Earth Day presents an excellent opportunity for small businesses to get involved in the community. While the larger chains focus on driving sales, independent merchants may use Earth Day to make a hands on contribution to the neighborhood instead. Remember, customers choose your business over bigger brands because they appreciate your personal touch. There are probably plenty of local events to attend through schools and charitable organizations, but consider hosting your own eco-friendly affair.
Before we start tossing out event ideas, it’s important to remember that your customers want to engage with companies who share their values. I’m bringing this point up because a lot of multi-nationals exploit Earth Day, and consumers are getting sick of their insincerity. You certainly don’t want your good intentions to come off as just another gimmick or meaningless marketing ploy. That’s why I recommend going the extra mile with face to face interaction. When you take the time to create a well-rounded campaign, your customers will notice your effort and reward you with their loyalty.
Ways to Go Green for Earth Day
Short on event inspiration? This list should get the gears in your head turning:
- Plant a tree in your parking lot or a nearby park
- Organize a fundraiser for your local Green Peace Chapter
- Volunteer for a beach cleanup, roadside beautification, or trash pickup at a national forest.
- Enlist your expertise at an Earth Day rally or other speaking engagement.
- Challenge your employees and customers to use alternative transportation on April 22nd, such as bicycles or the subway.
- Host a picinic/BBQ and serve locally grown meats as well as produce only.
How to Advertise Your Eco-Event
Your event will only be as good as your marketing campaign, so you’ll want to use a multi-channel approach. When you’re planning your strategy, don’t forget that your main goal is to stick to the environmental message on all fronts. That means printing on recycled paper, using eco-friendly inks, etc. to demonstrate your commitment to the sustainable lifestyle.
- Promotional Fliers for Earth Day– Flyers and postcards are the best way to target people in your immediate area. Design an event invitation they can’t pass up!
- Earth Day Event Tickets – Printing event tickets gives even the smallest get-togethers a professional feel. Encourage participants to either hang on to the ticket as a keepsake item or recycle it with other paper products.
- Educational Email Blast– No ad campaign is complete without an email blast. After you invite everyone on your list, include some educational articles that will appeal to your audience.
- Make Re-useable Shopping Bags– This isn’t right for every business, but stores who put purchases in plastic bags might want to make re-useable bags. But don’t just reserve them for Earth day; instead, make the holiday your inspiration for making the switch to green packaging.
- Local Media Outreach – Depending on your location, you may be able to get a few news spots for PR purposes simply by throwing an eco-event. It never hurts to contact newspapers and TV stations to pitch them on your green initiatives.
- Create Social Media Graphics for the Campaign– We can’t stress this enough—connect your campaign with online and offline channels for maximum impact. A cool Facebook cover photo lets your fans know about the event, and allows for easy sharing to their friends and families.