Promoting Your Green Business

• By AllBusiness.com
• On 8:00 am EDT, Monday October 5, 2009

By now businesses have been well-schooled in the benefits of going "green." A company's commitment to the environment is now not only cool and ethical, it can be smart business, too, as it conserves resources and saves money.

The benefits of and methods for operating a more environmentally conscious business are well-documented, from the small things (using recycled paper and other materials, turning off computers and other equipment when not in use) to the bigger ones (converting your business to alternative energy sources such as wind or solar, switching your transportation fleet to hybrid vehicles). But once you've made the commitment to create a more eco-friendly business, how can you promote it among your customers, vendors, employers, and competition?

The first question, perhaps, is should you be marketing your green status in the first place? The answer is an unequivocal yes. At a time when there's been nothing short of an explosion in the greening of American businesses and our society proudly wears acts of charity and care for the planet on its sleeve (or on its wrist, as in the case of the Lance Armstrong Foundation's now iconic "Livestrong" yellow bracelet in support of cancer research), promoting your business's own pro-Earth policies can be the natural next step after deciding to go green.

There are a number of entities out there that you may want to work with to certify your green status, to lend your business credibility at a time when virtually every business around seems to be touting its eco-friendly policies. Some of the better-known groups include the Green Business Bureau and the Institute for Green Business Certification. Recently the famous Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval expanded to include a Green Good Housekeeping Seal, which is bestowed upon products that meet that institution's stringent requirements for goods not harmful to the planet. (Some of the first products to receive the green stamp are Clorox Green Works cleaners, and products from Aveeno and Nature's Source.) Getting such approval, attesting to your green worthiness, can be an invaluable marketing tool.

You may also consider participating in one of the many green business conferences, including events sponsored by such groups as Fortune magazine, Green America, and UCLA's Anderson School of Management, for tips not only about making your business green but certifying and marketing it that way. Likewise, there are any number of public relations and advertising concerns that have popped up specializing in green messaging.

But your decision to go green should certainly not be limited to a press release announcing it to the world. If you're serious about creating a green business, it should become part of your very identity. This includes but certainly is not limited to signage throughout your workplace, promoting your green policies among your customers, vendors, and employees; promotion via your advertising messages, product packaging, even company letterhead and business cards; and participation in and sponsorship of local green initiatives in your community.

Many resources exist to detail how to best carry out these marketing tactics. The company PR Newswire, one of the largest disseminators of corporate press releases in the nation, offers a toolkit for the sustainable business community, to aid small businesses in getting the word out. Joel Makower, executive director of the site greenbiz.com, has just authored a book called Strategies for the Green Economy: Opportunities and Challenges in the New World of Business, which highlights guidelines for marketing the green status of your business.

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