Column: Making green from going green

Question: My employees want me to do more about green initiatives. My top priority right now is marketing. I get that it”™s important not to be wasteful with precious resources. How can I market our increasing commitment to going green?

Thoughts of the day: Going green is one of the “in” topics that can definitely be integrated into marketing. A focus on green can help position your company as a leader. Green initiatives can help you attract and retain employees in an increasingly crowded employer market. Green can translate into efficiencies that can be promoted to clients and prospects.

Show that your company cares about its impact on the environment. Let the passion of your people shine through. That”™s what good customers and employees want to see ”“ commitment and drive to build a better world.

When your company talks about more than what it does to make a buck, it can position itself as a thought leader. Share experiences and lessons learned related to working on green initiatives. Show how your company thinks beyond making a living as it focuses on reducing its carbon footprint.

Generation Y already spends $150 million per year on things like food and entertainment. This generation in particular is environmentally conscious and has already demonstrated a willingness to act in a way consistent with its beliefs. In other words, members of Gen Y will favor working for a company that takes action to protect the environment.

Existing employees stick with a job and a company if they feel a bond. Promote a culture of community well-being. Treat people and resources with respect. Bring out the best in everyone by working to make things better in the local community. Demonstrate commitment to values important to employees; make that the glue that holds people together through tough and good times.

Publicize your green initiatives and boost your company”™s reputation. Make the marketplace aware of what your company is doing to be at the top of its game as a citizen of the world, protecting resources for the next generation and the one beyond that. Your best clients and will appreciate your company”™s commitment.

Don”™t hesitate to show customers how green initiatives make your company more competitive. Recycling, using hybrid cars, reducing water waste, going paperless and taking action to save energy are indicators of forward-looking, research-driven people. Savings from green initiatives can be turned into additional research and development that will benefit customers in the future.

Going green also creates multiple opportunities to save money as your company grows. Less resources consumed means less money spent. A dollar saved becomes a dollar of profit. The tax benefits/breaks for businesses who take steps to be green can be turned into cash. Use that money to fund marketing initiatives, reward employees for good work and develop things customers need and want. Thus you create a self-perpetuating wheel: save, invest, improve, outperform, save.

If your people are passionate, and you feed that passion, it will have a multiplier effect. What better way to demonstrate commitment to your employees and customers than to pay attention to a common set of values. Be honest about living in a world of limited resources. Be careful and respectful with how those resources are used. Build a better world for tomorrow by acting with care and concern for the world today.

Looking for a good book? Try “Return on Sustainability: How Business Can Increase Profitability and Address Climate Change in an Uncertain Economy” by Kevin Wilhelm.

Andi Gray is president of Strategy Leaders Inc., strategyleaders.com, a business-consulting firm that specializes in helping entrepreneurial firms grow. She can be reached by phone at 877-238-3535. Do you have a question for Andi? Send it via email to AskAndi@strategyleaders. Visit AskAndi.com for an entire library of Ask Andi articles.