The Do's and Don’ts of Green Marketing

by Startacus Admin

Clare Martin, Director of Blue Cactus Digital and Founder of Confident Tiger, shares her insights into the do's and don’ts of green marketing and how to avoid greenwashing.

We've all heard of the term 'greenwashing': the act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service. This can be detrimental to your brand's image – misleading consumers results in poor reputation and a lack of loyalty from consumers, not something any brand wants to be achieving.

At Blue Cactus Digital, we’ve seen a lot of brand messaging from businesses big and small. While we are a digital marketing agency that works with eco businesses to have a positive impact, we also see a lot of what’s missing in the world too. As well as helping a range of eco-minded clients avoid greenwashing, I also put my expertise into practice when I launched my own size-inclusive, ethical and sustainable lingerie brand, Confident Tiger, this year. 

Based on our experience, we've put together a few tips on how all brands can avoid greenwashing.

Do's

1) Be Honest, consumers want to know the nitty gritty, they want to understand the real ins and outs of how a business operates when trying to become more environmentally conscious. By being totally transparent, consumers are more likely to have trust in your brand and will become a loyal, supportive consumer.

2) Educate your audience and consumers. Integrating all the above leads to the importance of communicating with your consumers and ensuring you can teach them ways to positively impact the environment. This could be from small changes in their everyday lives to communicating how this could change perception if everyone were to get involved. It is important to showcase what you are doing and why it is necessary to improve the state of the environment and to start making a difference.

3) Provide regular updates on the impact and changes that are happening in the business from supply chains to packaging and direct distribution. Consumers want to know that they are doing the right thing by supporting and purchasing from an environmentally conscious brand.

Don'ts:

1) DO NOT GREENWASH. This is one of the major impacts of green marketing gone wrong and there is a fine line when this can occur. It's exactly why green marketing is important to get right and why you should thoroughly do your research before implementing anything. There are a lot of brands – big and small – out there that are not setting a good example

2) DO NOT use language that is misleading. For example, only put in percentages if you know this is a watertight stat. All claims that are made should be easily proven. ‘Fluffy’ language that is open to interpretation can also be misleading; the most common words are eco-friendly, non-toxic and compostable. If there is no evidence, it can be classed as greenwashing.

3) DO NOT try to rush into marketing your company as green! This isn’t something that can happen immediately, it takes planning and is a step-by-step process. So, to avoid greenwashing, gradually implement these techniques and evaluate your claims to ensure they are credible. Take it one step at a time.

It's never seamless making big changes to your business and living up to customer expectations, certainly at a time when businesses are pushing for recovery after a pandemic. 

However, being strategic in your approach, conducting detailed research and staying aware of what your competitors are doing is key. Slow and steady wins the race. Rushing to market with a whole dossier of false green promises leaves you exposed. 

About the Author

Having worked as international editorial director at a major UK tech publisher and UK MD at a US-based content marketing agency, Clare Martin is a perfect fit to help tech leaders, startups and dynamic businesses find their niche and promote their message through multi-funnel marketing strategies. Not only that but she is determined to make a difference, supporting businesses to promote their purpose and make a positive impact, whether on people or the planet. Clare is passionate about making the world a better place, whether that’s by respecting the environment, people or getting the balance right between profit and actions. As well as running purpose-driven marketing agency Blue Cactus, she's also launched her own sustainable underwear brand, Confident Tiger, after being frustrated with how difficult it is for women of all shapes and sizes to find a well-fitting, sustainable bra. 

 

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Published on: 25th November 2021