From shifting weather patterns to rising sea levels, climate change has become a long standing and complex issue. Many climate tech companies have emerged in recent years whose primary objective is to work on technologies to reduce the impact of climate change. Additionally, several companies are investing in renewable energy and eco-friendly technology to support climate tech startups.
As the urgency to combat climate change grows, so does the need for effective digital marketing strategies to promote these innovative solutions. Digital marketing can help climate tech businesses connect with their target audience, build a strong online presence and make a meaningful impact in the fight against climate change.
Whether you are a startup in the climate tech sector or an established player looking to enhance your digital marketing efforts, this blog will provide you effective insights to drive your mission forward. But before that, let’s understand the basics:
1. What Is Climate Tech?
Climate tech, also known as climate technology, refers to the technologies focused on addressing multiple impacts of global warming and reducing GHG emissions. Carbon capture, remote working, use of data centers, energy efficient homes etc. are some of the technology solutions that could help solve the crisis. The industrial revolution and technological advancements powered by fossil fuels have increased the levels of GHG, which is driving an unprecedented climate change. This has resulted in extreme heat, sea-level rise, unpredictable weather and more with disastrous effects for humanity.
At the global climate summit COP26 held in Glasgow, several nations took a range of decisions to minimize the global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees. Many companies have been investing in climate change to decarbonize the planet since the Paris agreement of 2015.
2. What Are Climate Tech Startups?
Climate tech startups are enterprises that work on innovative technology solutions to reduce carbon footprint and improve people’s resilience to climate change. These companies are explicitly focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Investment in climate tech has shown strong growth in recent years and is expected to reach $6.4 trillion by 2023.
Climate tech firms play a vital role in combating climate change. For instance, Facebook claimed to use 100% renewable energy and showed zero-net emissions in its global operations. In addition, Apple has announced ten new eco-friendly projects and claimed that by 2030 all the apple devices sold would have a zero climate impact.
According to sources, the total investment in the climate tech sector is expected to reach $6.4 trillion by 2023. Several climate tech firms are joining this sector, some of which are – ZeroAvia, Volta Charging, Rad Power Bikes, AMP Robotics, etc.
3. Why Does Your Climate Tech Need Digital Marketing?
Promoting clean energy or climate tech products is tedious because of the narrowly segmented audience. From energy to sustainable buildings, smart mobility, logistics, and manufacturing – many climate tech companies are helping us get the net zero. While many people are interested in climate tech, startups in this sector face several challenges in reaching the target audience.
For instance, solar is the fastest-growing energy source. However, the penetration of solar power in the US market is 3%. Moreover, most solar companies lack digital infrastructure, because of which over 46% of companies get less than 50 projects per month.
Digital marketing strategy for climate tech helps to keep your consumers informed of relevant information like – renewable energy, nuclear and electrified heat, energy storage etc that would benefit them, the firm, and the planet. With educational content, firms can spread awareness and thereby help consumers understand the effects of climate change. Consumers won’t choose your products or services if they don’t realise how it solves their problem. Here is how digital marketing for climate tech help in promoting your brand’s mission –
- Target Audience
Digital marketing for climate tech puts your business in front of the right audience. For instance, if you are a solar panel manufacturer, you can reach the target audience by using relevant keywords such as – solar panel manufacturer, social panel manufacturers in the USA, top solar panel manufacturers in the world, etc. you need to explore ways to target customers interested in buying solar panels.
- Branding
Clear branding and communication are vital for climate tech startups. It should solve the challenges and pain points of the target audience. One can create a compelling message by defining the audience and segmenting the market. These messages increase audience awareness and can position your climate tech on top.
- Strategy
Digital marketing for climate tech helps organisations implement the right strategy to reach the target audience and boost conversions. Whether it is to boost online visibility, promote products/services, increase sales or drive conversion – you need a unique strategy. Climate tech companies can adopt different strategies such as – growth marketing content marketing, SEO, social media marketing, video marketing, press releases, etc., to meet their objectives.
4. Top 3 Climate Tech Trends & Innovations in 2022
- Clean Energy (Solar, Wind, and Hydro)
There has been an increase in demand for renewable sources of energy in recent years to combat climate change. Various clean energy startups developed off-grid energy solutions like solar panels, wind, mechanical, and micro-hydro. Solar dealers and installers can use digital marketing to gain a competitive advantage.
