Approaching a Sustainable Marketing Strategy to Boost Sales

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Recent research showed that customers, specifically Gen Z customers, demand more sustainable products and shopping formats than ever. Considering that shortly, this generation will represent a significant amount of the world’s income, companies need to adapt and change their approach quickly. People’s reasoning? They wish to reduce the probability of waste production and carbon footprint and are actively concerned with animal welfare.

Unfortunately, many businesses got to greenwashing for profit, meaning they’ve never reached the environmental purpose advertised to their clients. Some popular organisations were called out for this troubling occurrence, such as Volkswagen, whose cheating emission tests were revealed in 2015 and Nestlé, the world’s top biggest plastic polluters, falsely claimed it would change all its product packaging by 2025 to be 100% recyclable or reusable.

Of course, the primary aim for a company is to boost sales, develop operational tasks and improve brand image. However, tactics like greenwashing will always be discovered thanks to Gen Z detectives who are always watching illicit behaviour from corporations.

If you want to do things right, your company must genuinely approach sustainability. Here’s how a proper marketing strategy can help you.

What Concepts to Base Your Strategy On

Depending on your company culture, you can have a double approach to sustainability. For example, green marketing promotes environmental awareness and mitigates climate change. On the other hand, sustainable marketing can cover various subjects and practices.

One of the most critical aspects of such strategy is transparency because it shows that your business is trustable and you’re not one of the organisations that do greenwashing. Transparency needs to be deepened within the company’s culture, so you should consider providing access to information and involving people in decision-making.

Social activism, social responsibility and social equity are also essential to building brand image. If you undertake a certain type of niche activity, it’s easier for your customers to differentiate you from the competition. Indeed, this is not enough. You must also start recycling and reducing waste in your company. So, choosing special services from specialized businesses like Miltek to recycle plastic or cardboard in vertical balers suits organizations that use considerable raw materials.

Considering the evolving landscape of business-consumer relationships, it’s important to note that 90% of Instagram users follow a business account. This statistic highlights Instagram’s potential to serve as a powerful platform for sharing your sustainability journey, connecting with environmentally conscious customers, and effectively communicating your dedication to ethical business practices. Through a combination of purpose-driven actions and strategic social media engagement, you have the opportunity to not only differentiate your brand but also foster a meaningful connection with your target audience who increasingly prioritize companies that champion causes they believe in.

What Are the Principles of Sustainable Marketing

Sustainable marketing follows the principles of regular marketing strategies but leverages special aspects you must be aware of. Promoting socially responsible products, services, and practices includes the following elements:

Focus on the Customers 

If you’re repurposing your brand and want to make your company sustainably looking, it’s best to focus on the customers, their needs and passions, and get insight into their perspective. Try to understand why sustainability matters to your customers and what drives them towards purchasing these products. Building a customer-focused marketing strategy involves creating a buyer persona and getting them through all the purchasing stages to help you further outline your plan and devise a customer-centric campaign.

Define Your Marketing Strategy through a Mission 

If you want to do things right, your company must genuinely approach sustainability. Here’s how a proper marketing strategy can help you. Effective sustainable marketing is not just about the message you send but also about how you send it. Leveraging digital platforms to get your message across is key in this tech-savvy age. A credible SEO company like Digital Spotlight can ensure that your sustainable practices are not only noticed but widely recognized, helping you stand out in a crowded digital landscape.

Prioritize Product and Service Improvement

Regarding sustainability, you must shift your focus from advertising and sales to creating valuable customer products and services. Of course, this doesn’t mean sales and other departments should be ignored, but making a profit and promoting your company’s values is more accessible when you offer high quality and value. Besides being environmentally focused, your company must build long-term customer engagement and loyalty as part of sustainable marketing.

Concentrate on Innovation 

Having a business in the 21st century is challenging because technologies change, devices are immediately replaced with something better, and customers are always setting the trends. Therefore, your company should focus on innovation and developing products continuously so people will never lose sight of your activity. Of course, having a solid target audience would help, but you must seek the benefits of innovation.

What Are the Benefits of Sustainable Marketing?

Sustainable marketing doesn’t only set you among the few companies with the same approach but has plenty of other benefits, such as the following:

• It helps increase brand awareness through customers supporting the business. Targeting communities who value sustainability most will boost your brand’s popularity by recommending it by word-of-mouth;
• It makes it easier for customers to decide where to buy their products. Customers who value sustainability base their purchasing decision on the level of their awareness of protecting the environment;
• It encourages local communities to adopt similar approaches as sustainable marketing requires companies to become responsible and accountable for their actions and products, meaning that a community’s economy can benefit from this strategy;
• It opens organizations to new opportunities by reaching a larger audience with certain values. Considering the growing number of people concerned about sustainability, expanding your company’s base will be reflected positively in your revenues and market share;

Why Educating Your Customers Is Essential

Although your company aims to sell products and services, sometimes educating customers on a certain matter is the best way to make them more interested in your offer. That’s because many people still don’t know why sustainable products are better than plastic or why the toxicity of this material affects their health, which is why they are reticent in purchasing them. By making an effort to discuss these matters in a way, anyone can understand and provide logical and unbiased opinions on why sustainability matters will educate them. However, it’s best not to exaggerate with this strategy and make them feel guilty about not using sustainable products.

Final Thoughts

Boosting sales with a sustainable marketing strategy is the way to improve your company’s path considering the pressing climate change problem. Based on these practices discussed, your business will thrive and provide valuable services simultaneously.

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