Living Stone blog 3

 

 

All Posts

Why sustainability marketing is important

There’s more to it than reporting…

Consumers prefer sustainable brands, especially millennials. Multiple studies confirm this and we see the evidence every day on newscasts, with coverage of climate-change marches, plogging and beach cleanups.

However, consumers’ purchasing patterns lag behind their environmental aspirations. How come? Although there are many ways to explain the gap between stated interests and actual purchasing behavior, one of the main issues seems to be the lack of sustainable products and clear, sustainable marketing stories.

Truly sustainable brands are still a minority. For every sustainable product there are dozens of less conscious alternatives. Hence, identifying the eco/socio-friendly products consumers would like to buy is like searching for a needle in a haystack.

And how can brands make themselves stick out from the crowd? Through marketing, of course.

Unfortunately, this is where even the most sustainable companies fall short. They might have a sustainability report, which is great. They might even have a corporate sustainability page on their website, which is nice as well. But it’s just not enough.

Consumers probably won’t check the sustainability page of your website, let alone take the time to download or read your sustainability report, regardless of the accolades an environmentally-sound product or brand has received. Why should they? These tools are not made for them. They’re there to inform investors, journalists, job applicants, students, etc. But not the consumer.

Other less-sustainable brands are not targeting consumers through technical reports or information hidden away somewhere on a website. Far from it. They’re out there handing consumers their information on a silver platter, through targeted social advertising on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook or other social media channels. By hiring influencers to promote their brands and organizing/sponsoring events close to their ‘buyers’.

Marketing sustainable brands should be no different. Companies should not be ‘hiding’ their sustainability claim behind the technical side of their communication arsenal. They should be going full throttle, presenting sustainability attributes as strongly as any other positive feature of their brand. How to achieve this? It’s simple:

  • Tell a clear story. What is your sustainability claim? What is the relevance for your company? What solution or assistance is your company providing to tackle one of the global issues facing society today? People love to hear stories, so make sure your sustainability message is positive, engaging and relatable.
  • Make it visible. One of the best ways to get your message across is to visualize it. Use photos, animation and video to show your sustainability actions. Present your data visually, using infographics, animated charts, etc.
  • Make it easily accessible. Your sustainability story is an important part of your company profile, so make sure people cannot miss it. Use all your tools to spread your story. Tell it on social media, through content marketing, even native advertising. Get the support of the right ambassadors. And don’t forget traditional offline methods, for instance, organizing/sponsoring events, adding sustainability information/labels to your products, etc.

Are you maximizing your sustainability story across the entire spectrum of your communications programs or is your program still hidden in your annual report or on a solitary web page? At Living Stone, we can help you find the best ways to share your story and optimize the impact for all of your audiences. Contact Maarten Geerts to learn how.

Maarten Geerts
Maarten Geerts
Sustainability expert

Related Posts

The importance of value in B2B marketing: looking beyond price

In the current economic context, with prices and inflation rising, it is essential for B2B companies to look beyond price alone. Value has become a central element in B2B marketing strategies. In this blog, we dive deeper into the different aspects of value, and how B2B companies can maximize these aspects.

War and turmoil: navigating global challenges in B2B marketing

How to be successful as a medium-sized B2B company in a troubled world. Strategies and the role of a B2B marketing agency in facing global challenges. In a world full of geopolitical tensions, economic uncertainties and rapidly changing technologies, B2B companies face numerous challenges. These challenges have a direct impact on how B2B companies develop and implement their marketing strategies. In this blog, we will discuss some of the key global challenges that a medium-sized B2B company in Belgium or Europe may face. We will also explore possible strategies that can help companies successfully deal with these challenges, with a focus on the role of a B2B marketing agency such as Living Stone.

More informed buyers and larger DMUs:

Showpad CEO Hendrik Isebaert shares insights on the changing world of B2B sales in interview with Alex Moyle We recently watched a webinar with Alex Moyle over at The Growth Hub, where Moyle interviewed Showpad CEO Hendrik Isebaert on how the world of B2B selling has changed in the last three years. In this blogpost, we share some of the insights we found really interesting from the interview, starting with one of the biggest shifts – the point in the buyer’s journey where prospects now reach out to sales reps. “What we find is that 60% of the buying cycle has already taken place before the first interaction with the buyer,” says Hendrik Isebaert. In the interview, Isebaert talks about two major changes in particular: the expanded access that buyers have to information, and the trend to larger decision-making units.