Thank You to David Day from ithinkbigger.com for Featuring Valerie Jennings’ article: Promoting a Green Brand
Posted By: Jamie Sutera, VP of R&D
Thank you to David Day from ithinkbigger.com for featuring Valerie Jennings’, CEO of Jennings Social Media Marketing, article: Promoting a Green Brand.
How to drive a key message without greenwashing.
By Valerie Jennings
Most businesses that are focused on sustainability are doing the right thing for the right reason. These businesses also want to share their efforts with consumers without looking too self-promotional.
In April 2008, a corporate sustainability study sought to determine the greenest eco blogs, websites and other social networks.
The research scored more than 100 green websites for recommendations on which blogs, websites and other communities were the “darkest to lightest” green. This scoring model is not new. In fact, in 2008, Experian announced the greenest (most committed to the environment) to the brownest (very little concern for the planet) consumer markets.
Both of these projects required reviewing corporate green behaviors, attitudes and other forms of promotion to get the word out that green was important to companies. The lessons learned through these types of studies by national brands and large corporations can be applied by small businesses in promoting their own green efforts.
Key Lessons in Marketing Your Greenness
-Be truthful, and you don’t have to worry about greenwashing (i.e., making misleading claims or promoting superficial environmental efforts). Use disclaimers, be honest and use your brand to advance education, awareness, media exposure and promotions. -Use social media to promote green messages, connect with green bloggers, tweeples, social networks and press.
-Reach out to the Earth Day Network.
-Marketwire, a PR distribution platform, works. Green reporters research subject matter experts online for article sources. Use this tool to connect.
-Measure success via Google search results, media coverage, Twitter followers, blog traffic, contests, Web video views, Facebook likes, e-mail opt-ins and leads.
-Reach out to green bloggers who are appropriate for your brand. The most green or most liberal environmentalists may not want to hear about a medium-green product, company, service or expert.
-Stay focused on where the key listeners are around the product. Use blog or PR research to speak with the appropriate reporters and engage the right community.
Learn from the ‘Big Guys’
Proctor & Gamble has made a continuing commitment to greening its corporation. Its website has a long list of eco goals, but the reporting is still lax, difficult to read and challenging to evaluate.
The best online green results from a major brand, on the other hand, are from Coke. At a green conference several years ago, a presentation by Coke’s VP of marketing was packed with data, published timelines to make an impact on cutting back on Coke’s water usage in developing countries, information on their execution plan and ways they were working to get the plan moving. Coke’s website still has the goals published, and the results from the past few years are available. Go Coke! It appears Coke has decreased its water usage every year since it launched its sustainability plan.
Follow Coke’s example and share your green goals, timelines and progress with consumers by posting on your website. Promoting your green efforts is another way to differentiate your company from the competition.
Valerie Jennings is CEO and founder of Jennings Social Media Marketing, a full service company that utilizes the art of online storytelling with the science of measuring quantifiable results. Valerie@jenningssocialmedia.com // Twitter: @valeriejennings //www.facebook.com/jenningssocialmedia //www.linkedin.com/in/jenningspr
Jennings Social Media Marketing Celebrates Earth Day With a Billion Acts of Green Pledge & Provides Tips to Promote Green Brands
Posted By: Jamie Sutera, VP of R&D
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Jennings Social Media Marketing is celebrating Earth Day by making a pledge to the Earth Day Network (EDN) campaign: A Billion Acts of Green and providing tips to promote green brands.
Valerie Jennings, CEO and founder of Jennings Social Media Marketing, said that Earth Day is a great way to review sustainability practices. “Jennings Social Media Marketing committed to replacing its hazardous cleaning products with more eco-friendly cleaning supplies this year. Next year, we hope to have everything toxic removed from our office,” said Jennings.
Jennings added that the office is always trying to improve, however, it is a constant challenge. “We have been providing eco-friendly social media marketing advice to businesses since 2008 and are currently working with many companies that are making green commitments.”
Here are a few tips-
1. Be transparent and use the brand to advance education, awareness, media exposure and promotions.
2. Do use social media to promote green messages, connect with green bloggers, tweeples, social networks and press.
3. Reach out to the Earth Day Network.
4. Marketwire, a PR distribution platform, works. Green reporters are researching subject matter experts online. Use this tool to connect.
5. Monitor success via Google search results, media coverage, Twitter followers, blog traffic, contests, Web video views, Facebook likes, email opt-ins and leads.
6. Reach out to green bloggers who are appropriate for the brand. The greenest environmentalists may not want to hear about a medium-green product, company or expert. Stay focused on where the key listeners are around the product.
Jennings Social Media Marketing is a full service company that utilizes the art of online storytelling with the science of measuring quantifiable results. Jennings creates comprehensive social media marketing and Web advertising strategies from website design and development to viral videos. The company represents publicly traded to medium-sized businesses across the U.S. and overseas including technology, sports, sustainability, entertainment, travel, financial, health care and real estate (www.jenningssocialmedia.com).
Jennings Social Media Marketing Commits to Replacing Toxic Cleaning Products: A Billion Acts of Green
Posted by: Valerie Jennings, CEO & Founder of Jennings Social Media Marketing
Each year companies, consumers and media organizations promote green awareness for Earth Day. This year, the Earth Day Network (EDN) is promoting A Billion Acts of Green to secure a billion commitments to the planet by 2012. The campaign is known to be the largest environmental campaign service in the world; striving to build commitments by individuals, corporations and governments in honor of Earth Day. This is an easy way of anyone to participate in the environmental project. Please make a commitment to the earth. Thank you to the Earth Day Network for its hard work!
Go to http://act.earthday.org/leaderboard to join the project.
Valerie Jennings 
Cassie Stubs
Katie Stumpf
