Growing customer trust Successful branding requires more than creating a memorable logo for a company. Branding also includes the expectations, associations, and beliefs a brand evokes in the mind of its audience. With sustainability and climate change making headlines every day, eco-friendly brands have an advantage over their competition. Sustainable branding matters because more and more consumers are basing their choices on the impact your brand has on the environment.
What Sustainable Branding Means
Building a sustainable brand means looking beyond business operations alone. Organisations hoping to connect with environmentally conscious consumers need to integrate not only environmental concerns into their operations. They also need to consider social issues and economic concerns.
To create a truly sustainable brand, companies need to understand how closely interrelated these three aspects are. For that reason, building a sustainable brand starts with your business goals and the products and services you offer. It requires a major commitment by everyone in the company.
Sourcing environmentally sound materials and developing equally solid operational procedures are two of the key steps. Based on this foundation, marketing teams can then develop a sustainable branding strategy.
Benefits of Sustainable Branding
The ultimate goal of sustainable branding is to connect to ecologically and socially conscious customers. Over the past two decades, more consumers have started choosing brands that look past pure profit. The UK Ethical Consumer Markets Report shows that ethical spending and finance increased by 24% from 2019 to 2020 alone. Spending has doubled over the past ten years, and the market is now worth more than £120 billion.
Being part of this growing economy benefits UK businesses in multiple ways:
- Leading an economic transition
- Increasing sales
Leading an Economic Transition
Awareness of environmental and social issues continues to grow among consumers. Researchers have found that young people are especially proactive when it comes to choosing sustainable brands. Studies show that both millennials and baby boomers are happy to pay more for sustainable products and services.
Brands that can develop sustainable practices and a reputation for corporate social responsibility now have an opportunity to build loyalty early. Those brands will be recognised as leaders in the transition towards more sustainable business practices.
By starting its journey towards a sustainable brand now, your business can cement its reputation for years to come.
Increasing Sales
Millennials will soon be the largest group of consumers, making it even more important to connect to them now. By transitioning towards sustainable branding, your business is laying the foundation for growing sales revenue.
Today’s consumers understand that their choices can make or break brands. Having established a clear sustainable image will ensure your position as a preferred brand.
Growing Consumer Trust
Fifty years ago, consumers used face-to-face transactions to build trust in a brand. As more day-to-day interactions with businesses happen online, branding is becoming central to building consumer trust.
Having a sustainable brand image allows consumers to see that your company cares about its impact on the world beyond profits. This will inspire a higher level of trust and help create a stronger connection between your brand and your audiences.
Avoid Greenwashing
Sustainable branding will only work in your organisation’s favour if your efforts are genuine and authentic.
Changing your company logo to appear more sustainable is simply not enough. Savvy consumers will see through superficial attempts. Rather than improving and future-proofing your brand image, your organisation may be accused of greenwashing. This could damage the brand.
Building Your Future
Building a sustainable brand means dedicating your business to environmentally friendly, and socially and economically responsible practices. Making this commitment now will help you build consumer trust and grow sales in the long term. It is the key to securing your company’s future.
