Last Updated on May 31, 2023 by Packoi Team
In this article, you’ll learn more about sustainable marketing and how to use your packaging to attract customers to buy your products and services.
Why Is It Important To Have A Sustainable Marketing Strategy?
Sustainable marketing is essential because it promotes a mission that resonates with many customers. It’s not about a specific product or service. It’s about being socially responsible and prioritizing sustainable initiatives over profitability.
It involves marketing tactics that go beyond promoting eco-friendly practices. It also deals with social and economic challenges as it ties to what’s happening to the environment.
Of course, this doesn’t mean companies can use it to their advantage. Sustainable marketing can fuel the growth of a company because of 2 reasons.
Consumer Behavior Is Changing Towards Sustainability
Study shows that customers are willing to change their purchasing habits to support sustainable brands. Surveys have been done left and right to reveal that climate change is an essential issue people want to help with.
So if you can show them that you run a sustainable business, their purchasing decisions will favor you.
But don’t be fooled. Customers know if a company is genuine with its efforts or not. If they discover that your efforts are only meant to get more consumers, it might not work in your favor.
That means you have to be sincere in your efforts. As long as you can maintain your sustainable initiatives and you’re genuine about it, you’ll have no problems strengthening the customer loyalty of your market.
Environmental Impact Matters
It’s easy to say that a company practices sustainability. But if you want your customers to be impressed, you have to show them the environmental impact of your efforts.
You’re not doing this to be boastful. It’s more of telling your journey towards being sustainable.
Tell them how you started implementing changes in your business. Give examples of your initiative to be more energy efficient. Show them how you’ve created sustainable products and packaging to reduce the negative impact of your actions on the environment.
Every little thing counts, but you must ensure it’s revealed in a way that shows authenticity. Do it in a way that ties all efforts to your brand.
How Can You Use Sustainability to Attract Customers?
Having a sustainable business is robust. Looking at various studies, you’ll get a lot of evidence of consumers wanting to support sustainable companies. If you can build a reputation as a sustainable brand, you’re giving your customers a reason to choose you over other businesses.
And the best part about this is it’s not a trend. It’s not something that people will forget in a few years.
The need to switch to sustainability grows stronger every year. That’s something that you can take advantage of.
But before you do that, there are three essential things that you should consider as you set up your sustainable marketing efforts.
Create A Long-Term Plan
The sustainable marketing plan should be a long-term one. After all, sustainability isn’t just about launching new sustainable products. It’s also about practicing sustainability in every aspect of your business operations.
For instance, Mcdonald’s pledged that by the end of 2025, their guest packaging will only use 100% recycled and renewable materials. Lego also committed that by 2030, all their major products will use sustainable materials only.
These are bold statements that show commitment to sustainable practices.
Create something similar for your brand.
Be Consistent With Your Efforts
Whether you use sustainable materials or pursue more energy-efficient practices, you must show consistency in your efforts.
For instance, your sustainability efforts shouldn’t just run for one season. You have to make the changes permanent. Integrate it into your systems to become part of your brand’s corporate social responsibility.
Integrate Sustainability Across The Business
Implement your plans to be sustainable in every aspect of the business. This could mean changing even the existing products and packaging that you have. Or make an effort to reduce your carbon footprint.
Work it and be transparent with your efforts, so your customers know you’re serious about helping save the environment.
This may be easier to do if you have a specific market plan mapped out. Identify your goals and give yourself a timeline to implement them.
What Are Sustainable Marketing Strategies Effective?
The most effective sustainable marketing strategies are focused, consistent, transparent, and inspiring. It’s not just about showing the world and your customers that you’re trying to practice sustainability.
It’s also about encouraging everyone to do the same.
If you want to make that happen, here are the strategies you should consider implementing for your sustainability marketing plan.
Choose The Environmental Issue You’ll Focus On
There are many social and environmental issues. You have climate change, carbon emissions, deforestation, etc. Choose what point you’ll focus on. It has to be an issue that affects your business directly.
For instance, if your business uses paper products, one of the issues you can focus on is deforestation and recycling.
This will make developing a campaign or message that’ll resonate with your customers easier.
Use Your Marketing Channels To Advocate For Sustainability
If you want your sustainable marketing efforts to be successful, use all possible channels to spread the word about it. That means using social media, emails, and your website.
