By Sharole Lawrence and Jeanette Miller, published in the May/June issue of MOMPRENEUR Magazine
Pink and blue, you’ve got competition. To get moms’ attention these days, it pays to be green. Green products and services seem to have superpower strength to justify their cost at a time when families are cutting back their discretionary dollars. It’s not hard to see why: green products are usually perceived as safer, higher quality and environmentally friendly – things that make moms proud to part with hard earned money.
Not only do green products and services find their way into tight budgets, moms love to share their finds with family and friends. Leveraging “word of mom” is invaluable. On her blog, greenandcleanmom.org, The Green Clean Mom says:
“When I love a product and company – I don’t shut up. I keep telling you about them and telling you their specials, where to buy them and supporting the company however I can because I want you to experience what I experience – it’s a love thing.”
The market is growing for “sustainable” and “socially responsible” products and services. If your company has shades of green, consider these five steps when marketing and promoting your eco-offering:
1. Educate
Green knowledge varies among customers. While some customers are still getting onboard the green trend, those who are savvy may be on guard for “greenwashing”, examining green claims closely to determine if what you’re saying about your product or service is truly benefiting the environment. Make sure your educational materials specifically outline your green benefits, such as being produced locally or using non-toxic substances, to meet various levels of understanding. You can promote these messages in many ways depending on your product or service, including point-of-sale displays, strategic package design, workshops, e-newsletters and online videos. A word of caution: the medium is the message so be careful that your educational materials aren’t considered wasteful or excessive.
2. Advocacy
Putting your money where your mouth is increases credibility with customers. Demonstrate your company’s commitment to being green by getting involved with green causes. This will prove to your customers that you are not just following the eco-chic trend, but that you are actively involved in being green. Make sure you research your chosen cause well and then incorporate your involvement with the promotion of your product or service. There are many green not-for-profits to choose from, including Evergreen, a national charity that seeks to make cities more “livable” and has several programs that encourage local involvement.
3. Get social
Birds of a feather flock together, and green customers are no exception. Green forums continue to sprout on the internet and online communities help spread the word on green products and services. Take the time to review green websites and social media and then join the conversation. Truly get involved in the discussion and casually mention your product and service when appropriate, or include your website address as part of your online identity. There are flocks of potential customers that may be interested in your offering, but just yammering on about your product or service will scare them away.
4. Branding
To market your company well, being green isn’t enough. The market is getting greener every day, and to get noticed, you need a strong and likeable brand personality. First impressions are vital, so ensure that your brand and product or service look green. Many packaged goods have missed the mark by being too modern in their design that the look overwhelms or confuses the green message. Bona fide green products sometimes have packaging that says “industrial strength”, defeating the safe and natural feeling the product is trying to convey. Invest wisely in your branding and packaging by testing your concepts with potential customers to ensure your message is loud and clear before going into production.
5. Buzz
Third party endorsements provide both attention and credibility to your product or service, and timing can be everything. Earth Day on April 22 and Environment Week in June are opportunities to pair the promotion of your green company with positive media interest in the environment. Many editors are looking for unique story angles, including new green products and services, to highlight at these times. In addition to local news media, there is a plethora of green focused publications, columns, and blogs that need space filled with information on green products and services. Pitching the benefits of your product or service to these forums can increase your chances of filling that space.
You’ll need to develop a target list of media and online contributors to approach for coverage on your green company. Make it easy by having an online press kit prepared, and if applicable, product samples to distribute for review. Keep deadlines in mind as you approach media – while magazines have a three to five month lead time, blogs and mainstream media required only a day or two’s notice to cover your product or service. You can also pitch your green product or service around Christmas, Mother’s Day, and other notable days for media wanting to promote eco-angles in gift giving.
Whatever approach you take, match it to your audience. Green children’s products are promoted during the ABC Kids Show in Las Vegas in a segment dedicated to natural products. Epic is a living expo in Vancouver dedicated to the education and promotion of sustainable companies – wholesalers can create buzz by launching their products at an industry or consumer trade show.
Finally, let your customers have their say. Give customers the ability to provide ratings on your green product and service on your website, and use that opportunity to provide special offers in return.
It’s good to be green in today’s market. Leverage your green product or service to make the most of this trend, and your efforts.
Bios
Both Sharole and Jeanette specialize in marketing to Moms. Glow is western Canada’s leading marketing consultancy specializing in marketing to Moms and limelitePR is Canada’s only boutique PR firm wholly dedicated to creating a buzz and connecting brand with Moms across Canada and the USA. They have both leveraged their clients green practices in order penetrate the marketplace and create a sustainable business model.
Sharole Lawrence is President of Glow Marketing
www.glowmarketing.ca
Jeanette Miller is Principal of limelitePR
www.limelitePR.com
June 4th, 2009
Mompreneur Magazine Sept/Oct Issue
Check out the latest article by Glow Marketing in Mompreneur Magazine on Word of Mouth Marketing you can use.
Word of Mouth Marketing You Can Use
Word of mouth marketing is a powerful tool that gets your existing customers working for you. It’s cost effective, targeted and trusted. Word of mouth marketing is the backbone of any marketing program. It supports any claims that you make in your advertising and helps to convince potential buyers that your company or product can be trusted. Anytime you can get your customers to talk about your company, you are using word of mouth marketing.
Many customers rely on word of mouth when seeking new products and services. If you sell your products to Moms, no other consumer group shares buying advice more than Moms. If Moms are your customer, make sure you give them positive reasons to talk about your company.
