The consumer is as informed as they have ever been when it comes to purchasing products or services for a company regardless of size. Larger companies tend to have a larger carbon footprint than smaller companies making a much larger difference when they decide to implement eco-friendly policies. The fact that making a product or service more friendly to the environment can do quite a few positive things for a business. The best thing that a company can do when trying to implement these policies is to ask staff if they have any suggestions. Employee generated policies can be looked upon as a positive thing versus management forcing these changes on the staff. The following are ways that making eco-friendly decisions can help a business of any size.
Great Move For PR
A local or national news station picking up the new environmental initiatives for the business will be the marketing department’s dream. This makes it quite easy to get mentions on all sorts of media without the company seeming too self-promotional. Reaching out to a few local publications should be done to make them aware of changes with the company. It then becomes the decision for the publication of whether they are going to write about another generic business or a business that puts the good of the environment over yearly company profits.
Can Increase Customer Loyalty
A company that keeps their customers happy while also taking part in environmental initiatives can help increase their customer loyalty. If a person does not have an issue with the quality of product or service that is provided these eco-friendly policies will be just another reason to keep doing business with the company. Most businesses have some sort of newsletter or weekly recap of what is going on that they send to current or potential customers. Mentioning any policy changes should be done but this is not the place to harp on this for hundreds of words. This could be seen as fishing for compliments or doing these things simply so they can promote it later.
Improves Popularity With Certain Potential Customers
People that are searching for the best internet providers might make their choice on which company actively tries to reduce their carbon footprint. With many providers being similar in the services provided it can be the corporate policies that attract these customers. More and more consumers align with companies that are friendly to the environment or align themselves with a certain political party. With the positive PR that is mentioned above potential customers could be attracted to a certain company just due to these policies. The PR pieces will help market the company without it seeming like the company simply did this for the exposure in the press.
Government Grants
The government can give a business a grant if they meet certain eco-friendly requirements. The most important thing that a company can do is to research these grants extensively. The government is not going to seek out a company just to give them extra funding but rather you will have to apply for these grants. Some might have a low interest rate when compared to other business loans while others do not need to be paid back. State governments also offer these grants so do not get discouraged if there are not federal grants offered in your area.
Going green not only is the right thing to do but it can be a savvy business move as well. Take the time to see where you can improve your company when it comes to the environment while still staying as profitable as possible.