Digital marketing lets solar panel manufacturers promote their company seamlessly and reach more potential customers. A professional solar panel manufacturers digital marketing lets you promote your company seamlessly and reach more potential customers. A professional solar panel manufacturers digital marketing agency help you increase traffic to your website, generate leads, and grow your business.
Many energy distribution companies are expanding their portfolio to reduce their carbon footprint. The key solar panel manufacturers digital marketing services include – SEO, social media marketing, content marketing, and digital strategy.
You can also partner with a solar panel manufacturers digital marketing agency to promote renewable energy products such as electric scooters, e-bikes, and e-cars.
- Green Construction
Many companies are providing green construction solutions such as – sustainable concrete alternatives, energy storage devices, gypsum, eco-friendly building material, etc., to reduce carbon footprint and beat climate change. These solutions significantly reduce GHG emissions and reduce material wastage, eventually protecting the environment from harmful chemicals.
- Sustainable Land & Water Management
To tackle climate change, climate tech startups are developing innovative water purification solutions for desalination and wastewater management. Also, these companies are investing in land restoration, wetland regeneration, and chemical hold-off solutions to reduce land and water pollution.
5. 8 Digital Marketing Solutions for Climate Tech Companies
5.1 Improve Your Discoverability With SEO
SEO is a prominent digital marketing strategy for climate tech companies. There is a varying trend of incoming traffic around specific keywords and topics in the climate tech industry. The keywords you choose must be relevant to the brand.
Some of the highly searched keywords in this sector include – sustainable, eco-friendly, global warming, etc. If these keywords are used on the websites of climate tech companies, they can rank high on SERPs.
Climate tech firms can utilise targeted SEO techniques and infuse the above keywords in their website content and blogs to drive relevant traffic to their website.
For example, Volta Charging is an American startup that builds EV charging networks in the U.S. By optimising their website for keywords like – electric car charging stations, electric charging stations, EV charging, etc, and adding high-quality backlinks – they are able to drive an organic web traffic of 58K per month.
5.2 Invest in Pay-Per-Click (PPC)
Pay-per-click allows climate tech companies to pay for ads only when users click on them. These ads help drive instant traffic to your website. Many startups use Google ads, Bing ads, Facebook ads, and other PPC models to educate their audience and influence them to become customers.
Bing allows advertisers to add “marketing with purpose attributes” such as “sustainable,” “carbon neutral,” etc., to help the target audience understand the importance of climate tech. Your ads will stand out if you use environmentally friendly keywords in ads.
Consider an example, for your climate tech, a paid media best practice can be leveraged of all the marketing channels available. Many climate techs run social media ads, but only a few run Google ads. To support your climate tech business, run ads not just on Facebook and Google, but on alternative sites like – LinkedIn, Twitter, Yahoo, Bing, Instagram, and YouTube.
With remarketing, you can serve new ads to people who already clicked on your previous ads. It gives you more control over how the leads move through the marketing funnel. It’s best to hire a climate tech marketing agency to manage your PPC ad campaigns.
5.3 Use Display Advertising
When it comes to online advertising, display advertising is widely used to catch the attention of a wider audience. Display ads are online advertisements that combine images, text, and a URL that links to the website, which helps customers learn more about the products. These can be static or dynamic with animations, videos, changing text, etc.
Climate tech firms can use YouTube and Gmail to capture audiences with eye-catching ads. Besides, one can also use their social media posts to display advertisements across multiple platforms. Display advertisements on social media platforms is a cost-effective way to repurpose your content and ensure brand consistency.
A professional climate tech digital marketing agency can help you create a robust digital advertising strategy.
5.4 Don’t Ignore Social Media Marketing
The next best strategy in digital marketing for climate tech is social media marketing, which involves a mix of organic and paid traffic. One can create great interest in a brand’s mission with meaningful conversations, engagements, and followers on social platforms.
For example, use YouTube to share educational videos, provide updates on ongoing projects, and give more insights into the impact of climate change. Besides, paid ads on newsfeeds and sidebars can put the brand above others.
With many business leaders, industry experts, and key decision-makers, LinkedIn works best regarding B2B marketing. Identifying the right platform to implement a successful marketing strategy is crucial.
