As the world shifts more and more towards an environmentally aware future, businesses are scrambling to keep up with public expectations and regulatory shifts. Unfortunately, it takes time to become more sustainable, especially if you operate a medium to large-scale company.
In fact, trying to adapt your business to a sustainable future is akin to steering a huge ship around an obstacle at the last minute. It is not impossible, but certainly not easy either.
Arguably the hardest aspect of all is to integrate it into your brand itself, making sustainability a core part of your message, rather than a ‘nice-to-have’ add-on.
Societal emphasis quickly shifts from neat but empty environmental soundbites to customers demanding genuine results, so it is crucial that you know how to implement sustainable changes within your organization and broadcast them to the world effectively.
This is the ultimate guide for adapting your business to a sustainable future and how it might impact your brand messaging:
Integrate it into the heart of your brand message
A decade ago, it was possible to slip a few useful-sounding words about sustainability into your marketing messaging without needing to change a whole lot about your internal processes. Unfortunately, that time has now passed, with customers demanding real change.
In order to integrate your business’s sustainability into your brand messaging, you need to be consistent. Rather than occasionally mentioning your pledge to reduce company waste or cutting your carbon footprint, it needs to be at the front and center of everything you do.
By focusing on a congruent sustainability narrative, you will slowly garner the trust of your customers and prove your seriousness about the matter.
When you do this, it is important to curate a strong branding message that resonates with your audience, so a sustainable marketing agency like Eleven Marketing can help.
Look for the best ways to increase your sustainability, and build out from there
If you are trying to make your business more sustainable, then you might be wondering where to start. The simple answer is that you approach it like you approach your profit margins – you first identify the most obvious areas of improvement and build out from there.
For example, if you use materials shipped in from far-off lands, it could be time to search for a producer closer to home. While this may slightly reduce your profit margins, the long-term payoff from grateful customers could eclipse any short-term pain.
Educate your staff on the importance of sustainability and how they can help
Integrating a whole new ethos into your company is not the work of a moment. Eventually, the aim should be for your sustainability to become a core attribute of what your business stands for, visible in your marketing and how you approach commerce.
Of course, this must start from the inside, so educating your staff on the importance of sustainability and your future is a must, setting goals along the way.
This doesn’t mean you should set an ambitious target and leave your staff to it. Instead, offer advice on how you would like to become more sustainable and how each employee can do their bit to make a difference.