Cutting down on greenspeak
Green. Greenwash. Sustainable. Eco-friendly. Footprint. Carbon neutral.
The buzzwords associated with green marketing saturate communications to the point where consumers’ eyes glaze over and they automatically tune out when they hear them. There are simply too many companies tossing these words around, and a lot of them have no idea why they’re doing it, or what they really mean.
But how else are companies supposed to communicate with eco-concious audiences? These buzzwords seem to be a necessary evil. No matter how hard you try to avoid them, there are some situations where you simply have no alternatives to use.
Aside from these inevitable situations, it’s important to cut down on superfluous greenspeak whenever and wherever possible. Consumers train themselves to skip over these terms as they read them, since they’re so vague and overused. A “green business” could mean anything. It’s up to you to discover new ways to deliver your message and keep readers interested. Buzzwords are the fastest way to fail in this regard.
Using the latest green buzzwords may afford your company a shiny veneer, but is their substance behind what you say? Focus on the depth and meaning of your message. What are you really trying to say? Can you avoid the latest jargon? In many cases, you’ll find that you can. When you start paying conscious attention to the frequency of buzzwords, you’ll see that they are unnecessary in many cases. My advice to you would be to cut, revise, and remove like there’s no tomorrow. You’ll end up with clearer, more direct copy that gets to the point without confusing your readers in a maze of ambiguity.
As always, if you need help re-designing your communications, hire a green copywriter to assist you with the task.
