The Disconnect Between Sustainable Business And Sustainable Marketing

The head of marketing for a large regional restaurant chain recently commented that he was disappointed that more customers weren't aware of his company's commitment to sustainable business practices. After all, they'd incorporated green building practices into a number of their locations even going so far as to install rain barrels and their very own wind mill. Whenever possible, they also purchased their ingredients from local suppliers. So where's the big disconnect?

In this particular case, they forgot to tell anyone. They didn't mention sustainability in any of their TV commercials or their print ads. If it was even on their website, you would've been hard pressed to ever find it. That means their customers (and I'm also guessing their front-line employees) were pretty much left in the dark. And that also means they missed a golden opportunity to tell their sustainability story.

And unfortunately, they're not alone. There are tons of other organizations (small, medium, and large) out there who are doing some really interesting things to "green" their businesses and, similar to the regional restaurant chain mentioned above, they're also falling short when it comes to effectively communicating their sustainability efforts.

The reasons for the disconnect between sustainable actions and sustainable marketing are many. Some companies are intentionally understating their efforts to avoid being accused of "green washing." Others sliced their marketing budgets and the funding that was put aside to train employees about their efforts in response to the recent economic downturn. And still others are struggling to clearly and effectively articulate their sustainable business efforts to their customers and their employees.

Whatever the root cause, as consumers, I think we'd all agree there's still lots of work to be done.If your company is genuinely committed to sustainable business practices, make a concerted effort to tell your customers what you're doing and the reason why you're doing it. If you have a website, make the information incredibly easy to find instead of burying it in the last paragraph of your "about" page. And finally, whenever possible, be sure to engage your customers and employees in conversations around sustainability. By doing so, you'll create alignment between your actions and your marketing message.

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Shawn Graham collaborates with small- to medium-sized companies to develop impactful social media and marketing communications content and strategies and seasoned job seekers to help them find their true north. Find Shawn at ShawnGraham.me.