The title of this article might inspire a relatively obvious response – well, eco-focused consumers care about companies offering eco-focused pursuits. That might involve an enterprise working on its sustainability drive, on sourcing its supplies from eco-conscious companies, or simply being transparent about its processes and measures to improve them.
But that’s not all eco-conscious consumers care about. After all, it’s not as if a care for the environment makes you into an automaton where all you can think about is green energy and nothing else. In fact, the industry often has a term for these individuals – conscious consumers – and this runs the gamut from caring about sustainability all the way to fair trading practices.
In other words, it refers to switched-on consumers who know the power of voting with their wallet and aren’t afraid to use it. This is beneficial in almost every way, because now many companies have to provide substance to compete.
So, what is it that eco-focused consumers look for in a brand, outside of the obvious characteristics? Let’s consider this below:
Transparency At All Levels
Eco-conscious consumers are used to marketing exaggerations about companies and their half-baked pursuits towards environmental care, and so they’re very adept at seeing when companies aren’t transparent. This doesn’t just translate to your sustainability drive. If you have poor staff satisfaction for instance, it’s easy to see this through workplace reviews.
If you try and cover up business mistakes instead of apologizing for them and showcase corrective action, conscious consumers care about that, because its peaks to your values. In fact, a conscious consumer will actually prefer you if you make a mistake and account for it honestly than if you were squeaky clean. For instance, the hidden undercurrent of Disney’s litigious and not always staff-focused efforts, despite their PR approach, damages how they’re seen.
Manage Healthy Social Responsibility
Social responsibility matters. After all, caring for the environment means caring for the people in it too. How you help and support your local community, your fair hiring practices and commitment to diversity or inclusion, and your willingness to celebrate your team and include them in the story of your brand will all have a positive effect.
This also translates to the systems you use, such as using transparent pricing strategies with heavy warnings before a subscription’s recurring billing system charges for the next month. When you take the initiative, people notice.
Giving yourself room to offer that will make a massive difference regarding how your brand is seen, and how conscious consumers see you in kind.
Engage In Healthy Feedback & Communication
Sure, those of us who care about the environment tend to be relatively loud about it. Sure it can be irritating, but it’s better to be vocal than not speak your mind. That’s why it’s good for companies looking to ascertain this market to be vocal too, to communicate, to give out regular updates on their brand direction and stated goals, to discuss how their processes have changed or how much their charity program has donated this year. Moreover, soliciting feedback, honest reviews, and talking to customers shows smart and appropriate level of interactivity, and conscious consumers trust you for your outreach.
With this advice, you’re sure to see what eco-focused consumers look for in a brand.
