3 Guidelines To Effectively Market Green Building

Today’s post is from guest blogger Rob Jones of Vancouver-based online building materials firm BuildDirect. Rob’s experience in authoring the company’s green building blog has given him some insight into what it is to communicate how sustainability is affecting the industry in which BuildDirect is a part.

We asked Rob about his own efforts in talking about sustainable practices and trends in the marketplace while avoiding the greenwashing of his company’s products .

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The term ‘greenwashing’ has entered into common use, and rightly so. There are many examples of corporate greenwashing that have made talking about green on a company blog – or in a corporate marketing campaign – something to make the media-savvy, environmentally-aware consumer’s spidey senses tingle.

When it comes to green marketing on our main site, and discussions on our blogs, three principles stand for me as the basis for all my communications. Here they are:

1. Green products are on a spectrum
Green products are those that can be best discussed in a spectrum of value rather than as absolutes. The arguably eco-friendly nature of any product very often depends on the context and circumstance of its application. This means being more deliberate about engaging in conversations with customers, suppliers, and with other experts in the field in order to get the balance right.

2. Green is a path, not a destination
When I’m writing on the BuildDirect green building blog as an individual voice, I am very aware that I am a student as much asa discussion facilitator and curator of content. I have not arrived. And neither has our company, which is in constant discussion (that word again, folks) with members of our supply chain as well as government bodies and industry associations. We have a lot to teach people, because of these discussions. But, we’ve got a lot to learn, too. This is as it should be with any serious set of issues which are constantly in flux as technology, communication channels, and public awareness evolves.

3. Green is not about the marketing ’sizzle’
It is sorely tempting for many companies to start green blogs and green marketing campaigns to keep up with the corporate Joneses. It is the easier route to try to appeal to a burgeoning market niche without a deep dive into (or disclosure surrounding) the nature of the products, or the process by which they are made, shipped, and sold. But unless sustainability as an issue is treated with respect, and homework is done, relying on old-fashioned marketing “sizzle” alone will be found out.

When it comes to green marketing, the values of honesty and authenticity should be infused into the manufacturing, supply, and sales processes. Because industries are rightly under a watchful eye, efforts to market green products has to be more than a simple re-branding exercise. It’s got to be about good communications, and healthy discussion (a word that I’ve used in all three points) about the products and practices that represent the values of the company behind them.

Recommended reading:
Top 5 tips on successfully marketing your green business
Execs share best practices in green marketing
Green marketing: what works, what doesn’t