Talking about sustainability

So you’re on a wholly-committed mission to increase sustainability in your organisation. With up to 50% of global travellers stating that sustainability influences their purchase decision, how do you talk to your customers about it? Here’s a few takeaways to help direct your marketing communications. 

Insight, Insight and Insight

Hopefully, your customers have already shaped your sustainability plan, either through informal feedback or via surveys. If not, find out how important sustainability is to them and which aspects do, or don’t, light their fire. This will give you a sense of how and where to dial up or down your messaging.

Solar panels and sustainability policies are boring

‘Yeah, we’ve got a new sustainability policy and we’re having solar panels put on our office roof.’ You’re in the travel business and your customers are motivated by a whole host of reasons - escape, curiosity, relaxation and sociability amongst others. Yes, they don’t want to do harm to and, ideally, want to have a positive effect on their destination, but they’re still looking for a travel experience, so focus on the experience. Again, that’s not to say you shouldn’t talk about sustainability or ethics, just balance it. Admittedly, that ‘dial up, dial down’ from your insight comes into play.

Wear your badge with pride

I like badges, they’re a simple way to communicate that you’re doing good. If you have some form of accreditation (Travelife, Green Key, B Corp, Green Globe etc..) then make sure you use it liberally across all your comms. You can also create your own system to badge your product, just make sure it’s credible and substantiated. Whether accredited or not, link through to the detail to support the badge. The Inspire Global badge is a great way to say you’re on the pathway of doing good, again substantiate though.

Show don’t tell (or preach)

This adage doesn’t just apply to sustainability, or even travel, and it’s about how you pitch your story and engage with your potential customers. Take this sentence: ‘This friendly hotel helps local young people escape the poverty trap.’ Not dire but all a bit flat and impersonal. 

It’s much more engaging delivered in the first person (from one of your team or a customer) and it’s a personal perspective about the experience (the ‘show’ bit): ‘We loved chatting to Juan, our waiter who’s on the hotel’s training scheme for young, unemployed locals, about his life on the island.’ 

I’ve only skimmed the surface here and recognise the relationships between you, your customers and your ‘product’ are much more complex. Hopefully, I’ve given a bit of food for thought, and not done too much telling.