Imagine for a moment that you get your hometown newspaper, open up the business page, and are happily stunned to see a big article about you and your work. Now imagine that it\’s not your hometown newspaper—it\’s actually 5000 miles/8000 kilometers away from where you live. Thrilled? You should be! I certainly was when I […] … learn more→

Publicity uses traditional media—newspapers, magazines, newsletters, radio, and television—to get the word out about your product, service, and/or ideas—not by paying for advertising, but by becoming part of the content. There are many ways to get media publicity. Examples include (among many others) an article about your product or service, or that at least mentions […] … learn more→

As the world gets smarter about the need to go green, millions of consumers are looking for greener ways of doing the things they\’ve been doing all along. And smart businesses owners are right there with them, offering greener ways to do business and making their green attitude. Here are a few among numerous examples […] … learn more→

If your goal is to let astronauts write in deep space, you could spend millions of dollars researching, designing, and prototyping pens that will work without gravity—or you could simply hand out a box of pencils. Maybe they could even be special pencils that make a deeper, darker writing imprint and don\’t fade quickly (such […] … learn more→

Last month, we looked at when it might make sense to enter a global market with your green product or service. This month, we\’ll take a look at market positioning that might make it worth the hassle and expense of entering new countries. Your Unique Selling Proposition, or USP, is marketing-speak for the factor that […] … learn more→

What\’s the first thing that comes into your head when someone says \”Mercedes\”? If you\’re in Europe, I\’ll guess that you think of a company that has a car, truck, or bus for every market niche. In the United States—where General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler own that positioning—Mercedes brings up images of high-end sport and […] … learn more→

When I\’m interviewed on radio, I\’m almost invariably asked about greenwashing, and about being able to tell the difference between real green actions and fake ones. Usually, I respond by citing the nuclear power industry as an example of how not to do green messaging. Nuclear power\’s proponents claim it\’s a green technology, because spinning […] … learn more→

As a good follow-up to last month\’s column on marketing green products to nongreen audience, let\’s take things a notch higher. As you read this, I\’m off to Houston, Texas, USA, to give a speech at a green buildings conference called \”Making Green Sexy.\” The interesting thing about that idea is that \”sexy\” is in […] … learn more→

When marketing green products and services to an eco-conscious audience, the most important question may be \”How does this help the planet?\” But if you also want to reach people who are not committed greens, the most important question for them will be \”What\’s in it for me?\” In the marketing world, \”What\’s in it […] … learn more→

Do more with less—makes sense when you\’re thinking green, doesn\’t it—especially when you let it expand your idea of what\’s possible. A guiding principle in thinking green is to achieve multiple purposes with a single item. The item could be a product, a component, a service, or maybe even an idea. Systems that incorporate this […] … learn more→