Perhaps the biggest challenge to any small business is how to effectively spend a limited advertising budget. Here’s what ecopreneurs say is the most effective use of their money.
I interviewed several hundred ecopreneurs about their business when writing a book about how to become an ecopreneur, and one of the questions I asked was, ‘Besides word-of-mouth, what is your most effective marketing?’ It is worth noting that if I hadn’t prefaced the question the way I did, each and every one of them would have said “word-of-mouth”.
The answers varied across industry, but there was some great information that emerged. Companies in the green building sector, including remodelers, new construction, and retail operations, all mentioned lunch & learn sessions with tradespeople. Several in this sector mentioned Educational Workshops with the general public and local green publications including directories.
Networking events turned out to be prime advertising for…
communications/PR firms, Lawn Care companies, SRI Investment firms, and green publishers. Trade shows and direct mail worked best for Computer and Electronics companies, with coupons also mentioned. Home & Garden Shows worked well for Natural Pest Control and Lawn Care companies. Weekly alternative newspapers were chosen best by consignment shops and used bookstores. PR events and community workshops worked well for green restaurants.
The diversity of responses clearly indicates ecopreneurs must spend wisely for advertising that works in their industry and that there is not just one effective marketing method for green businesses in general. The level to which many of my respondents dragged their feet on answering something other than ‘word-of-mouth’ clearly indicates that many ecopreneurs have had some bad experiences with advertising, and the one tried and true method is still the way to go.
Scott Cooney has worked for Saatchi & Saatchi S as a project manager for the last year, and previously was publisher of a green business directory, and thinks the world of green advertising is incredibly fascinating and frustrating.
Photo credit Thingermejig at Flickr Creative Commons
About Scott Cooney
Thank you for such a quick and focused article. We are always ask by clients what is the best way to market their green business.
Looks like one answer is to not focus on the green as much as what type of business you are at the core, for as you state “answers vary across industries” and there is no one single magic solutions for all green business segments.
There is also likely no one single solution per segment either.
We like to tell clients to look at where they are spending their money and what is giving largest return on that money.
Then take the money from the bottom 20% category and move it to the top 20% return category, i.e spend the money where it is giving the largest proven return.
Repeat and review quarterly.
Hi John,
Thanks for the comment and insightful analysis. When you are working with ecopreneurs, how do they usually track what is working and what is not? Those answers varied just as widely, and wondering if you have a finger on the pulse there. Let me know via email if you’d like!
ScottCooney75@gmail.com
With funds limited by the economic downturn, spending wisely is on everyone’s mind, which means you need to implement a set of measurable objectives for every marketing or PR campaign.
While the trends listed above may prove to be true for your type of business, the level of effectiveness will be different for each company. Always think about the ROI!
The other point of advice is to ensure your message is clear and consistent across all media, and that applies to social media also.
Word of mouth has worked best for a lot of small business owners. The cost? A couple of business cards and networking events for a few months.
Experimenting is key to find out what works best for your company. If you’re not getting anything in return, time to try another Marketing/PR tactic. This goes for networking events as well.
A couple of years ago some guy named Scott Cooney called me at my business -
Drysdale’s All-Natural Carpet Care, and its bus.-opp.offshoot http://www.carpet-cleaning-business.com asking if he could interview me about my business. I said sure. Everybody wants to write a book, but no one ever actually gets published. Right? Just recently Scott emailed me saying not only has he finished writing his book, but that it has ACTUALLY BEEN PUBLISHED! Way to go, Scott! Well, I bought a copy and read it through, and, in a serious tone now, I have to say it is excellently researched, organized, and written. Five stars, as they do in the ecommerce product review sections. It will be very helpful both to people looking to do a sustainable business start-up, as well as to people already in business seeking ideas to nudge their businesses into a more environmentally friendly direction.
Gorilla marketing in today’s economy is everything, marketing to get through the recession!
If your interested in web optimization for your site, there is a free site for uploading video ads for your business, they also have image uploads if you are not yet up to videos. The more sites you can link to the greater your market will be. They have a free link exchange as well.
http://adwido.com
Bottom line – just get blogging! It’s amazing how many lucrative jobs I’ve gotten via my blogs. Plus my blogs have been a great way to show cases my writing just as much as clips, samples, etc. You said about on what do ecopreneurs say their most effective marketing.