SSC BlogBloghttp://www.sustainabilityconsulting.com/blog/2012-02-02T20:31:31ZSquarespaceHow Sustainability Professionals Can Use Facebook Groupshttp://www.sustainabilityconsulting.com/blog/2012/2/2/how-sustainability-professionals-can-use-facebook-groups.htmlSSC Team2012-02-02T15:00:36Z2012-02-02T15:00:36ZFacebook Groups are another new feature on the social media scene (yes, yet another feature to keep up with the ever-changing online social crowd) … so we thought we’d take a minute to reflect on whether or not they are of use to the sustainability professional today. 

First, let's define what a Facebook Group is.  Think of it as a new private space you can easily create to chat and share things with a specific group of people.  Facebook says that, “by creating a group for each of the important parts of your life — family, teammates, coworkers — you decide who sees what you share.”

We “like” Facebook Groups because they allow:

  • A group of people who want to interact online
  • Chatting to many people at one time within the group
  • Sending Facebook messages direct to all member’s inboxes rather than sending individual messages or hoping that they read a post
  • Sharing documents with others – documents can be uploaded to one spot where others can view them
  • Creating a secret or approval only space.  Secret groups are by invite only and can’t be found by searching on Facebook, approval only groups can be seen in search but not joined without approval.  Your group will feel so special! 

Facebook Groups aren’t really so good for:

  • Promoting a business, let’s face it … they are an intentionally small subset so your outreach is stifled unless your intent is to make a select few feel loved or create an group-think team of collaborators.  Worse yet, Google doesn’t show groups in search results, making you even harder to be seen or heard.  You can’t get a nice looking URL for a group or get it customized to reflect your brand, like you can for a page.  Albums can’t be created, making it hard for people to find images, and there are no photos at the top of a group to help with branding like a page offers. 
  • Using geo-tagging.  Really, this is just  annoying. Be thoughtful about tying your location-specific apps (like Foursquare or Gowalla) to a Facebook group update, because it generally does not add value to the group's conversation.
  • Getting to know your audience.  There are no demographic insights into your members, apart from their names (you can find out by clicking on each member individually, but who has that kind of time in sustainability consulting!).  Also, there are no insights into how many people have viewed a post, making it hard to tell if you are hitting or missing the mark.
  • Scheduling posts, because on a page there are various tools you can use to schedule posts to come out at a certain day and time and with groups you simply can’t do this for the time being.

Bottom line, we think it’s important to get your social media strategy in place and carefully select what tools really help you to meet your goals … if they don’t answer all your needs you’ll want to spend your time on the one’s that do (trust us, there are plenty!).  First and foremost, you want a page if you are using Facebook to promote your business, especially sustainability professionals out there.  A group might be a way to communicate with a group of friends, employees on a project or even a group think team … but it is not a way to grow your business on Facebook. 

Need more help getting your strengthening those social media muscles for 2012? Check out our 8-week, self-guided, online course called Social Media for Sustainability Professionals. It includes an entire section devoted to Facebook (with additional sections focused on websites, Twitter, LinkedIn, blogging, Google+ and more!)—including the difference between a Facebook profiles and pages, privacy issues, tactics for growing your fan base, and mistakes to avoid.

]]>Sustainability Professionals + Facebook = Worth It?http://www.sustainabilityconsulting.com/blog/2012/1/31/sustainability-professionals-facebook-worth-it.htmlSSC Team2012-01-31T15:00:22Z2012-01-31T15:00:22ZAt Strategic Sustainability Consulting, we're all over social media. Blogging, Twitter, Google+, Facebook—you name it, we've got it covered. Each platform has different pros and cons, and today we're reviewing how Facebook pages can be useful for sustainability professionals.

