Sharing sustainable stories
An increasing number of tourism businesses are embracing sustainable practices to create a positive impact on destinations and local communities while offering responsible travel experiences that meet travelers’ needs. Simultaneously, there is a growing demand among travelers for meaningful, responsible, and unique travel experiences, leading them to seek out businesses that can deliver these experiences.
There’s a growing demand among travellers for meaningful, responsible, and unique travel experiences. And they seek out travel businesses that can deliver these experiences.
Therefore, it’s essential for sustainable tourism businesses, to communicate their sustainability efforts effectively. This involves being visible online and maintaining consistent and genuine communication about sustainable tourism. To address to the questions and demands of their target group. However, many travel businesses still struggle with sharing their sustainable stories. Why, What, Where, and How do you share your sustainability stories?
In this article
Sustainable marketing strategy
When you communicate sustainability effectively, it positions your business as genuinely sustainable. Thereby attracting committed employees, suitable partners, and ideal customers. A sustainable marketing strategy helps you promote your mission, vision, and showcase how you have turned them into sustainable practices.
Definition of sustainable marketing
Sustainable marketing is the promotion of responsible products, services, and practices.
Know that sustainable marketing must always be genuine and authentic and that it can’t be a marketing ploy. Customers can easily recognise brands using cause-marketing solely for profit without a genuine commitment to sustainability.
Prevent coming across as greenwashing
If your sustainable marketing is not done right or if you’re just doing sustainability “on the side”, your practices and marketing might even come across as greenwashing.
This occurs when you’re over-selling small measures, making unsupported or misleading claims about your positive impact or responsible practices. It will not be good for your reputation among your target group or in the tourism industry.
Certification against greenwashing
Sustainability certification is a great tool against greenwashing. It proves that your travel business complies to certain sustainability criteria and that your practices have been verified by an independent certification body. Certification reassures partners, customers, and competitors that you are a verified sustainable travel business.
Definition of certification
Certification is the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service, or system in question meets specific requirements.
However, certification alone may not be enough to stand out from the competition, who hold the same certification. According to your certification status you are equally sustainable.
To stand out, add value, and convince your customers you need a strong sustainable marketing strategy.
“Certification is not enough to stand out, to add value to your business, and to convince your target group.”
5 tips on how to share your sustainable story
An effective marketing strategy positions your business as sustainable and communicates your sustainability story genuinely. Here are five tips for a strong sustainable marketing strategy:
1. Be transparent and raise awareness
Transparency means that you being open with your employees, customers and partners about your sustainability policy, strategy and targets. Present why and what you are doing, what you are planning to do in the future and how.
Transparency builds trust, satisfies employees, and raises awareness among customers, encouraging them to contribute to sustainable travel and increasing their loyalty.
2. Be practical and concrete
Sustainability is often explained vaguely and interpreted differently by everyone. Make your communication practical and concrete.
Explain what you’re actually doing in practice and elaborate. How does your business support the local economy, animal welfare, nature conservation and a lower carbon footprint? Also, stay away from difficult language. If you want to connect to your audience, you need to write clear, fluent and most importantly engaging stories. Even though your message might be solid, if use difficult language, the message gets lost.
“Don’t sell sustainability. Sell the benefits of your travel experiences”.
3. Don’t sell sustainability
Instead of selling sustainability, sell the benefits of your travel experiences. Travellers seek amazing travel experiences, with sustainability being an added value (but often not the main motivation to book). Highlight what’s unique, authentic, and memorable about your travel experiences. Why should travellers travel with you and what will they remember afterwards?
Besides highlighting this, it’s important to feature your travel experiences as sustainable and to elaborate what this actually means.
- How does a specific travel experience create positive impact on local communities?
- How does your business support nature or wildlife conservation in a certain destination?
Make your positive impact visible and tangible and encourage travellers to book with you for your sustainable added value.
4. Be customer oriented
There’s not just one type of traveller out there. Your ideal target group depends on your niche, unique selling points and destinations. For a strong sustainable marketing strategy, (re)discover who your ideal customer is. Determine their characteristics and find out their exact needs and demands when it comes to travelling and sustainability.
Use this information to personalise your marketing. Approach your target group with the right tone of voice and tap into their needs and demands. Focus on how your ideal target group can make a positive impact when travelling with you and engage with them in a personal way.
5. Have a larger purpose
Sustainability must be fully integrated into your entire travel business. Customers easily recognise over-selling or false statements and avoid your business for it. So, be genuine about your sustainability commitment and make sure to only share actual practices.
Having a larger purpose, something to strive for that’s bigger your business, appeals to travellers. Share personal thoughts, visions, and ideas and projects your business cares about. Sustainability is not a one-size-fits all. It’s open to interpretation and it’s up to you how you practice and implement this in your business.
Reach your audience with sustainable content
To reach your target group with sustainable content, you can use a number of techniques, such as:
Develop your sustainable marketing strategy in full
Communicating your sustainability practices effectively makes business sense. A strong sustainable marketing strategy positions your business as the go-to travel business in your niche. It also increases employee satisfaction, customer engagement and loyalty and attracts valuable partners.
Always be transparent, connect genuinely with your audience, and share your journey towards more sustainable practices.
Sustainable Marketing Program
Mastering HOW to share your sustainability journey is essential, but it’s only part of a sustainable marketing strategy. Our Sustainable Marketing Program not only guides you in effectively sharing your story but also helps you:
- Understanding WHY sustainability is a core part of your business
- Clearly defining WHAT your sustainable actions are
- Strategically navigating WHERE to share your sustainability journey
Designed for busy professionals, this 4-week program requires just 2-3 hours of your time each week. It’s your path to making sustainability irresistible to your travellers.
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