Maryland and Solar installer

Green Branding is Good Branding For Maryland Small Businesses going solar

Posted on April 1, 2011 by Brian

Are you the owner of a small business? If so, surely you’ve noticed the changing business environment. Consumers today are savvier, are more likely to research you before making contact, and want to be impressed with not only your business credentials, but also with your community credentials. In the past, simply making charitable donations or sponsoring a local sports team was press-release worthy, and was a good way to show those community credentials… but then again, that was a simpler time.
Today, the truly best way to brand a small business, and to prove your community credentials, is by making a concerted effort to go green. Studies have shown that up to 85% of American adults would rate themselves as “eco-conscious” when surveyed. This is a huge demographic. All of the large corporations, and even many small businesses, are jumping on the eco-friendly bandwagon. They realize the value in appealing to the consciences of today’s consumers, not just their pocketbooks.
With this in mind, here are 5 ways to not only give your branding a green upgrade, but your business as well.
1. This first one is a double whammy; it will allow to green up both your marketing and your business. Studies have shown that traditional forms of advertising- such as newspapers, direct mailers, flyers, billboards, yard signs- have been steadily declining as forms of digital marketing become more pervasive and more effective.
Search engine advertising, however, has been growing in effectiveness, and is also completely paperless. Think about this scenario: You regularly pay $2,000 to run an advertisement in your local newspaper, which may reach 10,000 people. “Not bad,” you may be thinking. “That only costs $0.02 per person who sees it.” Not quite.
That newspaper advertisement will buried amongst articles and other advertisements, and in a particular section of the newspaper that some people will never pick up and flip through. Along with the other clutter on the page, even the people who are reading that particular section might not give it a glimpse or consider it in any way. That $2,000 advertisement may only inspire a handful of people to visit your website or call and inquire about your products and services. Not as “not bad” as you first thought. And certainly not a great return on investment.
However, search engine advertising has none of those issues. You only pay if someone clicks and views your sponsored advertisement. And because it’s digital, there is no costly paper or ink, and fewer environmental consequences. Now you’re guaranteed that your advertising dollars are only being directed at people who are actively seeking your services. Hopefully your advertisement lists either the steps you’ve taken to go green somewhere in it. Green branding, green marketing.
2. Along the lines of the first step, there are very simple ways to make your office or storefront a lot greener as well. It is relatively easy to eliminate paper from your office, or at least to reduce your consumption of it. Got a memo that needs to get to every member of your staff? Rather than printing it and handing it to everyone, simply email it. Honestly, it’s the 21st century. Everyone has an email address. If it’s something super important that you need to ensure everyone reads, make sure the message has a reception receipt so you can check to make sure everyone has read it.
Even printed literature or product information that you keep in your business can be made more ecologically efficient. Even making sure that two page brochures are printed on both sides of a page can conserve a lot of paper.
There are endless examples of how to conserve materials in the office or workplace, so suffice it to say, use less paper and make more extensive use of your digital resources. Common sense can also dictate a lot of greener office practices. Reuse, reduce, recycle.
3. People sometimes don’t realize how much their energy usage affects the environment. Even fewer realize how their energy usage affects their branding. We’ve all driven past a restaurant or business whose lights or signs are lit up at night, even if the business is obviously not open. And a lot of us shake our heads and think, “That’s stupid.” That’s not something you want people thinking about your small business.
Your energy usage also can have a substantial effect on your wallet. Turn computers in the office off at night. Remember to check if bathroom lights are off before the last person leaves. Keep the building at a comfortable temperature, and turn the heat or AC off at night and during weekends. With energy costs rising every day, not doing these things is not only wasteful, but expensive to boot.
4. Another good way to go green, conserve energy, and save money is to upgrade the energy efficiency of your building. There are many ways to do this. Probably the easiest way to conserve vast amounts of energy, especially for physical storefronts (i.e. places with lots of plate glass windows) is to upgrade to energy efficient windows and doors. Adding blown-in insulation to attic spaces, or behind existing walls, is another great way to retain heated and cooled air. Those energy star labels on the windows will help to brand your business as eco-conscious to every potential customer that ever walks by your building. Retrofitting an existing structure is also press-release worthy, and can get you a feature in your local business journal or newspaper. Any exposure is good exposure, but green exposure is the best kind of exposure.
5. Really, the coup de grace for a small business looking to go green is the installation of a solar electric system. Solar electric, while expensive upfront, is really an investment in and of itself. With excellent incentives in Maryland, the return-on-investment (ROI) on solar systems is generally within only a few years, after which they start paying for themselves- they actually become a form of revenues due to Renewable Energy Credits, and will save you a boat load on your utility bills. Best of all for businesses, because most of your energy use comes during the day (as opposed to homes, which use most of their electricity at night, after peak solar production hours), your solar system is offsetting your electricity usage even as you’re using the most of it.
And, from a green marketing standpoint, nothing trumps a solar installation. You will most assuredly make it into the local paper and business journals, and you will have proven your green credentials without a doubt. You can incorporate photos of the system and the installation process into your business’ website, invite previous customers to a christening ceremony on the day the system goes live, and going solar will allow your business entry into a number of green business consortiums, both national and local, who advertise green businesses at a fraction of the cost of traditional advertising.
Green marketing can really help you to improve the way that customers view your small business. Through a number of cost-efficient building additions, to conservation of materials internally and in your advertising, if properly leveraged, going green can not only save you money and energy, but also will improve your online standing, open up a huge demographic of eco-conscious consumers, and ultimately help you to grow your business in a sustainable and profitable way.