Truly Twisted Marketing

Does your business have them? Here's the scenario:

You recognize the new green trend in products and services. You see that being green is hip and even Wal-Mart and Oprah are jumping on the bandwagon. In true capitalistic fashion, you want to get in on the ground-floor and be the new go-to place for green products so you open up a slick new online shopping portal.

But in the background, you are driving your suburban (not the flex fuel kind), while slurping non-shade grown fairly-traded coffee and stopping at micky d's on the fly for a cheeseburger at least once or twice a week.

All those non-green activities add up to some really dirty green secrets. Which, by the way, is not good for business. We all know what happens with secrets…they eventually come out.

And when secrets like that are out, there's no putting them back in the box. Besides, who wants to do business with a company that doesn't walk their talk and live up to the standards they themselves are touting?

These "just in" green marketing statistics from the Center for Media Research confirms that clients and potential customers are already distrustful of companies that call themselves green or eco-friendly. In a study compiled by Ipsos Reid, "seven in ten Americans either ‘strongly' or ‘somewhat' agree that when companies call a product "green" (meaning better for the environment), it is usually just a "marketing tactic."

Wow. Bummer.

Clearly it's important to avoid dirty green secrets but there's a stereotype already hanging around in the background brain activity of your consumers that will also have to be overcome.

So, get your marketing on board with who you are as a company. If you are attempting to sell and compete in the green market, you HAVE to walk the green talk and be transparent about it. Be prepared to make the same concessions and the same changes in your own life to foster your business and create your authentic brand. 

What you'll find is that when your personal path begins to align (authentically) with what you are creating in your business you'll see your efforts streamlined and working out spontaneously in a way that is beneficial for all.

So, go ahead, air out those secrets. Be as transparent and you can and commit to personal change and growth so that your business can also grow a beautiful sustainable shade of green.