Sustainable marketing is inevitable for a marketer.

Sustainability is one of the most talked about topics these days and for marketers it needs to be an important consideration in any planning or execution of any marketing activity. Sustainability is not just a digital marketing trend, it is evident that Embedding environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations into the business strategy can enable organizations to remain socially relevant and impactful in the upcoming years which can foster innovation, effective risk management and better financial efficiencies.

Most common perception of sustainability is creation of marketing eco-friendly products, however it’s more than just that. It’s about using ethical practices and being more aware of social issues your customers and community care about. Creating longer lasting relationships with your target audience needs to be more of a primary concern than just being able to raise profits.

The question here is that what does sustainable marketing really mean? In simple words, sustainable marketing is the process of creating, communicating and providing value to customers in such a way that both natural and human resources are preserved and enhanced throughout. Consumers are more aware nowadays and are willing to switch their shopping habits towards brands that are more environmentally and socially conscious. So how can we make an effort to create a sustainable marketing driven brand? Here are some suggestions or food for thought for all of us marketers out there.

Before we jump into ideas for sustainable marketing, we need to understand what are the key drivers for sustainable marketing? As mentioned earlier, since consumers are more informed about environment’s deterioration, some of them are now willing to spend more on sustainable products. Modern customers are demanding more ethical businesses and hence the competition between businesses who are adopting sustainable marketing is growing at a faster pace. This is creating an increase in suppliers who are more socially responsible and use eco-friendly materials which is an important element for sustainable marketing. With all these drivers in place, how can we ignore one of the biggest driver which is the growing governmental support to create a more sustainable economy!

With all the drivers working actively, marketers need to work towards building marketing activities and strategies that promote environmental well-being, social equity and economic development. To adopt a sustainable marketing strategy some of the areas that need to be considered include:

Firstly, product development needs to be done in such a way that you reduce the environmental impact of the company’s products as much as possible.

Secondly, you can encourage your customer base to make more sustainable choices such as upcycling your products.

Thirdly, businesses cannot make sustainable marketing a reality alone, they need to partner with other brands to leverage upon each other’s strengths and create a sustainable value proposition that serves the community whether it’s a clean-up drive, donation activity or partnership with a supplier to use their eco-friendly material for creation of products.

Fourthly, you need to create more education as a brand on this topic that can help the consumers understand their behavior better, like create content about environmental trends or build tools that can help your customer base make more sustainable decisions, may be create a calculator to understand how big their carbon footprint is.

Lastly, build your brand as a sustainable brand by providing your customer more transparency on your sustainability values as an organization. This can be done by creating awareness about how your brand is more sustainable or is contributing towards more socially responsible services or products. This can be done through content created or accessible through QR codes which your customers can interact with to see how the products were made or the materials were sourced.

Some recent efforts that are easily observable as sustainable marketing efforts are:

·??????Supporting purchases with a purpose along with their biodegradable and eco-friendly products like providing education to the under privileged, or creating housing fund for below poverty line population etc. that is supporting a cause for the communities well-being. ?

·??????Creating a trend for consumers to follow like bringing their own containers or shopping bags, encouraging usage of the same containers for refills at a discounted price that helps reduce plastic usage significantly.

·??????Creating products or selling products in stores that have been created from organic materials for environmentally conscious individuals.

·??????Partnerships with local artists to create branded materials like selling bags, clothes and home accessories that have been made from sustainable materials.

·??????Tech companies focusing on reducing environmental footprint whether it be carbon, waste or water.

As easy as it may sound, sustainable marketing comes with its own challenges like the lack of understanding of the advantages of sustainable marketing. It may require long-term and continuous education for the company. Lack of profitability from sustainable marketing efforts can also make it questionable. Sustainable marketing needs to be authentic and if done only to tick the box can be damaging to the brand reputation. If the company does not execute the promise made they can be held accountable by the customers. Failing to follow your brand’s mission or putting up false claims can jeopardize your brand’s reputation.

To conclude, sustainable marketing requires a huge change in the way marketing is done and how businesses conduct themselves. Today making profits is not the only focus and companies need to become more socially and environmentally responsible. ?It is never too late to make the change as marketers and create more sustainable marketing driven brands.?