Thanks to Emily Kanter at the Sustainable Business Leader Program & CEA‘s Lilah Glick, a group of Cambridge’s small business leaders were able to come together for a Green Marketing workshop on June 17th, led by Leah Bloom, the media-proclaimed “green business guru.”

Ms. Bloom is a business “communications expert with a particular interest in sustainability. She has experience in both nonprofit communications and corporate social responsibility.” For this workshop, as the title above suggests, the focus was on how to effectively use the green movement to a business’s advantage, and not get caught up in the riptide of “greenwashing.”

Ms. Bloom made the point that the Green movement is not likely to go away any time soon, so adaptation and taking advantage is in the best interest of businessmen and women.  It’s particularly important to start “greening” your marketing sooner than later because of wait associated with measurable benefits.

Leah Bloom’s Top 10 Green Marketing Tips:

1. Don’t hide your (compact fluorescent or LED) light under a bushel.

   That’s not to say you should brag about how green your business is, but what consumers don’t know can’t help you.

2. It’s okay to start small.

   Even if your business is only green in a few small ways, that shows a commitment to sustainability. Market them along with your green goals for the future.

3. Be consistent with your existing brand

   To take advantage of consumers’ familiarity with your business, green marketing should enhance the brand you’ve built, not re-invent it.

4. Use clear, simple language.

   Consumers are suspicious of jargon and eco-babble. Say what you mean in layman’s terms, even if it takes more words to describe than it would to use a green buzzword.

5. Honesty is the best policy.

   One of the reasons for green marketing is to enhance your business’s reputation. Today’s consumers can identify green-washing, so stick to the facts.

6. Be a green resource.

   Add value to your community, as well as to your product or service, by sharing your knowledge about being green in your field.

7. Use cross-channel marketing.

   When you use every appropriate medium at your disposal, you reach more of your target audience more often. This helps your green message sink in.

8. New media is green media.

   Email marketing, online newsletters, interactive websites, social networking, text messages, and other new media marketing techniques are well-suited to the new green economy.

9. Be creative.

   Green is here to stay, but it’s still relatively new to the market. That gives you leeway to experiment with new ways to surprise, delight, and engage the consumer.

10. Don’t worry if you don’t see an immediate concrete return on investment.

    Green marketing takes time to bear fruit. Expect greater customer loyalty and more word-of-mouth advertising to have a gradual impact on businesses.