The demand for eco friendly businesses gets bigger by the day.
According to the Harvard Business Review, a recent survey showed 65% of consumers want to buy from purpose driven brands that advocate sustainability. Not only would they prefer to buy from ‘eco friendly’ businesses, but another study from Barron’s actually showed they’d be prepared to pay more to do so.
Of course, at this point, who isn’t making sustainability one of the key drivers of their business going forward? Well, whilst many focus on producing environmentally friendly products, not everyone extends the sentiment to their marketing strategies…
We’ve listed some eco friendly customer acquisition strategies for you to consider below:
- Direct Mail: Of course, we’re biased, but Direct Mail really is one of the most environmentally friendly channels if it’s done properly. From bio-degradable inks to FSC certified paper and carbon neutral printers, there has been ALOT of change in the world of DM over the past few years. In fact, direct mail campaigns don’t even have to be produced on traditionally tree sourced paper, with a number of recyclable paper alternatives available on the market. An eco-friendly printer can print onto sustainably sourced materials and, with a clean database targeting a select list of prospects or customers, you’ll be reducing waste as well. Consider limiting the contents within your DM campaign, as well as printed on both sides of your pieces. Remember, partnering up with an environmentally conscious supplier is a great way to share ideas and ensure your campaigns are as green as they can be!
- Local events: Events seemed such a long way away in the depths of the latest lockdown measures, but thanks to an extremely effective vaccination campaign (amongst other factors), we’re now slowly starting to see a return to networking and public events. Being active within your local community, attending events and exhibiting at local shows etc are a great way to make your presence felt and promote your services. These can still be eco friendly, as local events mean you won’t be leaving a large carbon footprint by driving too far and it also gives you a chance to connect with other local businesses striving towards a greener footprint. Share ideas, ask questions, offer to sponsor local initiatives… perhaps there’s a local wildlife trust for example you can work with?As long as it’s safe to do so, getting out and about in your local community and waving the flag for sustainability will really help to get your message across.
- Social Media: Everyone, and we mean everyone, is online in some shape or form in todays digital world. Twitter, Tik Tok, Facebook, Instagram… chances are you’ll find your target audience on one of them. When it comes to attracting new business, social media can be a very effective tool for promoting your products or services. According to research from We Are Social, 1 in 5 social media users in the UK are clicking on sponsored posts – using the learn more or shop now functions – and are 25% more likely to be clicking on products tagged by brands or sellers. If you are able to successfully promote your green intentions, ‘eco consumers’ are 41% more likely to make an online purchase if they know a product or business is environmentally friendly.
- Referrals & word of mouth: Perhaps the oldest form of marketing out there.. the good old word of mouth channel rarely fails to disappoint. If your products or services are endorsed by a friend or family member, chances are you can expect a visit online or in store. In fact, a referred lead have a 30% better chance of converting and a 16% higher lifetime value than leads acquired via other channels. With this in mind, you can explore incentivising your client base with referral marketing programmes that reward referrals. When you let your customers promote your business for you, your carbon footprint is practically zero!
When it comes to sustainability and moving towards a greener world, it’s a certainly a long term commitment that encompasses every part of your business. It’s important that there is an authentic desire to reduce our carbon footprint and that our marketing reflects that. There are plenty of eco-friendly approaches businesses can use to acquire customers, far more than the few we have mentioned above, but as a starter for ten we hope they offer some value to your business.
Thanks for taking the time to read this blog, happy marketing!
