4 Green Marketing Ideas Agents Can Try this Earth Day

Earth Day is this Sunday--and you know what that means, right? A primo marketing opportunity is here!

Not only do holidays (yes, even minor ones!) make it easier to connect with consumers online, research shows that "green" issues resonate with today's consumer. Fifty-six percent of Realtors say their clients are interested in sustainability, and 71 percent said that promoting energy efficiency in listings was important.

So if you're a Realtor who has earned NAR's Green Designation, an agent in a market where solar panels are common, or just a fan of all things eco-friendly—try these marketing strategies to connect with green-minded real estate consumers in your area.

The Public Relations Approach

Did you earn your Green Designation from NAR? Does anybody in your town know? Inform your community that there's an eco-knowledgeable Realtor in town by writing and distributing a press release to your local media outlets. After all, "green" issues are newsworthy now, and training on sustainability issues sets you apart from other agents!

This agent did it: John Snyder of Vermont posted a press release to his blog that announced that he had earned a Green Designation. His local paper saw it and wrote a story about him!

Not sure how to write a press release? Check out this article for step-by-step instructions.

Tip: NAR is offering its Green Designation courses at a 25 percent discount in April, so if you don't yet have the designation, now's a good time to get rolling!

Piggyback on Recent News

There's sure to be plenty of Earth Day-focused news stories as we head into the weekend. Be sure to keep an eye out so that you can share your favorites with your audience. This could mean tweeting a link, sharing an infographic on Pinterest, or even adding your own commentary in a blog post.

Here's an example you can use. On Thursday, realtor.com issued a press release that listed the top eco-friendly housing markets nationwide. If your area is on any of the lists--post, blog, tweet, and talk about it online! That's interesting information that your local audience is hungry to know about.

Be sure to add a call-to-action to whatever content you post, e.g. Contact me to learn how solar panels may impact your home's value!

Help Consumers Understand the Cost Savings

While some consumers may not be interested in sustainability issues, nearly all are keen on saving money. Connect with more consumers by emphasizing the money-saving side effect that's typical of green home features. You can help them understand how upgrading their home saves on utility costs by sharing free, analytical tools like:

• Google's Project Sunroof - Enter a property address into Project Sunroof to see how much roof space is viable for solar panels, how many hours of usable sunlight the property receives per year, potential utility bill savings, and more.
• UtilityScore - Homeowners can see how much they'd save on utilities with solar panels, energy-efficient windows and an upgraded air conditioning system, and get installation estimates from local contractors. Buyers can use UtilityScore to understand the energy efficiency of a home, and make a more informed choice on where to live.

Here's the kicker: These tools only calculate the utility savings of green home features, NOT their impact on property values. For that, consumers should contact YOU, the expert agent--so don't forget to add a call-to-action that tells them to reach out!

Brag About Your Own Green Practices

Well, maybe don't totally brag, but also don't be afraid to highlight your eco-friendly business practices--especially as they relate to the client experience.

For instance, do you provide a paperless transaction experience to your clients? Talk about how you reduce paper waste. It's even better if you can provide specifics, so estimate your impact with DocuSign's Green Score tool. Based on how many documents you send, the tool calculates how many trees, how much water, time and money you save by going paperless. Share your stats in social media posts or on your blog.

Happy Earth Day!