the author. |