Can you operate sustainability in the digital world?

Is it possible for your business to operate in the digital world, and be sustainable?

Yes. And here’s how.

In a world where sustainability shouldn’t be a buzzword but a call to action, customers and businesses alike are increasingly looking for brands who share their commitment to ethical and eco-friendly practices.

But how can you do that in the world of digital marketing? How can sustainability be embedded through strategies, so it isn’t just an add on but at the core of what you do and decisions you make? And does it make financial sense too?

We will break down a few key points for our core services:

Paid Media:

• Target your audience wisely – focus your efforts on people who are genuinely interested in your product or service.
• Avoid wasting resources on clicks that are unlikely to convert by looking at your target audiences. Should we really be splitting purely by gender or age for example? No, we should not!
• Choose carbon-neutral programmatic platforms like Plug Media. These platforms reduce the carbon footprint by optimising ad delivery and minimising wasted impressions. It will also stream your creativity, making sure ads load instantly – better for the audience and more energy-efficient.
• Consider which products you promote in your ads. If you have eco-friendly products or practices, they are likely to appeal to environmentally conscious consumers – but be careful of greenwashing. If you are not an ‘ethical by nature brand,’ don’t pretend you are!

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)

• Create high-quality, evergreen content that remains relevant over time.
• Make sure you optimise for mobile, so the website doesn’t have to work too hard to load!
• Keep an eye on the site speeds which will reduce energy consumption.
• Do your research and choose sustainably accredited hosting services.
• Through your digital PR strategy, encourage backlinks from fellow sustainable or environmentally responsible websites.

CRO (Conversion Rate Optimisation)

• Streamline the user experience to reduce energy-intensive actions on your website – the easier it is to use, the better.
• Minimise unnecessary pop-ups, auto-play videos, and large images as they slow down page load times. Faster, more efficient websites improve conversion rates and reduce the carbon footprint.

But what about email?

Believe it or not, Berners-Lee estimates global emails could account for as much about 0.3% of the world’s carbon footprint, or in other words driving a small petrol car for around 128 miles.

So, what can we do?

Basically, don’t send emails to disinterested people. Make sure your email campaigns are as targeted as possible. Send them to an audience you know, or really believe, will be interested.

By doing that you will conserve your resources, minimise how much energy you use, and respect the preferences of the recipients. If they are not interested, you’ll waste money and carbon. On top of that people will unsubscribe and miss out on your next email – which could have been really relevant to them.

But who is Fountain to advise you?

Fountain has a strong focus on sustainability. We’re proud to say it runs through everything we do. We were recently accredited as a B Corp organisation. Alongside that one of our co-founders, Marcus Hemsley founded the Million Tree Pledge – a group of individuals and businesses, committed to planting over 1 million trees each in response to the Climate Emergency.

And if you only take one thing with you?

Reduce wasted digital ad spend! By doing that, you’re looking after your bottom line and how sustainable you are. You won’t be wasting money or carbon!