Ask The Expert
Q: It seems that green marketing is all the rage now. How can my office get on the green marketing trend?
A: My first tip is to be authentic. Green marketing is big. But there's also a backlash. Seven of every 10 Americans recently surveyed in an Ipsos Reid study felt that when a company called itself or a product "green," they were just using a marketing tactic. There are steps businesses can take to profit from the green movement, but they need to start with authenticity.
Authenticity means beginning with your office and taking steps to "go green" and minimize your environmental impact. Here are 5 steps you can take right away:
-
Go paperless.
It's nearly impossible for an insurance agent to go completely paperless, but you can make great strides as you move to emails, e-faxes and e-application. Move toward an emailed proposal, instead of printing out pages and then using snail mail. You should also rely on an email autoresponder and e-newsletter for your marketing, instead of traditional mailers.
If you use Internet leads, get into the habit of NOT printing them out. If you must print them, try using recycled paper. Going paperless is more of an ideal goal; few companies are able to go completely paperless. But everything you can do to move in that direction will help.
Recycle.
Examine your office trash and look for what can be recycled - and practically everything can be recycled. For recycling advice, check out Earth911.org. Recycling will take extra effort on everyone's part, but our environment needs it. There's also a potential cash benefit in having less regular trash, especially if you pay for private garbage service. Energy conservation.
In addition to helping you market yourself as green, looking for ways to cut your office energy use helps your bottom line. Start by switching to compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs, then invest in light timers and dimmers so that you're not wasting unneeded energy. -
Carbon reduction and offset.
Although environmental concerns have been with us for more than 50 years, public awareness and concern kicked into gear when we learned how 2 centuries of industry and carbon emissions has torn a hole in our ozone layer and severely affected our climate.
Today, carbon offset is the big buzzword. Check out CarbonFund.org to calculate your office's carbon output and learn how you can reduce it - as well as donate to projects that will offset whatever remains.
Community involvement.
Now you're ready to move outside your office. Search your community for environmental projects to which you and your team can regularly volunteer your time. These projects range from adopting and cleaning a stretch of highway or park to organizing a recycling campaign or conservation workshop for your business association.
Unless you're a one-person shop, you'll probably need to get everyone in your office to "buy" into this program. This will probably require explaining the need and the benefits.
Once you've implemented changes to your own operation - and established your authenticity - green marketing will be a relative breeze.
Let clients and prospects know about your commitment to environmental conservation. Include a page in your website, as well as a small blurb in your newsletter or drip marketing email. Be careful not to sound like a blowhard, but don't be shy about publicizing your team's efforts. Your self-promotion should be okay as long as you don't sound preachy or let it overshadow all your other marketing content.
Lastly, you should invite clients and prospects to consider joining you in making changes to the way we use the environment. Give them suggestions about small steps they can take immediately that will have tremendous impact in the long run.
Green marketing is a permanent trend that will only grow stronger as consumers become more aware - and concerned - about the cost of climate change. Many consumers already prefer to shop with "green" businesses even if they charge a little more. In the future, it may no longer be a preference, but a consumer demand.
|
