"Hire Some Kids" was another bit of good advice that I picked up at the last IWPA convention that I thought I'd share with everyone. It was stated mostly in reference to social media, with the idea being if you really want to use Facebook or tweet or whatever it is effectively, you should get the people who use those features most to help design your campaign. Got a story you want to get viral? Then find a texter who types better with two thumbs then I do with all ten fingers!
It's a good thought for selling green as well. We always want to consider who we sell to in this industry-to figure out who are the decision makers. More and more, those decision makers are making their decisions based on what they read online. And they definitely do research the green issues. You want to have a very green online presence and you want to put it in language that your reader understands and responds to. Unfortunately the old school "we're wood, we're green" as a stand-alone statement isn't enough any more.
I've talked before about the two types of environment we have to sell to-the greater environment of the world around us (the issue there being "Is this wood sustainable?" "Was it socially responsible?") and then what I call the "environment of me" (which would include issues like VOCs.) Both topics are of interest and need to be shared. Consider having your site and online presence reviewed by some kids-see if they respond to it. Increasingly, they are the reader you want, and the Internet is the medium they use.
