Sales, Marketing and Public Relations

Marketing your green start-up

When I first got into copywriting, I had the laborious chore of turning one medium-sized business’ rather humdrum HVAC products into something that would garner a following within digital media and the blogosphere. HVAC (appliances and other heating and cooling related) products are wonderful, but they only really interest a select audience or a consumer when they happen to be in the market for one. I overcame the challenge by finding that small silver lining where these products (in some cases) satisfied sustainability needs and energy star ratings.

About 5 years ago, the “green” industry was still a budding new market from a consumer’s point of view, but smart business people and marketers saw the growing potential; and this copywriter and marketing specialist genuinely developed a passion for it.

As I became more invested in the eco-community and took on small business clients that had great green products to offer, I started noticing a tragic marketing gap among most small green businesses. In nearly all cases, their marketing efforts were not very efficient. Whether it was a failure to plug their product name and contact info when a small business owner had the eyes and ears of a roomful of people, to their failed digital and print presence, eco-friendly small business owners were all heart and no strategy.

All businesses need some level of marketing to succeed, and there is no exception to this rule when it comes to marketing your green business. Since ‘greenies’ are such a loyal consumer group, I’ve learned that if you have an aggressive and strategic marketing strategy, there’s no choice but to succeed.

Charting your green marketing plan

If you’ve got a green start-up or small business, you have to make sure you cover both digital and live marketing, as well as make sure you make time for creative positive PR buzz.

Digital green marketing – You may have come across digital marketing rephrased as online marketing or new media marketing. All of these terms simply mean marketing in an online community, including but not limited to social media marketing, blogging, SEO, link building, and link exchanges. Any campaign should also include registering and becoming familiar with green business directories, among other niche-based green business outreach and promotion efforts.

Digital marketing is crucial for any business, since most of your consumer group is routinely accessing the internet for information, purchasing, and community building. Nearly all our daily dealings can be pinned down to the internet in some way, whether we browse Facebook, Twitter, check out videos on YouTube, keep in touch via email, keep updated via Twitter, and more. Any serious business owner realizes the value of an online community and works to harvest this group to grow their customer base.

Small business owners within the sustainable industries are no exception. They realise that eco-enthusiasts are very well networked, and some of the best when it comes to sharing information on valuable products, services, and resources. There are now several dozen excellent websites, blogs, and social media forums that eco-minded business owners should be investing in on both ends of the spectrum; on one end you should be engaging with other greenies and on the other you should be ensuring that you have a viable online presence through social media, blogging, and your website.

The most important thing to remember when it comes to online marketing is that it’s a long term campaign. Results don’t happen overnight and for you to be successful here you must keep chipping away by engaging online communities, your audience, and others interested in sustainable living. Add to this the fact that social media and new media is constantly evolving, and you come to quickly appreciate the level of effort a successful campaign takes. It’s passionate intensity times duration that leads to a marketing success in a digital community.

Live green marketing – Live green marketing involves business owners committing a set number of hours toward attending networking opportunities. In-person opportunities to boast your business splits into two categories…general and industry based.

Business owners should make it a point to attend local city, county, and club events as well as join networking associations that they’ve scoped out and found to be of some potential merit. These general groups get you “in” with the right people who are looking to do business and it also gives you a chance to plug your company.

Note: While trekking meetings and events, it’s really important to remember that there’s nothing more tasteless than attending any event without having an interest in other people and what they have to offer; networking is a give and take business.

Industry networking involves joining “green” groups in your area, whether it’s charity work, conferences, networking groups, seminars or any other opportunity that gets you direct access to a group of people who are already passionate about sustainability. These groups are goldmines but they’re also filled with a lot of start-up business owners who can sometimes be too self-involved; they just need a little extra attention and relationship building to ensure they see the value in your product or service.

Live marketing is premised on the foundation of good business, and that’s good relationships. An in-person meeting with someone offers a lot of confidence and positive PR that just reaching out to an online audience alone can’t match.

Creative positive PR - There’s a lot more to positive PR than just showing up to a meeting with a dashing smile and a great attitude. Creating a positive PR buzz requires a little imagination. There’s no golden rule here, but companies need to start keeping an ear to the ground on what’s happening in their industry and community. From there, you can develop clever ideas to make sure your company gets in the limelight. Whether it’s creating a scholarship, giving out an award, showcasing a stellar business personality, or teaming up with another business, positive PR buzz is worth every dime you spend. And don’t forget to create a page within your website where you can showcase your results!

Digital media marketing, live marketing, and even creating a buzz, requires the best personality your company has to offer. Make sure you or your designated marketing guru can create conversation, be personable, and yet still remain professional. There’s nothing more disastrous than spending time and money on a marketing campaign, just to hand it over to a person that has no tact or social skills…and trust me, I’ve seen this happen more than once!

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Shireen Qudosi

is a freelance writer and communications specialist who also specialises in online marketing and public relations. Follow her on Twitter@ShireenQudosi.

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The views and opinions of the author expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of Hotfrog.