How much do people care what a company thinks?

In an ESG world, people care a lot. What you say about your company, how you say it, and who reads it, are more important than ever. Welcome to the company sustainability blog.

The sustainability blog is a place for you to channel your brand identity. It’s an opportunity to show off everything about your company that doesn’t show up on the balance sheet, like your C-Suite's newfound love of green living and minimalism. It’s also the place where you can separate intention from action, to show customers, stakeholders and investors the beating heart of your company. Just like a person is more than the food they eat and the KPIs they hit, a company is more than raw materials and finished products.

Your sustainability blog is where you get to show the world what your company’s all about. Here are four ways companies can maximise the value that their sustainability blog brings:

What Makes a Good Sustainability Blog?

The Basics

A good sustainability blog should include informative and engaging content that educates readers on sustainable practices and the latest green news. In this way, it works as the foundation for other elements of your content marketing strategy like articles, op-eds, newsletters and your Twitter or Instagram account. It should feature real-life examples, practical sustainability tips, and actionable steps companies can take to contribute to a more sustainable future.

Don’t Let the Discourse Run Away From You

Lead the Discourse with your Sustainability Blog

No successful, innovative company stays in one place, because the world they operate in doesn’t either. With the worst effects of climate change looming, being in the right place at the right time has never been more important. Stay on front foot; a blog keeps your comms evolving alongside your company and the world at large. Tell the world where you stand on the latest green news, so you don’t get left behind.

If you don’t take part in the discourse around climate change, you risk being the subject of harmful assumptions about your company. Don’t be a stranger, be a familiar face so that prospects find you more approachable. A company blog written by an agency with their finger on the pulse will show the world you’re listening, so you can lead the conversation with vital, timely insight.

A company blog can encourage other businesses and consumers to make more sustainable choices through education, display thought leadership, and embrace big changes. Bring them into the sustainable fold with well-calibrated comms and an inclusive attitude to the wider discourse.

Demonstrate your Value

Express Yourself in your Sustainability Blog

Innovative sustainability companies have a unique problem: communicating value. A lot of our clients offer new solutions for new(ish) problems, and that can make it difficult to demonstrate their value to prospects.

Even more than that, they might be solving a problem that companies didn’t know they had. Scope 3 emissions, for example, were a peripheral consideration for companies with long-tail supply chains, until they weren’t. A blog can help clients to stay abreast of developments in the sustainability world, from expanded responsibilities to new regulations, and illuminate how your solution can help them to keep up.

Telling the world who you are is all well and good, but some companies in fledgling sustainability industries might not even know what to call themselves. Static comms like your website’s “about me” section might not be able to keep up with your own idea of your brand.

So it’s also an opportunity for your company to develop a personality, outside of the more stylistically formal settings of press releases, by-lines and sales copy. As it evolves, your blog gives you the time and room to explore what your company is and build an identity from there, nurturing deeper connections with stakeholders and customers. Whether you're about the circular economy, fighting deforestation, net-zero or just the wellness that sustainable living tips can bring, you'll work it out in the sustainability blog. You do you, and figure out what you mean by "you" in the process.

Keep Your Sustainability Blog Transparent

Don’t be Afraid to Take Credit in your Sustainability Blog

Your blog is a place where you can build relationships with stakeholders, customers, employees, and investors. Posts can reveal the company's mission, vision, and guiding principles so their core purpose and core beliefs are on show. Sharing stories, employee perspectives, and initiatives that align with the company's vision lend authenticity to their commitments and build trust in your ability to uphold sustainable pledges.

Blog Sustainably in your Sustainability Blog

It’s the perfect arena to flaunt all the non-financial virtues of the company that might otherwise go unnoticed. If your company’s got a heart of gold, don’t be shy about it. Make sure the good work you’re doing doesn’t happen behind closed doors. Hire a copy company to maintain an informative, entertaining blog that showcases your impeccable moral fibre.

Know Your Audience

Court them with Intent

When it comes to prospects, the value you can bring them needs to be front and centre. They probably aren’t that interested (yet) in reading Immanuel Kant’s Treatise on your company and following every possible contemplation anyone’s ever had about energy efficiency, zero waste or your new packaging. Your sustainability blog is not the place for sharing kitchen tips.

Sustainability companies need to know their audience before they start writing.

The late adopters probably need a little bit of hand holding to get them on the good ship persuasion, and sailing alongside you on your sales journey. Early adopters will want to know what aspects of your services are better than your competitors, and how you can address specific challenges. They don’t need to be convinced about the need for your service, they’re already sold; they need to know what sets you apart from your competitors.

Call Your Other One

Are you an innovative sustainability company, ready to be a thought leader of the future? Drop Other One a line for customer-centric, well researched that’ll keep your audience coming back for more.

Express Yourself: Unlocking Value in the Sustainability Blog