digital and social marketing for sustainable companies

Digital and Social

Marketing

The Sustainable Cosmetics Summit

Susan McPherson@susanmcp1

What is the value of green marketing? Why should my company

invest it?

Consumer Demand Is Here

Green marketing makes business sense.

Your consumers want to know about your CSR initiatives and the impact you’re making.

It’s An Authentic Part Of Your Story This isn’t “greenwashing.” If you have an authentic commitment to sustainability, your CSR initiatives are an authentic part of your story. It’s not a publicity stunt; it’s who you are. It’s your brand.

Employee & Consumer Engagement

By shining a spotlight on your environmental commitments, you can also give employees and customers the chance to participate in your sustainability efforts.

Be An Inspiration

Speaking openly about your sustainability goals, challenges, and initiatives helps elevate your company as an industry leader. Your green marketing can inspire others to follow your lead.

What are the elements of successful, high-

impact green marketing?

Authenticity Successful green marketing campaigns are true to your brand and integrated into your overall story.

TIPS: ● Just getting started? Bring your marketing + CSR teams together

to determine messaging for your campaigns. ● Make your green goals and programs part of your overall brand

story. ● Talk about green initiatives on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and

all of your other social channels.

Authenticity Case Study: ZADY

Transparency Being transparent about where you are & where you want to go is key to any green marketing campaign. It’s how you avoid greenwashing.

TIPS: ● Clearly communicate your challenges and shortcomings to

stakeholders. ● State goals, track progress, and share this progress via social

media and your other communications channels. ● Messed up? It happens. Tell your audience why you failed and how

you plan to approach the problem differently.

Transparency Case Study: L’Oreal

Storytelling + Data Like any marketing campaign, green marketing campaigns should tell a story--a powerful story backed up with strong data and metrics.

TIPS: ● Collect stories, and then figure out how you can map those stories to

specific metrics and data points that paint a broader picture. ● Present data in a way that makes sense to an average person. ● Take advantage of different social channels and media formats to tell

your story in new and engaging ways.

Storytelling Case Study: Coca-Cola

Employee & Consumer Engagement Great green marketing isn’t about just telling a story. It’s about giving your consumers and employees the chance to participate in that story.

TIPS: ● Come up with clear action steps that various audiences can take to

support your sustainability efforts. ● Use social media and your other communications channels to reach

those audiences and give them a meaningful way engage. ● Track employee and consumer participation so you can tell the story

of that engagement later on.

Engagement Case Study: Toyota

5 TAKEAWAY TIPS

1. Integrate green marketing with your overall marketing..

2. Be honest. Share your successes as well as your failures.

3. Use social media, infographics, video, and more to tell an engaging story.

4. Give your customers and employees a way to engage.

5. Back up anecdotes with big-picture data.

-@susanmcp1