The majority of Americans think we should be doing more to address climate change, so it’s no wonder that green marketing is becoming an increasingly lucrative venture. For companies with zero-waste products, however, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to stand out in a sea of eco-friendly brands.
Fortunately, there are methods of content marketing that can help you stand out from the crowd.
Why You Need Content Marketing
If you’ve spent enough time in marketing circles, you’ve probably heard that traditional marketing (TV ads, banner ads, billboards, et cetera) are losing effectiveness. Though this is true, it’s far from the only reason to put your content at the forefront of your marketing strategy.
Content marketing helps build trust, which is especially important for those targeting eco-conscious customers. A good portion of your audience will have taken strides to educate themselves on sustainable practices, and it won’t be enough to slap a green logo on your product and call it a day. Through social media, video content, and blog posts, you can show the social proof necessary to earn their trust.
Moreover, it can also draw in slightly less environmentally-conscious customers, giving you an opportunity to both earn their trust and educate them about your cause. This means you’ll not only attract an already-existing audience, but you’ll also help grow the market.
Content Marketing Ideas
Of course, there’s no content without topics. In addition to more common forms of social media posts and blogs, you’ll also want to use ideas geared specifically towards the eco-friendly consumer. To get you started, we’ve written up some ideas below.
Show You Care
It’s not enough just to slap a green logo or floral print on your branding. If you’re truly committed to running a sustainable business, then you need to take action towards that end. Use your platform to support environmental charities and causes. There’s plenty of fun ways you could go about this, from running a simple fundraiser to planting trees in your community. Take action and then share your work on social media.
You can also spread the word about charitable organizations,share posts or retweet information from reputable environmental charities and nonprofits. Have your company account follow these trusted organizations and keep up with what they’re posting.
Educate Your Audience
Another way to show you care is by becoming a sustainability spokesperson. Instead of constantly saying “Buying our product will help save the environment,” you should focus on discussing sustainable and unsustainable practices, and how replacing the former with the latter will help combat the effects of climate change, keep plastic out of our oceans, and prevent species from going extinct.
Even if these practices aren’t the ones your company uses, your audience will still appreciate knowing what they are and how they can help. You should, however, spend a bit more time talking about your process.
Share the Process
If your process is truly zero-waste, then your audience will appreciate seeing your product in action. Show off the more obscure aspects of running a zero-waste business and take the opportunity to educate your consumer base. You might discuss how your production facility reclaims its water waste or how you plant trees to achieve net-zero emissions.
This will build trust, assuring your customers you aren’t just greenwashing your products.
Specificity to Avoid Greenwashing
Speaking of greenwashing, you’ll want to make sure your green marketing strategy doesn’t stink of insincerity. Through genuine interaction is already the cornerstone of social media marketing, this is even more important when trying to assure a climate-conscious audience that you’re talking the talk and walking the walk.
The strategy to avoiding greenwashing claims is pretty simple: be specific. Back in 2019, fast fashion brands like H&M faced controversy for their vague sustainability claims. Though they claimed sustainable practices, how they were being sustainable eluded the average consumer. Naturally, the Norwegian Consumer Authority (CA) had some questions.
This,and other similar incidents,turned the savvy consumer on to an effective greenwashing litmus test: if it’s vague, it can’t be trusted. If you don’t want to get lumped into the category of untrustworthy brands, you need to tell your consumers exactly what makes your product sustainable. Don’t just say “Sustainably-made fabrics,” say “Made from organic plant fibers harvested from small farms.”
Conclusion
The eco-friendly consumer isn’t always the easiest to target; they’re usually well-educated about the environment and can be picky about what they buy. This is why you’ll have to work even harder to build up social proof and earn their trust.
Content marketing is the best way you can accomplish those ends, showing them you care about more than just the bottom line.