Sustainability is one of the most discussed topics in today’s world. As a matter of fact, it affects every field of operation that can be altered to fit this narrative. The marketing segment is not immune from this current worldview. Sustainable marketing is slowly making its way to becoming something essential for all companies and consumers.
However, you might wonder how a segment primarily based on the premise of profits and just profits, can be sustainable? Well, wonder no more, because we have some answers for this.
First of all, marketing is a very important segment of every business. It is an inseparable part of every phase of business evolution. People who work in marketing are the face of business, or what the public sees of a certain company. Therefore, this segment is in a state of constant evolution, and its fluid nature allows it to be easily adaptive to new trends.
So, when sustainability becomes the new trend in terms of business direction, it is only natural that marketing would blindly follow this trend like a moth drawn to a flame. And this brings us to the next question of interest.
What is Sustainable Marketing?
There is a simple answer to this question.
Sustainable marketing is a specified segment that covers the usage of products and services that are environmentally friendly and in accordance with the latest acceptable norms of society. This type of marketing is all about the promotion of ideas and products that do not in any way harm the environment that surrounds us.
In essence, the emergence of the sustainable-oriented mindset created a worldwide movement. This mindset is gradually entering every segment of society, so it was only a question of when and not if, it will reach the business circles.
And when we speak of marketing specialists and their relation to this concept, we need to look at their marketing behavior. Sustainability, in every context possible, is used to describe the belief for continual existence. Therefore, when marketers are observed in terms of sustainability, the main postulate is their acknowledgment that their business is set to last.
It is a fact that when businesses are participating in building an environmentally conscious mindset, they would encourage their product users to follow their example. To sum up, their goal is to enlarge their audience and inspire others to stand by the message they want to send, while ultimately boosting brand visibility.
Factors that determine the importance of sustainable marketing
In recent years, sustainable marketing has seen a large increase in companies, that want to make the world a better place. Although there are numerous factors that drive the change for the better, some of them have shaped what today we know as sustainable marketing.
Social Responsibility
People are slowly becoming more aware of their surroundings and the nature of their behavior towards them. In fact, consumers are trying to be careful when purchasing products in order not to get something that tends to pollute the environment.
This awareness of which ingredients are present in certain products, or their origin has become more or less a trend. Although it might sound funny, these kinds of trends are what consumers need to strive for, even if the ultimate reason for their adherence might be a simple “follower” mentality.
Change of Practice
Due to the increased demand for sustainable products and services, it seems like the game previously played by big companies is no longer giving any results. Thus, companies are starting to look for other practices that can reinstate them as key players in this market.
So, improving competitiveness and loyalty is now mainly performed through sustainable means.
B2B Narrative
Large company units are slowly changing their communication narrative with their suppliers. In essence, businesses are trying to persuade collaborators to adopt the latest practices in the world of sustainable marketing.
Regulations and Policies
Countries around the world are constantly updating their positions on issues such as sustainability.
Regardless of location, the newly adopted policies tend to demand much stricter practices in terms of sustainability and support processes that lead to transformation.
Increase in Prices
Natural resources are slowly starting to reduce and therefore their price is constantly on the rise. The current situation demands companies to seek more viable solutions in order not to be faced with harsh market conditions.
All in all, sustainable marketing tends to exemplify how the market conditions are in need of another viewpoint where the main focus would be the put on the social and environmental elements. In essence, that means that sustainable marketing campaigns are constantly balancing between the business mindset and responsible practices.
Ultimately, this is accomplished by accentuating the need for an eco-friendly consumer system.
What are the Standards of Sustainable Marketing?
As far as any doctrine is observed, there are certain standards that are in power.
Of course, these standards are always the foundation and that does not mean that additional ones are not necessary at a certain point of the evolution.
Marketing for Consumers
Every activity a company has regarding marketing needs to be seen from the perspective of the consumer.
Having a relationship with your customers is one of the crucial strategies your company should pinpoint. Only through nourishing these relationships, will your company evolve as a whole.
Customer Value
Another fundamental viewpoint is that companies should strive to put in use all their resources in a way that will add customer value.
This means that all their marketing activities should be oriented towards this consumer-value system, as the ultimate goal is to appease their needs in order to be profitable.
Innovation
This is one of the most important standards that every company should seriously engage in. The constant need for something new has always persisted in every segment of business and society.
Therefore, companies should always be involved in processes that support the idea of innovation and seek improvements in every aspect of their operations.
Mission
Companies must always define their main goals and their ultimate mission through socially relatable terms, rather than one-sided product-related terms.
This approach will make the company more relatable in the eyes of consumers and employees. Despite this, it is a fresh thing to see that a company is committed to socially responsible goals rather than only profits.
Additionally, profitability is guaranteed if your focus is put on adhering to these sustainability standards.
Marketing for Society
In order to cover the needs of each and every part of society, companies need to focus on each part of the business operation.
The consumers, the company, and the social interests should all be equally addressed in terms of marketing and should always be an integral part of every marketing strategy.
Integration of Sustainable Marketing
So, why should we strive to adopt sustainable marketing as part of the company’s operations? Well, the most obvious answer is that if you fail to do this, your company will be directly involved in the resource devastation that is constantly happening on a global scale.
Of course, the planet earth is strongly dependent on the economic activities, and that businesses and the economy itself keep the world spinning.
But having a world to spin on is also a matter of importance, if not the imperative.
Therefore, changing to fit the current social and environmental guidelines is the least any business should do. Only through anticipation and adaption will one company thrive in today’s world.
Furthermore, all of these steps are indeed obligatory if you do not want to see your company surpassed by the biggest competitors. So, assessing risks, submitting to constraints, and assuming the opportunities that will arise from this behavior is definitely the thing that will help your company grow, and at the same time help our planet sustain.
To Conclude
Our world is changing. Each aspect of our society is undergoing through some major adjustments in order to follow the latest occurrences regarding climate change and other environmental challenges.
This, of course, is not some trend that everyone has an opinion of and discusses whether they should or should not follow.
It is a question of our future, here, on earth and how we are going to react to it will deeply affect the course we, as a society will further take. People, companies, governments should all be on the same page in order to make sustainability work. And that page is planet earth.
