Four Effective Ways that Your Company Can "Go Green"

By Lorna Li

There's a dualism when it comes to adaptability in business. On the one hand, you must be flexible to survive. However, you must simultaneously make every move with extreme care or risk drowning out your profits and suffocating your business.

For that reason, many businesses have avoided going the extra mile in the "green" initiative. If your company is one of those that hasn't yet gone through an eco-friendly revamp, it's time that you started moving in that direction. After all, it's now plain to see that "going green" doesn't decrease your profits — on the contrary, it bolsters them.

If you're looking to take advantage of the camaraderie seen between profitable and earth-friendly tactics, there are dozens of things you can do. Here are four effective ways that your company can go green. One: Go Paperless Office

The world is becoming electronic, and any employee who's under the age of 50 will be fully prepared to accept memos by email; any employee under 35 will likely prefer it that way. Instead of printing items like reports, instructions, HR forms, and even contracts, look for electronic options. Yes, this will save you on paper and toner, but you will also save labor hours in tracking, synchronizing, reporting, and otherwise managing your files.

Two: Go Green Advertising

It’s time to ditch the dead tree media. Brochures have been replaced by websites, full page magazine ads are being replaced by full web page interstitial ads, junk mail coupons are being been replaced by mobile coupons and Groupons.  The great thing about digital advertising is that it is loads cheaper than print advertising, but yields valuable data that allows you can track your campaigns, test advertising creative, and understand your audience better.

One of the most powerful, and least expensive ways to promote your brand is to blog. It’s powerful marketing channel, because its a way to engage your customers, promote deals and discounts, and make important company announcements. Most  importantly, a blog allows you to create search engine friendly content about your products and services on an ongoing basis, which increases your presence on the web for your important keywords and encourages search engine spiders to return to your site.

Blogging is one of the least expensive marketing channels that exists, especially if you use WordPress. WordPress is free, and many of the themes are too. If you have a eco focused company, try one a free green WordPress theme, such as the versatile Green Stimulus theme:

Three: Use Green Companies

There are many companies out there that have already taken efforts to become more green. In all likelihood, some of these companies going green has made a far more substantial environmental impact than your own efforts could. One example of this is web hosting companies, whose heavy hardware and electricity needs make their green path both more difficult and more essential. For green web hosts, consider companies like iPage, HostGator, and HostPapa, all of whom are verifiably earth-conscious and nonetheless offer great pricing and service.

Four: Buy Secondhand

Whenever you buy secondhand, you reduce the demand for new products and materials to be created and shipped. This alone has a dramatic impact on your company's environmental impact. Beyond that, it should be evident that second-hand office supplies such as desks, computers, and even office art will come in at a lower price. Take a look into second-hand office supply warehouses in your area; you'll be surprised at the high quality of goods they offer.

These simple steps offer a great way to start on your green journey. However, it's not the end of the road. Continue to look out for ways that you can reduce your carbon footprint and your spending; both you and mother nature will be glad you did.

Author Bio
Lorna Li is a green marketing expert who writes about green business and green marketing. Follow Lorna on Twitter @lornali.