In this post, I want to cover the most effective ways to communicate to your customers your green efforts. If you missed our beginning discussion on training your front-line staff, then you may want to read some of my earlier posts on this topic before reading this one.
When your staff knows what you are doing, it makes it a lot easier to more effectively communicate to your customers how green you really are or striving to be. So how do you effectively do this?
First, you want to develop a process of communicating this information to your customers.
Here are some ways to do this:
• When you make the changes to a greener facility or greener products and services, find ways to allow your customers to get involved and make a difference alongside you. If you are in the hospitality industry, this could mean asking guests to throw things away in the recycling bins, asking them not to have their linens changed every day, etc. Think about what other ways you could get your guests involved in your efforts.
• Explain what you are doing or about to do and why you are doing it. This information can easily be posted on your website, be sent via email, in guest rooms, posted in your office, etc.
• Every time you make a change, build into the process the method you will use to disperse the information to customers and when you will do this. Your customers will get used to the methods you use and know to expect new updates in 3 weeks on your website or via email. Additionally, keep a “green or LOHAS” section on your website with updates if you are undergoing a lot of changes that will impact how they buy, use, etc. your products and services.
• Allow your customers to see a before and after and show them how things have changed, don’t just tell them. Show them some proof by measuring energy usage, waste reduction, etc. They’ll be impressed to be a customer of such a good environmental steward.
Here are some things to keep in mind when you are disseminating this type of information:
• Consider how you will disseminate it in an environmentally friendly manner. Use less paper, make sure it is post consumer waste content, consider using soy-based inks, etc.
• When you send any type of gifts to customers, press, etc., consider how you send it and what you send. One company thanked a reporter for writing an article on how they were becoming carbon neutral by sending a package from Fed-Ex when the office was practically down the road.
Helping You Understand and Profit from Consumer Health and Green Trends
Colette Chandler
