Marketing For Green Businesses - Top 3 Reasons You Should Be Using Online Video to Reach Customers
How can a green business get noticed in a competitive marketplace? By creating videos that convey their unique vision and values.
Online video is fast becoming one of the most powerful ways to communicate online.
Why? 1.
You're different.
The traditional business model was all about profit, profit, profit.
But things are changing.
A green business goes for the triple bottom line - beneficial practices for people, planet and profit.
This means you're unique - which makes you more interesting.
Which means that people will want to get to know you and learn more.
But first you have to give them a compelling story to get them interested.
Here's where video comes in.
Video is the ultimate storytelling tool - one that is entertaining, engaging and personal.
It brings people into your world, personally introducing them to your mission, values, and products or services.
After 10 years of working with values-based businesses, I've realized that every single one has a fascinating story.
There's something about a person's passion for creating a business that does good in the world that makes for an extremely compelling story.
Whether you're like PACT - an underwear company whose organic cotton undies are shipped in biodegradable bags, or Numi - an organic tea company who handblends new flavors in their Oakland, CA facility, if you have a green business, you have a unique story to tell.
Get started: Think about what makes your green business unique.
How were you inspired to get started? Who is on your team and what are the special talents or distinctive backgrounds? What is the ultimate vision that you're trying to achieve? How do your products and services make the world a better place? Answer these questions, and I guarantee you'll find a story that would make for the perfect video.
2.
Your customers are avid consumers of online media.
According to the Natural Marketing Institute, LOHAS customers are the most active on social networks.
They're blogging, tweeting, and posting about the things they care about.
And if your business is focused on health and sustainability, they want to hear about it and share it.
But it's not just "green" customers who are participating online.
Social media is the #1 activity online.
Facebook has 500 million active users.
And nearly 85% of Internet users watch online video.
Get started: Explore the discussions that are taking place around sustainability.
Take the pulse - what are people talking about? Search on YouTube for keywords related to your business.
Get keyword alerts from Google Alerts and Social Mention so you can find out what people are saying about your brand and your industry.
Watch videos relevant to your brand and find out - what stories, advice, tips or educational info are being shared - and what's missing? What can I add to the conversation? 3.
You're ready to compete.
Many green companies are small to medium-sized and find it challenging to compete with the bigger mainstream brands - especially in a traditional model that focuses on network TV, national print ads and seemingly unlimited budgets.
This is why they've always used different techniques to build a customer base - usually by creating intimate, trusted relationships.
With online media, you can find your customers, start conversations with them, and build those relationships.
A smart online video strategy is a cost-effective investment in your marketing and sales efforts.
You can start with DIY videos that are simple and give clear, valuable information.
When you're ready, you can move on to hiring a professional team to boost the production quality and develop a successful video concept and strategy.
Get started: What valuable information do you provide in written materials or in presentations? Can you narrow down the information to the most essential bits and put some videos together in the office? It's simple to use a basic video camera to tape short videos, put them on YouTube and then share them on your website, blog or Facebook page.
The bottom line: If you're a green business that hasn't started using online video to boost your branding, marketing and sales efforts, now is the time to get started.
Start by identifying your unique story, exploring online discussions around your industry, and creating a simple video series with valuable advice, inspiration or information.
Online video is fast becoming one of the most powerful ways to communicate online.
- YouTube is the #1 search engine on the web.
- Videos consistently rank in the top 3-4 results in a Google search.
- In May 2010 alone, 183 million people watched 34 billion videos.
Why? 1.
You're different.
The traditional business model was all about profit, profit, profit.
But things are changing.
A green business goes for the triple bottom line - beneficial practices for people, planet and profit.
This means you're unique - which makes you more interesting.
Which means that people will want to get to know you and learn more.
But first you have to give them a compelling story to get them interested.
Here's where video comes in.
Video is the ultimate storytelling tool - one that is entertaining, engaging and personal.
It brings people into your world, personally introducing them to your mission, values, and products or services.
After 10 years of working with values-based businesses, I've realized that every single one has a fascinating story.
There's something about a person's passion for creating a business that does good in the world that makes for an extremely compelling story.
Whether you're like PACT - an underwear company whose organic cotton undies are shipped in biodegradable bags, or Numi - an organic tea company who handblends new flavors in their Oakland, CA facility, if you have a green business, you have a unique story to tell.
Get started: Think about what makes your green business unique.
How were you inspired to get started? Who is on your team and what are the special talents or distinctive backgrounds? What is the ultimate vision that you're trying to achieve? How do your products and services make the world a better place? Answer these questions, and I guarantee you'll find a story that would make for the perfect video.
2.
Your customers are avid consumers of online media.
According to the Natural Marketing Institute, LOHAS customers are the most active on social networks.
They're blogging, tweeting, and posting about the things they care about.
And if your business is focused on health and sustainability, they want to hear about it and share it.
But it's not just "green" customers who are participating online.
Social media is the #1 activity online.
Facebook has 500 million active users.
And nearly 85% of Internet users watch online video.
Get started: Explore the discussions that are taking place around sustainability.
Take the pulse - what are people talking about? Search on YouTube for keywords related to your business.
Get keyword alerts from Google Alerts and Social Mention so you can find out what people are saying about your brand and your industry.
Watch videos relevant to your brand and find out - what stories, advice, tips or educational info are being shared - and what's missing? What can I add to the conversation? 3.
You're ready to compete.
Many green companies are small to medium-sized and find it challenging to compete with the bigger mainstream brands - especially in a traditional model that focuses on network TV, national print ads and seemingly unlimited budgets.
This is why they've always used different techniques to build a customer base - usually by creating intimate, trusted relationships.
With online media, you can find your customers, start conversations with them, and build those relationships.
A smart online video strategy is a cost-effective investment in your marketing and sales efforts.
You can start with DIY videos that are simple and give clear, valuable information.
When you're ready, you can move on to hiring a professional team to boost the production quality and develop a successful video concept and strategy.
Get started: What valuable information do you provide in written materials or in presentations? Can you narrow down the information to the most essential bits and put some videos together in the office? It's simple to use a basic video camera to tape short videos, put them on YouTube and then share them on your website, blog or Facebook page.
The bottom line: If you're a green business that hasn't started using online video to boost your branding, marketing and sales efforts, now is the time to get started.
Start by identifying your unique story, exploring online discussions around your industry, and creating a simple video series with valuable advice, inspiration or information.
