Earth Day: Eco-friendly messaging & communications
Posted by Amelia Spanton on 21 April 2023

As we mark another Earth Day, its paramount that we reflect and remind ourselves of the actions we should be taking to enhance knowledge and awareness of the climate crisis threat. No matter what your company specialises in, there are plenty of techniques you can be utilising within your communications to promote the fight against climate change. Whether you apply just one of our methods, or several, your contribution will have a positive impact on your audience’s motivations, whilst adding value to your company’s overall image. 

What is Earth Day?

You may be familiar with the incentives behind why we commemorate Earth Day annually, but it is also beneficial to understand some of the historical context of this day’s formation. After all, it may be useful to use in an upcoming communications post to mark the occasion.

Before the environmental movement day began in the 1970s, writer Rachel Carson published the impactful Silent Spring, selling over 500,000 copies across 24 countries. The text highlighted the dangers of air and water pollution, which society at the time had limited understanding of. After much needed heightened awareness, just under a decade later, the US Junior Senator of Wisconsin, Gaylord Nelson witnessed a devastating oil spill in Santa Barbara, culminating in his visionary idea of an awareness day to advance a global movement towards sustainability.

This involved Nelson regularly visiting college campuses and delivering speeches about Earth Day, which he decided would fall on 22nd April, a period in which many students would be able to partake in, as it falls between the spring break and final exams in the US. Since then, Earth Day has been commemorated for over fifty years.

Ways to take part in Earth Day:

Be authentic.

When considering the context behind this awareness day, it’s important to maintain relevancy and reflect your company’s values. Beyond quoting a statistic about sustainability, it would be ideal, for instance, to showcase any eco-friendly activities your organisation undertakes.

This can be anything, from simply a photo of a team employee green commuting to work, using a green form of transportation, or a short Instagram reel montage of employees recycling products in the office, encouraging others to do the same. Not only is this approach impactful for your brand, as it allows your audience to personally connect with your message, but it clearly demonstrates your active dedication to sustainability.

Show resilience.

Earth Day is all about motivating people in taking the necessary steps to protect the planet. Your communications platform is a tool to connect with and share ideas to your audience. Therefore, whatever the content may be, it is fundamental to convey positivity in your messaging.

Content with a negative tone may discourage and demotivate your audience. Alternatively, a video inspiring others to plant a tree on Earth Day, accompanied with how to information, engages and encourages viewers. This brings us further towards the enthusiastic collective origin of Earth.

Attend virtual events.

If your organisation is wishing to utilise Earth Day activities extensively, there’s plenty of enjoyable virtual events your team can attend. From virtual Earth Day quizzes to online gardening workshops, there will undoubtedly be an event that aligns with your company’s values. This would be an excellent opportunity to showcase your involvement and increase online presence through posting photos and videos.

Be emotive.

Certain sectors of your audience may not have a strong interest in this area. This means you must communicate a message that resonates with your audience on a deeper level. Whether that’s through humour or optimistic terminology, ensure your messaging is authentic and trustworthy. You’ll likely discover that the emotive language you use will have a longer lasting impact over your audience, in comparison to stats and figures alone.

Strengthen your two-way communications.

Its always vital to maintain and strengthen the relationship with your audience, and Earth Day provides the perfect opportunity to do so. If you are wanting to maximise your creativity, how about a photo competition? This would entail sharing a photo of the natural beauty of your outdoor surroundings and encouraging others to do the same.

You can encourage your audience to use any specific Earth Day hashtags that were implemented in your original post, allowing for a further increase of awareness for the occasion, whilst extending the visibility of your contest to other environmentalists. Remember to interact with your audience as much as possible, providing any positive feedback to those who get involved.

Whatever approach you decide to take, ultimately you are proudly celebrating Earth Day and encouraging environmentally friendly behaviour from your audience.  

If you’d like to gain more marketing insights head over to our blog or if you’re in need of marketing support, get in contact today via communicate@heyme.co.uk   

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“I saved so much time after implementing a more structured approach which has given me the opportunity to focus on creating more content and work more closely with my clients. Amy and her team are easy to deal with and are quick to provide valuable solutions. I would not hesitate to work with Hey Me again in the future.” Karen Duncan - Lanehead Coniston

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