Word of mouth is another form of referral, but without monetary compensation to the existing client. It’s probably the most powerful form of marketing because it’s unsolicited, genuine and brings customers to you. The best way to encourage word of mouth is to go beyond the expected. Great service is a start and will get them back but rarely a topic of conversation. Do something out of the ordinary that makes your customer want to talk about it in a conversation! It could be anything, going out of your way to help someone, sending an unusual gift, hosting a special event, the possibilities are endless. The only things you need to ask yourself are:
• Is this different enough to get people talking?
• Is this still in line with my company image or product benefits?
• Is this appropriate for the client?
Here’s a small example, my husband ordered shoes from Zappos. They are based in the United States, so when they saw that our order was being shipped to Canada, they hand-drew a Canadian flag with a personal thank you note. Nice touch, and my husband told his friends when they commented on his new shoes.
A bad example (true story) would be a magazine publisher (not this one) that crossed the line by sending out chocolate body paint for Valentines Day to all the media buyers. Yes, it was talked about, but I questioned how it related to the magazine (which was not racy and had nothing to do with sex). It was not appropriate for all their clients, many of whom they had never even met or spoken to before.
Referrals
Everyone knows that happy customers are great for referrals. In a perfect world, all of your new clients would come to you without any marketing but in reality, your customers are busy, so unless you ask them for a referral, chances are they will not talk about your company. You could provide an incentive for your customers to refer you. This can be achieved in a variety ways, depending on whether you are business-to-business or business-to-consumer. It could be a personalized coupon sent through e-mail that clients can forward to a friend or crediting a client’s account for each new client they bring to you.
Word of Mouse
To encourage referrals and word of mouth, you need to make it easy for them to do so. Online mechanisms like e-mail, “Tell a friend” or “post to Facebook” features on your website make it more likely that customers will act on your request. If they need to fill out a long form or make their friend go through hoops, I doubt people will take the time.
Client Testimonials
People value referrals from friends but also listen to feedback from complete strangers. Make sure you collect client testimonials and positive feedback and use it to its full extent. Post them on your website and include them as part of your sales materials. Some e-commerce websites are even featuring customer reviews right beside the product. Canadian Tire is doing this on their site and the customer reviews convinced me that yes, a Dyson is worth the extra money and I didn’t even have to go to another site to find the reviews.
Just Ask
Don’t be afraid to ask your customers for testimonials and their help spreading the word about your company. If you offer an incentive to them and the new customer you are rewarding them for their help and letting them know that you, as a smaller company, rely on word of mouth to keep your marketing costs down which ultimately benefits them through lower costs.
Sharole Lawrence
President, Glow Marketing
Sign up for free marketing tips from Glow Marketing with the Glow E-Report.
September 11th, 2008
The Mompreneur Magazine July 2008 Edition
The following is an article published in the July issue of Mompreneur Magazine by Sharole Lawrence, President of Glow Marketing. And no, that’s not me on the cover…
The Power of Viral Marketing
Did you “Elf Yourself” last Christmas? If you did, you experienced the power of viral marketing that brought 193 million visits to the Elf Yourself Office Max website. Did you sit in amazement at the Dove “Evolution” video that has received over 6.7 million views on YouTube? Viral marketing is the concept of creating something that is compelling and can easily be passed along to friends and colleagues. It can be an e-mail, a photo, a video, an e-card, even a text message.
The more compelling something is, and the easier it is to share, the more viral it becomes. The Elf Yourself website was compelling because it was personalized, letting you upload your own photos and record a voice message. Plus, it was really, really funny.
So how does this apply to us, Momprenuers without million dollar marketing budgets? The good news is, anyone with a great idea can create viral marketing. The bad news is, not everyone can come up with great ideas so you might need some help. YouTube videos are a great place to start. They’re inexpensive to create if you have your own camera and you can probably edit yourself.
There are 2 main elements that seem to lead to “virability”: Extremely funny and highly topical at the moment. When I say extreme, I mean extreme. It needs to be over the top funny in order to stand out. Get your craziest friends together and brainstorm ideas that almost scare you. Craft your one key message and make sure the viewer is left with that message, even if it’s just a call to action to visit your website.
An example of being topical would be the best damn blender I have ever seen, pulverizing an iPhone into dust on YouTube. This of course was created and posted right when iPhones were released in the states. I could not help but think how clever it was and…what an amazing blender it was! iPhones are coming to Canada later this year, perhaps there is a way to tie in your company viral video with this craze that is sure to have people talking.
On a serious note, if your product or service is safety or health related, you might want to take a different tact, using the video as educational, but emotive enough to compel people to pass it along. I saw a great video demonstrating a swimming technique that can be taught to toddlers, to help them if they ever fell into water when no one was looking. I won’t get into the details, it was hard to watch but compelled me to share it with other Moms because it was an amazing demonstration video that showed how to prevent drowning.
Like all marketing, viral marketing is a gamble. There is no guarantee that it will work, so you need to make sure it is not the only marketing you do. Very large companies that use viral marketing often create dozens of versions and then see which ones take off. There is little to lose in viral marketing because if no one watches, nothing is lost. So try it, take risks and have fun. You may be surprised how far your marketing efforts can go.
Sharole Lawrence, President of Glow Marketing
Sharole is President of Glow Marketing, Western Canada’s leading consultancy specializing in marketing to Moms.
Mompreneuer Magazine, July 2008 edition
July 21st, 2008
