Ecostore Shows How to Effectively Cut Through The Green Static with Social Media
So often these days you hear about green and greening cleaning products. But beyond the trendiness and this vague notion of it being “better for the planet,” most of the time people don’t know how that’s so and why it matters.
The founders of Ecostore, a New Zealand based company, now with an American division based in Michigan, saw quite directly why using the usual cleaning products has an impact: They lived on a eco village where each of them was responsible for dealing with their waste water. When it didn’t just go down the pipe, out of sight, out of mind, but they directly saw the effect it was having on their pristine waterways, the need was apparent and the incentive there to do something about it.
Greater visibility of the impact of your choices is something I think many more people should experience. People generally aren’t purposely irresponsible in their choices, they just don’t know any better because of “invisible” impacts.
They set about finding people to help them create plant based, toxins free cleaners that would still be as effective as the conventional options, minus the petroleum and synthetics based ingredients that can have a negative effect both on the environment and the people that use them. Being rapidly biodegradable was also a priority.
One might think that the main people buying this were more green skewed people. But according to Ecostore,
“…testimonials from other parents (many of whom were unaware of the benefits of eco-friendly products) began to pour in with wonderful news of their children’s allergies and eczema clearing up. Many noted that any respiratory issues were healing, and many lingering chronic conditions were disappearing.”
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Aware that there’s a perception that buying green means spending more green, Ecostore products are concentrated, which has twin benefits: For the consumer, less product goes a longer way. For Ecostore/the environment, that means less weight in shipping, meaning less emissions, and reduced use of packaging materials.
EcostoreUSA, their US division, is making smart use of social media, in a segment that goes unseen by many, but has powerful influence among exactly who their likely main market is: Mommy bloggers. I can testify, having done several social media campaigns for my clients at GreenSmith Consulting, these women are an amazing bridge to several others: Other mothers, the members of their families who they introduce/test out products on, and the other friends and families they interact with. As Josh Unfried of Momfaves said to me last week at a Tweetup (meeting of Twitter users), mothers are the ultimate multitaskers, so to be a blogger, communicating and connecting with others doing what they’re doing, and linking it to other social media outlets such as Twitter, is natural.
I saw for myself the vigorous workout they gave Verterra palm leaf based plates, many of them never having used such a product before. Hearing from them that a green product meets of exceeds their expectations is exactly what people need to know, to have confidence in making a different choice then they currently are.
Reaching out to them to get their honest feedback on things like Ecostore products is a wise move, much more powerful then just using conventional media to try and advertise your way into people’s hearts and minds. And in this economy, making the smartest use of your financial resources as a business is of even higher importance then ever.
Readers: How is your business using social media to reach out and learn from your customers? What are you stuck on? What’s worked well? What lessons have you learned?
While I do not relish the thought of handling my own waste water, I think there’s little doubt that it would drive the point home and drive me towards making a change in my behavior.
Just thinking about having to do that may even be nearly enough to bring about some behavioral changes.
I also really like the idea of the concentrated products reducing packaging and shipping costs. Hadn’t really seen things in that light before. Thanks!
I think internet has given influence and power to the average Joe somebody, the kind of power that was previously enjoyed only by large print or electronic media channels. The strength (reach) of that power depends on the blog of course. But still, it has become easy to reach your target audience.
And an effective social media campaign involving bloggers is a pretty good marketing strategy, which can be realized only by those who have done it well.
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@GET, that’s what I thought too. If more people could see that there is no “away” when something is thrown out, down the drain, imagine the impact. Kind of like MPG readouts on cars resulting in better driving.
@Affan, you’re right on target, social media has given us a way to connect that wasn’t previously possible. You and I knowing each other is a prime example. 10, even 5 years ago, who would have thought I’d connect with an environmentally minded writer (you) in Pakistan?