Kim Stoddart, serial ethical entrepreneur and founder of ethical media relations, branding and communications company Blue Rocket looks at how companies can market themselves more responsibly.

In the current economic climate it has become more important than ever to stand out from your competitors. Because of this a lot of companies are throwing money at marketing. You may have noticed recently more direct mail coming through the post from banks and credit card companies in a bid to attract more customers.

This form of blanket approach is a good example of how not to market your company ethically. Alongside being a monumental waste of paper, it annoys and alienates easily as many people as it attracts.

So how do you market your company in a more ethical way – and why should you?

Well, increasingly people are looking to work with, or buy services from, companies they feel they can trust. Ensuring your marketing adheres to more responsible practices is a good step in the right direction. It is important to market yourself but to do so in a more considered way; think about what your target audience might want.

Take a more modest approach

In a bid to stand out from your competitors it may be tempting to make bold statements about the service you provide but it’s important to ensure that your credentials will stand up, otherwise you risk damaging your brand.  There is so much “greenwashing” going on at the moment that businesses are becoming more critical and weary of companies announcing new initiatives.

It is essential to always think responsibly about the long-term implications of your marketing and to avoid the temptation of promoting an eco-initiative with little substance. Authenticity and a realistic sense of modesty are essential; if you can’t make lots of changes at once, be honest and tell your customers about the changes you have made and those that are planned and why they can’t be made now.

They will appreciate this approach much more and be more inclined to trust what you are saying.

Vet your suppliers

Green or ethical marketing also means looking at the materials you use in the marketing process itself and ensuring they are as environmentally responsible as possible.

Carefully vet your suppliers’ credentials. For example, at Blue Rocket we use a company called Responsible Print for our printing services because they provide an environmentally-friendly service that takes into account every aspect of the print job, from start to finish.

Know your target audience

Marketing to your target audience will lead to a higher take-up than a blanket approach. Some of the more careful and effective ways of doing this include holding informative events, partnering with likeminded organisations, press coverage in the right publications and selected networking.

There are lots of things you can do for a relatively small budget to build awareness of your brand in the right way.

Identify how you want your company to be seen and put yourself in your customers’ shoes, thinking how they would like to be approached. This will help you figure out what type of marketing support you might need

Lastly, as our consumer-driven world continues to struggle with the waste we produce, it does force us to question the services or products we are offering and whether they are really necessary. Alongside reducing the environmental impact of our businesses and their marketing it’s also worth getting ahead of the game by reflecting on every purchase made and checking if it is actually needed.

The same approach should apply to the products and services we offer. It is those companies that have really considered this that will be able to stand out and say they are truly ethically minded.

Blue Rocket
www.bluerocketgroup.com

Blue Rocket is doing some ethical marketing of its own and is running a series of free workshops on PR and ethical marketing; to find out more about either of these please email info@bluerocketgroup.com.