Thinking about starting a "Green Business"?

Thinking about starting a "Green Business"?

Pros of Being Green:
Green is Hot
Is not just a fad.  Slowly but steadily, "green" concepts are being integrated.  Green can also mean sustainable.  With global economy growth, raw materials cost are increasing.  This creates opportunity.  These days everyone wants to be seen as being green, but that is not enough of a hook to hang a business model on.  You MUST have something that people need that is superior to non-green alternatives.  There are several Solid Business Opportunities with in the energy, clean tech or green tech sectors.  If you can solve a challenge people are dealing with everyday and are competitive, you may have something to build on.

Marketability Factor
Media managers still are attracted to "green" story ideas so you maybe able to capitalize on PR by placing your story.  Make sure your claims are legit or you might get bad press for green-washing (a term describing the deceptive use of green PR or green marketing in order to promote a misleading perception that a company's policies or products (such as goods or services) are environmentally friendly. The term green sheen has similarly been used to describe organizations that attempt to show that they are adopting practices beneficial to the environment.)

Competition Benefit
Your product must be as good or better than non-green alternatives.  If you can't compete on price, position your product/service in other ways to differentiate from competition, "green" is a way to do that.

Feel Good Feelings
If your product or service really makes a difference for the planet and society, you can leverage this in your branding and marketing. People want to lead a modern life and still minimize their impact on the world.

Cons to Being Green

Green is Fashionable
Once the wave subsides and people realize that the environment is harsh and human technology and development has created a level of comfort that never existed before, the "green movement" maybe viewed as a silly naive folly.  Make sure your business model does more than appeal to the current fashion but actually saves time and money.

Competition Increasing
Since green business is here to stay (not to be confused with the “buzz” or fad of being green), your competition will be bigger, more efficient and better financed.  They will squeeze and hammer your margins.

Complex Model
Government regulations are increasing worldwide in this area as competition moves in.  At the same time, the consumer is better educated and more sophisticated, less likely to fall for insincere greenwashing claims.

Green businesses, just like traditional businesses, must still pay rent, make payroll, figure out marketing and branding strategies and so on.  It is possible to help others solve their problems, make a profit and create sustainability. There is a sense of accomplishment and achievement when you succeed!p

Book Review: THE FINDABILITY FORMULA

The Findability Formula

THE FINDABILITY FORMULA - The Easy, Non-Technical Approach to Search Engine Marketing
Author: Heather Lutze
ISBN-13:  9780470420904
Topic:  Internet Marketing
Format:  Audio CD
Language:  English
Publication Year:  2009

REVIEW:
The Easy, Non-Technical Approach to Search Engine Marketing - The book is devoted to Google AdWords, but there is a chapter on SEO performance.  The material is an excellent introduction to pay-per-click advertising.  Advanced users will find the material too basic, but I approached from not really knowing that much and learned the basiscs.  The style is easy to comprehend and goes step by step.  Typical layout and good reference coming from Wiley Publishers.

INFORMATION FROM THE PUBLISHER:
To be successful in business you must be able to attract the right clients and persuade them to buy. However, on the internet, people only see what the search engines direct them to and the competition for those top spots is fierce. So how do you ensure that your business is front-and-center when prospects are searching for solutions? The answer is The Findability Formula. The Findability Formula is for anyone who wants to improve results from Internet marketing. The book is specifically written for business owners who are frustrated with a website that is not showing up in search results and not generating business. The Findability Formula will help readers understand how prospects and customers search for products and services on the Internet, and will show them, step-by-step, how to optimize their findability. The book will be a non-technical guide to effectively building and implementing, from the ground up, an Internet search marketing program that gets results. The reader will learn how paid search works, and how paid and organic search can work together to create optimum web visibility and reduce paid search costs over time. The basic message of the book is that there is a formula for findability and for converting prospects to purchasers.

Readers' Benefits from The Findability Formula:
* A complete step-by-step approach to search engine marketing applicable to any product or service, The Findability Formula will include easy-to-follow instruction from chapter to chapter as well as launch checklists in the appendix.
* The most up-to-date search research and statistics available, including uncommon ways to connect with your online buyer.
* Shows the reader how to avoid common search marketing mistakes that cost big money. How to not be bullied and take control of in-house e-commerce department strategies and SEM agencies.
* A small company can compete successfully in search with larger, well-established competitors. How to work smarter to get even better search engine "findability".
* Maximizes the reader's investment. The reader won't waste money by needlessly paying for "clicks" from customers who have no intention of buying. The investment in this book will be repaid thousands of times over.
* Saves time, money and energy in creating in-house search marketing programs and properly tracking results by keyword. Negates the need to hire outside SEM agencies.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Heather Lutze is a nationally recognized Internet marketing speaker and consultant on search strategies. She has more than ten years of hands-on management experience in pay per click, search engine optimization, and landing page testing. She is also the founder of Lutze Consulting, a search marketing agency that helps companies improve their results and increase sales through paid search and organic search optimization.


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