home > publications > conscious clicks > excerpt

Conscious Clicks

Top 6 eMarketing Tips for Reaching Green Consumers

Excerpted from
Conscious Clicks : A Guide to eMarketing for People, Planet & Profit
by Perry Goldschein, SRB Marketing, Inc.

1. Use Paid Search Effectively

By placing ads on Internet search engines, like Google Adwords and Overture, you directly reach thousands or even millions of people specifically looking for exactly what you offer - and you pay only when they actually click on your ad! This is almost like advertising on TV or radio and paying only for the leads your ad generates - something no station would ever offer. And research has shown that green consumers love to use search engines as much or more than others.

Add this to your Internet marketing mix and invest the time to learn how to do it effectively because it will pay off. For starters, spend at least of couple of hours brainstorming, and saving in a spreadsheet file, all keyword phrases you and your staff believe your customers might use to find you - before logging into the advertising interface, where you can copy and paste them.

2. Micro-Target Your Online Ad Efforts

Research and find the most-targeted online publishers (websites and email newsletters) in which to advertise. There are lots of green Web portals for both B2C and B2B audiences - those that provide resources and services to green consumers and green businesses, respectively. Many of them offer advertising on their websites or in their email newsletters, which often reach many thousands (even millions) of people - for a fraction of the cost of comparable offline media. Care2 is an example of B2C and GreenBiz.com of B2B.

3. Build & Use, But Don't Abuse a Good Email List

Despite spam, the numbers indicate email is still very effective at building relationships, organizing events, and even selling when done right. Fortuitously enough, green consumers especially like having good relationships with people they buy things from. Invest the resources into building your own list, even if you rent others. Make it completely permission-based. In other words, don't ever send bulk commercial email to anyone who has not requested or acquiesced to it - period (usually in return for some information or something of value).

Try starting your own email newsletter or weblog (aka "blog"). But focus on providing the best content you can, that provides value to your target audience, with minimal self-promotion. Then promote the newsletter or blog itself as hard as you would a new product or service.

4. Specially Design Your Landing Page

Whatever Internet marketing tactics you use, be sure that the page you bring visitors to on your website - your "landing page" - is designed specifically with them (and the offer) in mind. Make it easy to read and understand your offer; build trust with a link to your privacy policy and your contact information provided at bottom; minimize distractions by removing your menu links; and tell them who you are and why your organization, product or service is good for the environment, their health, or society.

5. Track Your Efforts

It's now easier than ever to track your efforts. The main search engine advertising programs (Google, Overture) offer free tracking tools, and powerful, independent tracking tools are now available elsewhere for little or no money as well. Check out ConversionRuler, for example, for a free trial. By tracking all your e-marketing efforts, you'll always know exactly what's working - what to stop doing and what to continue doing. It will save you a LOT of money over time.

6. Use Online PR Effectively

Many of those same publishers with whom you'll want to advertise in Tip 2, you will find, are good folks to develop relationships with for effective public relations (PR) as well. You don't have to get coverage in the NY Times or the Wall Street Journal for PR to work well for you.

Find out who to contact at these online publications about a newsworthy event related to your organization, product or service. Build a list of these media contacts and then send them well-written press releases only when a truly newsworthy event arises (of course, one that works to your advantage somehow). Don't forget to follow with a phone call and offer assistance - an article, an interview - or something else to make their job easier. You might also try distribution services for your press release targeted to green consumers and companies, such as E-Wire or CSRwire.

back to top