You should also change your marketing materials to reflect your eco-friendly advocacies. That includes your catalogs, brochures, and, if appropriate, your online ad banners.
The goal is to present your socially responsible products and packaging to potential customers in a way that highlights the changes that you’ve made.
Dedicate A Page On Your Website To Narrate Your Sustainability Efforts
Your website is one of the first platforms you can use to launch your sustainability marketing. When consumers come across your brand, they’ll visit your website to learn more about you.
If you want to win them over because of your sustainability practices, dedicate a specific page on your site to tell them about it.
Use this page to give insight into your eco-friendly efforts. Share on this page your plans and commitments.
The more you explain your plans, the more visitors will grow to admire you. That may be enough to make them want to do business with you.
Get Certification As A Green Business
This is the best proof of your sustainability performance. When certified, people will know you’re serious about implementing sustainable solutions.
So if you want to support deforestation, get yourself certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. If you’re reducing carbon emissions, get certification for that.
Once you’re certified, use it and show the world what you’re doing to take part in saving the environment.
This will make your customers trust you.
Design A Sustainable Packaging for Your Products
Sustainable products should be packaged with suitable materials. So one way to implement sustainable marketing strategies is to create recyclable, renewable, or compostable packaging.
You have to remember most packaging is thrown away. Encouraging your customers to reuse or recycle your packaging will greatly contribute.
But there’s one more thing. Your packaging offers an excellent opportunity to promote sustainability. If you can’t make it reusable, at least make it educational.
Give your customers instructions on how to take environmental responsibility. Teach them how to dispose of your packaging correctly.
Tips To Make Your Packaging More Sustainable
Since most packaging ends up as waste, it’s up to you to reverse that so it can positively impact the environment.
Create a product packaging that supports your sustainable marketing initiatives. You can either make it compostable or recyclable. You can use durable materials to be used again and again.
Here are some tips that can help you create the best sustainable packaging that’ll help attract more customers to you.
Use Biodegradable Or Recyclable Materials
Sustainability has no room for single-use plastic. The good news is there are many alternatives you can use in its place.
You have mushroom packaging. There’s also paper packaging.
If you can’t use biodegradable packaging, then choose recyclable materials.
That way, your packaging can be recycled into something else instead of adding to the growing landfills worldwide.
Keep Your Packaging Small
Even if your packaging uses biodegradable or recyclable materials, it’ll help the environment if you keep it small.
Don’t add unnecessary layers or inches to your packaging. The fewer materials you use, the less waste there’ll be.
But that’s not all.
When your packaging is small, it’ll be lighter and won’t take up as much space during transit. That can help reduce the carbon footprint and emissions on deliveries.
Make Your Packaging Reusable
When you use suitable materials, you can increase the long-term value of your packaging. For instance, you can use a rigid box so your customers will be encouraged to reuse them.
By encouraging your customers to reuse items, you help reduce waste. Also, if your packaging has the correct branding, it can be a long-term marketing tool. Even after the customer uses your product, your packaging will continue to market your brand.
And if you put the correct information on it, the packaging can spread awareness about sustainability, too.
Partner With Green Businesses
You’re not alone in implementing sustainable action. Other companies exert the same effort. These are the companies that you should try to partner with.
So if you’re creating sustainable paper packaging, partner with a company that’s FSC-certified; this means they’ve been verified to follow the strict regulation of the Forest Stewardship Council. You can trust that the packaging company only gets its raw materials from suitable sources.
By supporting these companies, you’re empowering their efforts to make a difference in the environment.
Are You Ready To Attract More Customers? Design The Perfect Sustainable Packaging With Packoi Printing.
You’re not just socially responsible when you practice sustainability in your business. You’re also giving customers enough reason to stay loyal to your brand.
This is why when you create your packaging, ensure it reflects your advocacies.
You can start by partnering with a packaging company that cares for the environment as much as you do.
Packoi Printing is an FSC-certified packaging company that’s passionate about eco-friendly practices. We can help you create suitable packaging with a positive environmental impact while impressing your customers.
Find out more about your options for sustainable packaging. Give us a call and share your ideas. We’ll get back to you with a fair quotation in no time.
