All You Need to Know About Green Marketing

Green marketing is part of corporates’ marketing when the company invests in social and environmental dimensions of its related product or service and uses green marketing as a strategy for its branding. The public is getting more awareness about climate change and corporates’ actions that affect us daily through unsustainable actions and operations in different industries. People criticize companies for producing a high amount of waste, misleading and fake advertisements, and increasing prices. Companies are now shifting to green marketing to get public trust and show a sense of responsibility and care for social and environmental causes. Nowadays, green marketing is an emerging strategy in marketing to attract customers, compete in the market, and have the ‘good guy’ identity compared to competitors.

Greenwashing for Entrepreneurs

Some companies pretend to act in sustainability by green marketing, but in action, they are not, and this is called greenwashing, which lies to consumers about the production process. For instance, one company changed its logo color to green. It was claimed to have changed its value chain or materials of the product with energy efficiency, less waste, and reusable and recyclable materials, which is not the reality and in the company’s practices. That’s why wise and environmental advocates are encouraged to do research before buying the product of that specific company that claims to be green.

Suppose you are passionate about starting a green business. In that case, it is recommended to consider these aspects: 1) make sure you have passion for starting the business green and keeping it green; 2) add clear purpose to your passion that can push you further. Get inspired from small things such as banning plastic straws in cafés and restaurants or using recyclable cups; 3) do not rush, and take it slow in starting a business with precise calculation of your product or service model, team’s mindset about green startup, shared interest in the team, and clear green marketing strategy; and 4) be transparent and accountable, not only to the government, but to your consumers, and make sure that you are building trust among the public. One example is Plaine products matching its slogan with its production cycle, which is: “sustainable, refillable vegan bath and body products.”

Test and see the possibility if you can apply any of these in your business: 1) digital administrative or operation work and not wasting papers; 2) if you can integrate 3Rs (reuse, recycle, reduce); 3) selling online and building an inclusive e-commerce platform; and 4) showcasing these efforts through green marketing with a major focus on digital marketing rather than printed — brochure, stand banner, and street advertisement banner. It is true that in the beginning, you cannot start with a fully green approach, but in the percentage range, you can consider bringing green practices and targeting fully green in the long run.

The Strategies for Green Marketing

• Consumer-based marketing: It is about looking into your products or services from the consumer’s perspective. Putting yourself in the consumer place, defining the facts, behaviors, and feedback, collecting data, finding solutions to improve the product further, and then integrating it into your marketing strategy. The more values and good practices a company shows to the public, the more trust is built, and continued support is received in return. And if the company is in the stock market, eventually, its shares will increase rapidly. The stock market functions according to the company’s profit, losses, public opinion, and news.
• Innovative marketing: It is evident that a company cannot stay in the same context while the world is upgrading and developing. Innovation is a must for a corporate to change positively and improve its operations and products. This also applies to the marketing segment of the company’s business model. New marketing strategies such as showcasing green practices can add value to the company’s present and future.
• Mission marketing: It is about announcing a three or five-year mission about your company’s transition to the green business model and keeping the public updated about the development of this mission. And the company can use this opportunity to promote this mission in its advertisement and marketing.
• Societal marketing: It is linking the demand-supply concept of the market. It is a combination of what consumers want and what your company can offer. It is also an opportunity for entrepreneurs to know about public opinion, find the problem, and establish a green startup in response to the social situation.

Photo: Khakimullin Aleksandr/Shutterstock

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