Going green can open all sorts of new marketing opportunities for your business - but can it help with marketing your company on the internet? The answer isn't a simple or an easy one, but in certain cases going green can help your marketing just as much as it helps the environment...
There are myriad ways to promote your business, and to ensure that your online profile is working for your company. Some of them will be influenced greatly by making the effort to go green, while others will only be subtly affected in minor ways.
The online marketing opportunities that will be affected to a greater or lesser degree by an environmentally friendly business model are as follows:
Conversion rates - YES
No matter how you choose to market your website, whether it's through search engine optimisation, pay per click marketing, writing and distributing articles or just crossing your fingers and wishing really hard, you'll need to pay attention to conversion rates.
And being green can really help those rates. 80% of consumers have expressed a preference for environmentally products and services. That means that if they see that you're an environmentally responsible business, they're more likely to buy from you - increasing your conversion rates and your profits.
Pay Per Click Marketing - YES
When you're paying for a pay per click advert, you need to make a big impression, fast.
That means standing out from the crowd in a very small number of characters. And being environmentally-friendly can help you do just that.
We've already learned that people prefer green products, so which AdWords headline do you think they'll click on?
Buy Printer Ink
Eco-Friendly Printer Ink
The chances are that the majority of people will click the second link, because they're paying attention to the environment, and want to make an ecologically sound choice. If you are that choice, you'll generate much more business.
Search engine optimisation - MAYBE
Search engine optimisation means putting your business' website at the top of search engines such as Google and Bing for terms that your customers are searching for. Being green won't help that, because the search engines don't care whether you recycle paper or club seals to death.
But searchers do. And they're starting to search specifically for environmentally friendly businesses.
By going green, you'll be able to attract those customers, and you'll benefit from more search traffic and more online sales.
Directory Marketing - MAYBE
The only way going green can help your directory marketing is if you choose to be listed in a carbon neutral directory.
Get your business listed as eco-friendly, and you'll market your company to a whole new set of environmentally-conscious customers.
So what are you waiting for? Go green today!