In 2022, sustainability became a mainstream concept. As economies around the world opened up, people wanted to pursue more luxuries. Reducing their ecological footprint was a priority. In addition to this, the increasing demands of an ever-growing population resulted in a rise in food prices.

The need for more eco-friendly and sustainable living was a catalyst for change. Individuals and businesses committed to this drive found a market, and a need for marketing solutions.

If you’re an entrepreneur, founder, or sole trader in the green industry, you’re in the right place. Here you’ll discover how to grow your business using cutting-edge marketing techniques.

Pre-Launch

In 2022, the COVID-19 pandemic put a stop to many outdoor activities. However, thanks to the rise of online marketing, small businesses were able to navigate this transition and continue their operations. When you’re developing your green business, it’s important to get the word out there about your company. With less people out on the street, social distance became a necessity.

While you’re waiting for the pandemic to subside, take the time to create brand awareness and gain some early traction. Run digital marketing campaigns to gain some much-needed exposure. Create promotional videos to showcase your product or service. And, last but not least, set up a website to enable potential customers to learn more about your company and what you offer.

With just a few months of pre-launch, your business will be ready to go live.

Product Launches

After you’ve established your brand recognition and received some early traction, you can prepare to roll out your product. To do this you need to consider multiple factors, including pricing, market share, and distribution. While you’re making these key business decisions, take the time to test the waters with a small group of customers. Launch your product in a few cities or regions to start with, and then expand your reach as you develop your business.

Once you’ve launched your product or service, continue to assess its performance in the marketplace. Review feedback regularly and make necessary adjustments. Sometimes this means modifying your product or service to meet demand, and, sometimes, it means adjusting your marketing mix. Either way, don’t be afraid to re-evaluate and pivot as you learn more about what’s working and what’s not.

Pricing is one of the key determinants of your business’ success. It will dictate how much you can charge for your product or service and, ultimately, how much money you can make. Setting the right price for your product can be difficult, especially if you’re not exactly sure what your cost-per-unit amounts to. Instead of guessing, use a pricing tool that’s been specifically designed for this purpose. There are tools that will help you set a price for your product based on the market and the current demand. You can use this information to determine if you’re under- or over-priced. If you’re under-pricing, it might be because you don’t have enough customers to justify a particular price point. If you’re over-pricing, it could be due to competition or your inability to negotiate discounts with your suppliers.

Marketing Mix

The marketing mix is, in other words, the combination of elements that you’ll use to attract customers to your product. When you’re marketing your green business, every piece of marketing material you create should help your customers learn more about your product or service. This means there’s more than one type of content you’ll need to look into, including, but not limited to:

• Product documentation (including user guides and quick-start guides).
• Customer support (including phone support and live chat).
• Viral marketing (such as case studies, videos demonstrating the product’s use, and so on).
• Web content (such as product pages, FAQs, and blog posts).
• Interactive content (such as online quizzes, apps, and so on).
• Tracking code (such as Google Analytics tools).
• And much more…

In addition to this, you’ll want to ensure that your marketing material is consistent across digital spaces. For example, if you have a website, you’ll want to make sure all of your other pieces of marketing material link to that website. This is an easy way to ensure that every part of your marketing strategy is coordinated and, therefore, more effective.

Once you’ve set your prices and determined your marketing mix, you can set a realistic financial goal for your business. If possible, you’d like to reach a point where your business is profiting, rather than losing money. This is a sign you’re doing something right.

Distribution

There are multiple ways to distribute your product or service. Depending on your target audience, you can choose from various methods. Consider:

• Walking through a retail store and physically purchasing a product (this is often the preferred method for consumers).
• Delivering your product to the public through different delivery means (i.e., mail-order, phone order, or online purchasing).
• Offering your product or service to businesses (i.e., wholesale).
• Being hired to perform a service for the person or business who’s purchasing your product (i.e., consultancy).
• Sponsoring events or gatherings for people to meet and connect (i.e., conferences, meet-ups, and so on).
• And much more…

While you can go the traditional route and opt for wholesale or retail sales as your main form of distribution, these aren’t the only options. The world is constantly changing, and so is your business. Thanks to new technologies and the changing way people interact, the choices for marketing and distribution have expanded. In order to succeed in this ever-evolving landscape, you need to be agile and willing to try new things. Don’t be afraid to experiment. Sometimes this means taking a wrong turn, but you’ll soon find out if that’s the case, and be able to correct course.

Market Research

If you don’t know exactly who your customers are, how can you provide them with an experience that’s valuable? To answer this question, you’ll need to do some market research. This is a process by which you systematically identify, analyze, and interpret information about your customers’ demographics, lifestyles, and psychographics. Using the information you learn from this research, you can create more tailored marketing materials and offers.

The demographics and psychographics of your customers will play a crucial role in your marketing strategy. For example, if you’re trying to attract families with young children, you might want to consider using videos of parents and their kids on your product pages. Eye-catching visual content is also something you might want to consider when marketing to younger audiences. And if you’re trying to appeal to the male demographic, you might want to consider using more powerful language and actionable offers.

Once you’ve launched, it’s time to take a stand and declare your presence in the marketplace. To succeed, you need to be proactive and continuous in your approach to marketing. This means establishing local offices and engaging with customers and potential customers on a daily basis. While other industries were able to avoid major disruptions due to the pandemic, the green industry continued to suffer. However, as economies began to recover, businesses in this space were able to find new life, and so can you. With a little bit of planning and research, you’ll be able to develop a game plan and tackle this emerging market head-on.