Off The Grid public relations

Seven Roles of Green Public Relations

There is no doubt about it – public relations for green products and services is different.

Renewable energy suppliers, green builders, organic food companies and Eco-Chic interior designers– all cater to a crowd with a distinct set of sensitivities: People who tend to make their purchasing decisions in keeping with their values of social and environmental responsibility.

As a marketing company with environmental messaging as one of our core competencies, we are sometimes asked "What role does public relations really play?

To Forge your Brand

This role of PR is so fundamental it overarches all industry categories, green and non-green: Your company, products and culture --- all are part of a story to tell. PR professionals work to launch your company's reputation through radio/tv interviews, speaking engagements, blogs, events and articles which imprint your company's reputation on your community.

To Shorten the Length of Your Sales Cycle

PR and Marketing are the front-runners and facilitators to sales. How much sooner would you close new customers if your company name were more widely recognized? Or the quality of your products spread through word of mouth?

To Increase Mind Share

One of the chief complaints of many green companies is that they can't get people in the mainstream to appreciate their products and/or services. PR plays a critical role in reshaping vocabulary and language to appeal to a wider and more diverse audience set, including press, business partners, investors and many others.

To Arrest Attention

Wouldn't it be great if you knew exactly what your next 100 customers were reading, viewing and listening to right now? Customers for green products track not only the traditional channels like TV, radio and print but increasingly the newer media channels, like the web, blogs. satellite radio and podcasts. (Studies indicate these are the new preferred media channels for Gen Y (18-29 year olds) Overall- the brave and bold entering into these new channels are more likely to glean attention than fighting with the hoarde on other already highly-populated media channels. The new social media channels offer a particular "pull" for Green-Enviros as the public dialog (or Naked Conversations*) distances verifiable facts from unsubstantiated opinion more quickly. This is one of the best ways to distinguish your authentically green company from the "green washers".

To Explore New Creative Ways Revealing Your Company's Authenticity

Whether you sell business-to-business or business-to-consumer, the customers of green goods and services demand authenticity. These discerning purchasers care about the lifecycle and supply chain of the products they buy, the impact on the planet and human health . they also care that companies use open disclosure and transparency in communications. The best forms of marketing are reporting good deeds. Examples: Aveda, Chipotle, Newman's Own.

To defy expectation by offering education over standard marketing pitches

Want to win over new customers to become loyal fans? There is no more genuine and direct an approach to win customer trust than to reduce the amount of self-promotional copy in your marketing collateral, instead replacing it with larger social issues or more local community actions (issues outside your own revenue and profit interests.) Example: Chevron.

To Up Your Company's Green Valuation

While winning awards has always been a means of distinction, sustainability awards and categories such as LEEDS Platinum or "Top Ten Products in the GreenSpec directory"* carry weight far beyond the architectural and Green building sectors. For instance, most state government officials now know the power of a LEEDs Platinum project in supporting high environmental values on a state or municipal project In the private sector, companies whose products routinely exceed the expectations of "conscious consumers" are awarded a premium price for such goods.

For a no-obligation half-hour consulting session on the role of public relations for your green product or service, please contact us @ 321.281.8378 or lthorell@ta-agency.com


Best regards,

Apologia.

Some might take issue with the brands we have selected as examples. These companies are not selected as"canonical icons" to be lifted on pedestals as symbols of perfection. What matters most is that they each make explicit attempts to promote good values, taking extra time and part of profits to do so this – outside the direct selling of their company's product or image.