Certification for Competitive Advantage
The days of marketing in the built environment just being based on price are behind us. Being sustainable with the avoidance of greenwashing, matters to your customers.
Environmental certifications are a real asset to any business - they let stakeholders know that a certain standard has been met, be that product, process or service-wise, in line with sustainable practices.
From a strategic marketing point of view, there are lots of benefits to having certification for your product and overall brand.
Communicating to the market that you have certifications can help to build trust and reassurance with your customer-base and the wider market. By having a third-party verification, it’s not just you saying that you meet regulations, or that your products are a certain quality, it’s a trusted company outside of your organisation that has checked and recognised this, in line with stringent guidelines.
From a branding perspective, this positions you as a responsible company in a certain area i.e. forest certification, provided by trusted companies. This, again, builds trust but also associates you with a higher quality i.e. you’re not just selling on price, you have ethics, you care about the product that you’re offering and ultimately your customer.
This can help differentiate you from your competitors as well – customers can start to make an evaluation, which can also give you wider access to markets, if that’s what your business strategy is. A higher brand perception can also often demand a higher price.
From a product-specific point of view this gives your product more credibility and demonstrates reduced liability and risk – it gives people confidence in your product and makes them more likely to choose it over alternatives.
Using low carbon certified material, contributes to sustainability goals and can contribute towards sustainable building certifications such as BREEAM or WELL, helping your products to be specified. It also allows you to substantiate any claims and give your business confidence to speak about environmental achievements, avoiding greenwashing.
Use your marketing channels to shout about your certification! Let people know through your website, social channels, promotional material and by creating content around it to contribute to your thought leadership positioning.
For marketing advice and strategic guidance, get in touch below.