{"id":6725,"date":"2021-07-21T13:05:57","date_gmt":"2021-07-21T12:05:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/archive-formativecontent.above.agency\/?p=6725"},"modified":"2021-08-27T11:28:25","modified_gmt":"2021-08-27T10:28:25","slug":"3-ways-to-tell-your-sustainability-story-with-impact","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive-formativecontent.above.agency\/3-ways-to-tell-your-sustainability-story-with-impact\/","title":{"rendered":"3 ways to tell your sustainability story with impact"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sustainability is more important to business success than ever before.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It has become today\u2019s defining concern for both customers and investors. In a recent survey, nearly two-thirds (61%) of consumers said they expect brands to have <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.twosides.info\/UK\/smurfit-kappa-sustainability-reshapes-the-business-landscape\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">clear sustainability practices.<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Similarly, investors are <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.institutionalassetmanager.co.uk\/2020\/05\/27\/285970\/asset-owners-are-prioritising-esg-way-mitigate-risk-says-morgan-stanley\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">prioritising sustainability and ESG<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (environmental, social, governance) criteria when awarding finance.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Businesses are recognising just how critical sustainability is to their future growth.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cOur own sustainability positioning is intertwined with our ambition to be a trusted strategic partner to our customers,\u201d says Ashish Babu, CMO \u2013 Europe &amp; UK at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, communicating a business\u2019 sustainability messaging and activities can prove a challenge, for two reasons: the high noise levels around \u2018green\u2019 initiatives which cut across almost every industry sector, and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.edelman.com\/sites\/g\/files\/aatuss191\/files\/2021-01\/2021-edelman-trust-barometer.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ever more cautious, questioning audiences, <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">including your customers, partners and investors.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How do you overcome these hurdles and tell sustainability stories that will make an impact with your target audiences?\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The answer, in three steps, is:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">show evidence<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">be honest and human<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">get social media-savvy.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Show don\u2019t tell<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As companies build communication strategies, the challenge is bridging the gap between the stories they want to get across and what audiences will engage with. With internal pressure to promote announcements independent of their news value, it is easy to fall into the trap of selling rather than storytelling.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To avoid this slippery slope, it\u2019s important to put yourself in the shoes of your audiences. Would you avidly read the latest press release about a minor product enhancement or a technical certification? Very likely, the answer is no.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The key is identifying genuine stories and letting them speak for themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With \u2018greenwashing\u2019 a big concern to the public, it is also critical that actions and communications always align.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cSustainability should be an integral part of a brand\u2019s narrative,\u201d says Ashish Babu.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cActions, however, speak louder than words. The sustainability messaging alone is not enough and could even have an adverse effect. That\u2019s why tactics such as thought leadership, personal viewpoints and case studies are so compelling \u2013 it prompts the audience to draw its own conclusions but to also engage and participate.\u201c<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Be genuine<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Crucial to winning your audiences\u2019 trust and attention is telling honest, genuine stories. This means not glossing over the ups and downs your company may have encountered and acknowledging gaps that you still need to fill. Few of your peers will have the \u2018entire package\u2019 at this point and being honest about your learning curve will only reinforce your authenticity and credibility.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although some of your audiences are businesses or public agencies, they are made up of people. A person in a business setting is still a human and responds as such \u2013 emotionally rather than rationally.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Research from Google shows that <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thinkwithgoogle.com\/intl\/en-gb\/consumer-insights\/consumer-trends\/promotion-emotion-b2b\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">B2B customers are even more emotionally connected to their vendors<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> than consumers. That\u2019s likely because the impact of making a \u2018wrong\u2019 purchase is much greater, and B2B buyers need to trust suppliers implicitly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Making stories relatable at a human level is therefore crucial.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Giving the company a human \u2018face\u2019 can also foster an emotional connection \u2212 for instance by selecting an in-house \u2018sustainability guru\u2019 to become the figurehead of your campaign.<\/span><br \/>\n<b><\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Sweat the content and arrest the scroll\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To extend the reach of your story, it\u2019s advisable to \u2018sweat the content\u2019 by adapting it to different platforms, reusing and repurposing it. Instead of just writing a blog, for example, create a range of assets for a range of digital channels \u2013 infographics, slide shares or podcasts are just a few examples.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Such an approach is proven to get results: adding images to Facebook posts <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/buzzsumo.com\/blog\/how-to-massively-boost-your-blog-traffic-with-these-5-awesome-image-stats\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">gets 2.3 times more engagement<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, while tweets with <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.socialmediatoday.com\/news\/video-marketing-statistics-for-2020-infographic\/566099\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">videos get 10 times more engagement<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> than those without.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A content \u2018package\u2019 such as this can also be used to go beyond digital channels, crossing into media, investor and other influencer relations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Social amplification offers an opportunity not just to promote your story, but to open a conversation with your audiences, adding to your connection with them. However, given public sensitivity around \u2018greenwashing\u2019, a strategy should be in place for dealing with negative reactions.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And finally, stick with it: nothing is worse than a hive of activity one month and radio silence for the next three.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/archive-formativecontent.above.agency\/sustainability\/\"><strong>Download our free ebook <em>On purpose: telling sustainability stories with impact <\/em>here<em>.<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>READ MORE:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/archive-formativecontent.above.agency\/stand-up-to-scrutiny-5-steps-to-robust-sustainability-content\/\">Stand up to scrutiny: 5 steps to robust sustainability content<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/archive-formativecontent.above.agency\/how-do-you-uncover-your-sustainability-stories\/\">How do you uncover your sustainability stories?<\/a><\/p>\n<p><i><strong>About the author:<\/strong> Andrea Willige is a Senior Writer at Formative Content who specialises in sustainability and clean energy initiatives. Connect with her on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/andreawillige\/\">LinkedIn here.\u00a0<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sustainability is more important to business success than ever before. It has become today\u2019s defining concern for both customers and investors. In a recent survey, nearly two-thirds (61%) of consumers said they expect brands to have clear sustainability practices. Similarly, investors are prioritising sustainability and ESG (environmental, social, governance) criteria when awarding finance.\u00a0 Businesses are [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[69,29,30,37,39,12,13,82,24,137],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.2.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>3 ways to tell your sustainability story with impact<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"You have a sustainability strategy and proof that you\u2019re executing on it. 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