Happy Earth Day! No, we’re not behind the times. We’re well-aware yesterday was Earth Day, and we celebrated right alongside every other eco-conscious organization in the world. We applaud the efforts, announcements and commitments organizations made. But for us, and hopefully many of you, today is Earth Day, too, and therefore still worth talking about.

Despite data showing most consumers (91%) want to hear about companies’ social and environmental commitments, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by “earth-friendly” messages on Earth Day. One sustainability writer tallied 287 Earth Day-related email announcements in his inbox – an obvious gluttony of green. One can only imagine consumers feel the same.

So instead of blasting your latest green product launch or environmental announcement only on April 22, why not use all 365 days in a year to communicate with your consumers? In fact, most consumers (85%) want companies to communicate their environmental commitments year-round, as opposed to seasonally to coincide with isolated events, such as Earth Day. Not only will an ongoing communications strategy help your organization avoid the green deluge, but it will also increase the exposure of your efforts by reaching stakeholders throughout the year, likely when they can pay closer attention.

As consumers and other stakeholders become ever-more demanding of corporate sustainability efforts, it also becomes harder for companies to break through with their messages. Choose your timing wisely. Your customers – and the media – will take better notice and appreciate your efforts when they’re not already drowning in green.

Comments

Brendon	April 25, 2010 1:34 PM A very valid post. It's easy to become overwhelmed by all the announcements we get from companies trying to prove that they've "gone green". Although it has become a major issue with today's consumers (proven by the 91% statistic above), it's still too easy to get lost in the maelstrom of messages. I agree that Earth Day is a day to recognize what people and businesses have done to save the Earth, but we don't have to limit the giving to just that one day. One day to give back to some worthy causes is to shop through CafeGive. We are essentially an online shopping portal which donates a portion of each purchase to a great charity. What makes CafeGive different from other such sites is the ability for the shopper to choose which cause gets your donation from an ever-growing list of 39. We make it easy to help these causes by allowing online shoppers to donate without having to change their behavior very much. All you have to do is visit http://cafegive.com, specifically the "shop" link. From there, just click on the icon of your favorite online shopping site (there are about 350 from which to choose). At that point you are taken to the merchant's homepage, where you complete the transaction as you normally would. There are many great causes to choose from, including Mercy Corps, Friends of Trees, and Habitat for Humanity, just to name a few. Visit CafeGive today to feel good about the online shopping you already do. It's an easy way to go green without having to do much extra work!
Casey Brennan	April 26, 2010 2:58 PM Brendon- Thanks for your comments! Great advice for consumers who want to give year-round. Hopefully companies will follow a similar strategy. Casey Insights Associate Cone
Pablo Edwards	April 27, 2010 7:53 AM Let this Earth Day Email Overkill be a lesson for people in Email marketing. Same results happen with customers.

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