For example, if your target audience includes house owners interested in solar devices, Facebook may be the most effective platform to reach out.
5.5 Build Credibility With Content Marketing
Content marketing for climate tech is vital because of the complexity of products and services. In today’s competitive business world, customers choose the products and services of the companies they trust most. Therefore, you need to build trust and credibility before you think of boosting conversions and growing sales. One can achieve it with an effective content marketing strategy.
To gain customers’ trust, you should post educational and informative content showing your industry’s authority. Share your knowledge on topics like – global warming, reducing carbon footprint, eco-friendly technology, etc., to showcase your domain authority.
For example – Solytic is a Berlin based software company that is involved in automating top performance for solar PV for a profitable energy transition. The firm uses content marketing as a tool to stay on “top of funnel” by publishing informative and educational blogs on energy transition, carbon neutral features, solar PV plants etc.
5.6 Have a Powerful Email Marketing Strategy
Climate tech marketing is incomplete without email marketing. It is an essential component that helps narrow your target audience through segmentation. You can keep your subscribers engaged with product updates, blog posts, tips, announcements, newsletters, etc. Also, you can grow your subscriber base by promoting your landing pages.
Using strategic messaging, your climate tech business can stay ahead of the competitors. Additionally, you can set yourself apart from your competitors with a unique brand voice and recognition. There are many email templates online to market your climate tech.
5.7 Build a Brand Strategy
When marketing online, your brand value remains the most valuable asset. So, create a brand strategy based on what has worked in the past and hasn’t.
In a nutshell, companies should build brands and not products. Many sustainable businesses succeeded in making their unique brand identity. By using global events that are consequences of melting ice caps, plastics in oceans, or constant CO2 emissions – they make people aware of the necessity to act.
For example – NorthVolt is a Swedish company specialised in manufacturing lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles. It has established its own brand identity with the logo in green which evokes the feeling of clean, new and environmentally friendly. Also, their social media handles and website talks about the importance of sustainability, reducing carbon footprint, renewable energy etc – which showcases their brand strategy.
5.8 Maintain a Strong Public Relation
Press release marketing is one such strategy for climate tech that can lead to improved awareness and increased sales. Affordable costing, sustainability, brand recognition, ad value etc are some of the benefits of press releases.
From announcements to collaborations, new launches, and updates, you need engaging content that spreads like wildfire. The primary objective of press releases for climate tech is to promote something significant and specific. As a result, you can gain traction of traffic to your website and, at the same time, improve your brand image by engaging with your target audience and community.
Drive results and increase revenue by coupling your business plan with the above digital marketing strategies for climate tech.
6. How can Digital Marketing Agency Help?
Digital marketing agency can help climate tech companies bring their solutions to the forefront and promote their innovative solutions to the right audience. Whether you want to expand your digital footprint or take a better hold of the local market, digital marketing professionals help you drive results.
Growth Ganik is a full-service digital marketing agency, helping climate tech businesses effectively promote their products and services. With a wide range of marketing services including – growth marketing, SEO, social media marketing, paid media and content marketing – we help brands to boost their brand awareness and generate qualified leads.
Schedule a free 45-minute consultation with our experts to discuss the marketing requirements for climate tech business.
7. FAQs
- How important is digital marketing to tackle climate change?
Digital marketing for climate tech presents an opportunity to reach billions of people worldwide and spread awareness of the importance of climate action.
- How does technology help climate change?
One of the best technology solutions to help climate change is to reduce energy consumption and make homes energy efficient.
- How can digital marketing help climate tech companies reach their target audience effectively?
Digital marketing utilises various tactics and platforms for climate tech companies to connect with their target audience. Strategies like content marketing, social media, and SEO can be leveraged to raise awareness, educate consumers, and drive engagement within the climate tech sector.
- What are the key challenges in marketing climate tech products or services?
Marketing climate tech often involves conveying complex concepts and technologies. Key challenges include growing competition in the market, limited climate tech knowledge and ensuring messaging aligns with environmental values. Overcoming these challenges requires a strategic marketing approach.
- How can a climate tech company measure the success of its digital marketing efforts?
Climate tech can measure the success of their digital marketing efforts by analysing metrics like website traffic, engagement on social media, lead generation, and conversion rates.
