The Role Of Marketing In The Future Of Sustainable Business

In today’s world, there seems to be a depressing stigma that follows conversations about sustainability.

Maybe it’s the Doomsday Clock, or perhaps the destruction of the Amazon rainforest and other prominent ecosystems.

What’s certain is that consumers are becoming increasingly aware of their impact on the environment, and many are looking to businesses to help facilitate their growing concerns.

This week, I conducted research into just how marketing strategies will impact the future of sustainable business.

Here are some highlights:

• In the past, there have been perceptions that "green" products and services are inferior to other products, largely due to neglecting the other elements consumers search for in their product purchases. Marketing strategies serve as a key piece to turn those perceptions around. (Tesla serves as a good example of this)
• Honesty and transparency are a necessary element for consumers to place their trust in sustainable businesses. Accordingly, sustainable marketing strategies are a strong platform for this communication to take place and avoid greenwashing.
• As consumers become more consciously aware of their impact, they will relate more to businesses and products that work towards sustainable goals. Marketing strategies are the method by which resonance can be made between consumers and businesses.

Looking over my research, it became clear that sustainable marketing strategies need to leverage consumer interest and be curtailed to ensure that the right messages and values are being communicated.

Consumers are very skeptical of businesses due to the now buzzword nature that the word sustainability has attained, and will find resonance within companies that live by those values. Companies that aren't able to achieve this will find weak returns on marketing dollars and will be seen as inferior to their competitors.

With more and more sustainable businesses rising in popularity, the space will become more competitive than it already is. The differentiation aspects of sustainable marketing strategies will become increasingly important as markets flood with increasingly innovative solutions.

While the health of sustainable business is ever climbing, it's clear that there will be huge challenges ahead; and marketing strategies will be the rudder that pushes companies through the coming storm.

What do you think about the future of sustainable business?

What role do you think marketing strategies will play?