The future of business is online, whether we like it or not. This was true before Covid, and especially so now. Having an unique online place for your eco business will help you direct and push your audience toward a specific place. Capitalize on the high usage of mobile shopping and use content to promote your business along the online startosphere.
Sustainable business practices are not going anywhere soon. Some argue that because so many companies are being built on eco-friendly policies, it has become commonplace and not worth the effort. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Adopting strategic sustainability practices boosts the capabilities and performance of a business.
Why does this matter if you have a new sustainable vision? Before the first pen is put to paper on your new idea, you must consider the market. Is there room for another business that places high value on environmental issues in an already saturated market? Is it worth investing the time and money to build a website for this business? The short answer is yes!
If you want to help society at large adopt better practices for the environment, reach them with the information and emotionally inducing content that will urge them to make a change. You cannot do that in a vacuum. There are 4.66 billion active internet users around the world checking their emails, browsing social media, binging Netflix, and searching for new products. That is roughly 59% of the total world population.
Want to make a change? Reach those people. Remember the film starring former US Vice President Al Gore titled An Inconvenient Truth? This is the 11th highest-grossing documentary in US history. When research was done to measure its effect, it was confirmed that awareness, actions, and accountability all rose in areas where high viewership of this film occurred.
We don’t have Al Gore resources to film an emotionally engaging documentary with excellent cinematography. But what we do have can be leveraged to increase the visibility and scope of our new sustainable vision - building a website. Having a centralized location to perfect your business idea in an easy-to-navigate and engaging online platform will grow an interest in your vision.
Let’s say you have a new business idea that will improve the water quality surrounding Boston. This is an old city with a lot of trash and pollution, and you’re going to build a top water filtration system that floats along the surface. This will pick up trash and keep the area looking great, so more people use and appreciate the water activities around Boston.
How do you get your message across to Bostonians and tourists? Slapping a one-page website together is all fine and good, but without some key goals in mind, you won’t get the visitation numbers for your eco-friendly business.
Start by connecting with the need. Define the problem in a way that doesn’t place blame or harm on any target market but highlights the damage being done to the local environment. Don’t forget the word “local.” Do you want to have the most significant impact on the environment? Start with your local area and connect how it affects the most influential businesses, leaders, and workers in that same region.
Build social trust with your target market. Politics and business leaders worldwide have experienced some harsh realities in the past few years that have led to a breakdown in trust capital. Staying transparent about what you want to do, how it will be funded, and the progress you are making eases any fears your audience may have about your project.
Make sure you integrate this information on your website and social media with routine updates that visitors can quickly reference as benchmarks. For example, in our business, we’ll show pictures of trash being sent to the correct facility and give a weight value so people know how much we’ve already removed.
Do your research about how your business will impact the local environment. A quick search online shows us a competing business model in Baltimore called Mr. Trash Wheel. This isn’t a bad thing. In fact, this is the best thing that could happen to our business. Unlike the rest of the business world, intense competition in sustainable companies is a good thing. It means our sustainable vision has value and proven results. We can use the results of one company to validate our own.
Be accountable and partner with diverse local leadership. Make sure you include links, logos, and information in your website design that highlights your business and local partners. Having a sustainable vision for a new endeavor is going to require aid. You have to convince people that you have an authentic goal in mind, and getting social proof from fellow leaders is a great way to build that relationship.
We’ve got our business idea to clean up the water systems around Boston, and we have a nearby business out of Baltimore that has succeeded as verifiable evidence our concept can work. We’ve partnered with local leaders and companies and have outlined our website content with evidence, benchmarks, and engaging content. What’s next?
The best thing you can do is work with a web designer with a history of eco-friendly and sustainable business clients like. Our new idea of cleaning up Boston may be the lynchpin in a cascade of new initiatives, but if we cannot deliver the information in a user-friendly and attractive manner, no one will notice.
There are a few techniques that need to be integrated into your sustainable business website design. Don’t forget that 94% of first impressions people will have about your business are related to your site design and structure. If you want to make a positive impact on the environment, you need to make a positive impact on your viewership first. 75% of website creditability comes from design elements that encourage readers to explore the rest of your content.
Make your website as simple as possible. You don’t need all the bells and whistles of a clunky 90s era webpage. You need a clean, easy-to-understand landing page where you can funnel interested readers to your goal of donations, volunteers, and press for cleaning up Boston. That means having engaging image and video content that is fully mobile responsive.
The majority of consumers use mobile devices to view, shop, and engage with companies. If your eco-friendly website design cannot work on a mobile device, you will lose viewers. People want beautiful and eloquent designs they can relate to, which is imperative for your sustainable vision and brand. Your goal is to build a relationship with interested parties so they will support the long-term vision of your green initiatives.
Flood your website with video content strategically placed to answer your company’s who, what, why, when, and where. Then make sure all that content is shared throughout your other online platforms with consistent branding, so visitors know it is you speaking. Our Boston company - Swim with Boston - need to have a recognizable brand identity that evokes an emotional response from its association with engaging video content explaining our goals.
Sustainable website design is not a trend. It is the socially responsible and consumer-expected wave of the future. Taking your sustainable idea and shifting it into high gear with an attractive and engaging website is the best way to explain how your goals can help build a cleaner, more efficient, and resilient tomorrow for our planet.
If you want to understand how building your new eco-friendly business website will help your sustainable business, contact me. With my experience and professional knowledge, we will elevate your sustainable project into the online world and reach your target audience.
Also, check out my FREE 5-day email course, How to Build Your Sustainable Brand, which will help you understand your brand, tell the story it needs to tell, and show your passion to the customers who will value and support your brand.