What Works:

  • Easy! You don't really need to create separate content for your consultancy's Facebook page. Just set it up to automatically post whenever you publish a new blog post, and you'll have a consistent flow of information (at least, as long as you're regularly blogging!).
  • It's free! Setting up a Facebook page is the work of but a couple hours. There are great tutorials  available (just use Google), and you can add lots of easy widgets. For example, we have a widget that makes it easy for people to sign up to our e-newsletter list. We do nothing—it takes care of itself, and for no cost to us.
  • Great analytics! We love the new Facebook Insights tool, which gives us perspective on just about everything—from what kind of people "like" us, to which posts people are talking about, and even what kind of stuff goes viral. It helps us spot patterns in traffic—like that inevitable decline in December—to better allocate resources.

What Doesn't Work:

  • Selling via Facebook. We've found that marketing our products and services over Facebook doesn't really work. People want information, but they don't want to pay for it. And advertising on Facebook (using your news feed) turns people off. Skip it—even coupons or discounts aren't appreciated (unless that's your entire schtick).
  • Getting new clients: We've found through personal experience (and have our initial reflections echoed by colleagues and partners) that Facebook is much more effective for collaboration, networking, and fun "stuff" than it is for business generation. As a result, we focus our Facebook page on sharing helpful information and interesting articles, and not on promoting our services to clients.

Want more information about how to use Facebook to grow your sustainability practice? You're in luck! Check out our 8-week, self-guided, online course called Social Media for Sustainability Professionals. It includes an entire section devoted to Facebook (with additional sections focused on websites, Twitter, LinkedIn, blogging, Google+ and more!)—including the difference between a Facebook profiles and pages, privacy issues, tactics for growing your fan base, and mistakes to avoid.

]]>Recent Tweets from Strategic Sustainability Consultinghttp://www.sustainabilityconsulting.com/blog/2012/1/26/recent-tweets-from-strategic-sustainability-consulting.htmlSSC Team2012-01-26T15:00:37Z2012-01-26T15:00:37ZDo you follow SSC President Jennifer Woofter on Twitter? If not, check out some of her most recent tweets!

RT @bradcracchiola: Nine Ways to (Re)Generate Sustainability Leadership bit.ly/sXjPJC

RT @greeneconpost: All Airlines Flying In & Out of EU Will Be Charged for Carbon Emissions, Court Decides bit.ly/u88lA9

RT @nrdc: Got 60 secs? Read 6 reasons why America needs to say NO to risky & reckless Keystone XL pipeline bit.ly/rBAKPX

Feedlots: key to sustainable agriculture, or greenwash? More complicated than you might think... ow.ly/83Ynx

RT @CROGSLC: "Roughly 634 gallons of water go into the production of one hamburger." Interesting fact I found from an @enviance quiz.

New law in NY promotes greater #corporateresponsibilitytransparency. http://tiny.cc/iq9n0

Behavior is the next frontier in green @EdenHousing saves money on trash pickup by working with residents on recycling #NWAffordableHousing

35-40% sq area of a city is black pavement & 20-25% dark roofs. Result? Urban Heat Island Effect: 6 degrees higher in cities #eco #CoolRoof

Random. And awesome. RT @petersagal: Yo Yo Ma on the floor of a bathroom, with a wombat. ow.ly/1BZRfK

Food for thought. MT @MarcGunther: Don't support your local bookseller. A provocative argument. http://slate.me/tMeBln

I'll be teaching "Greening Your Nonprofit" tomorrow. What are your tips for staying energized through a full day of teaching?

RT @3blmedia: 3 Quick Step Approach to Jump Start 2012 Business Improvements with Sustainability bit.ly/sHY7xG

New SSC Blog Post: RESOURCES: 2011 Revisions to International Standards for Calculating Carbon Footprint ow.ly/1g9tFL

2011 Revisions to International Standards for Calculating Carbon Footprint ow.ly/7XRyP

RT @sequoia_lab: Sustainable fish 'undermined by confusing supermarket labelling' gu.com/p/343ee/tw via @guardian

RT @drgrist: TX leaders battle EPA clean air regulations. In other news, TX suffers from horrendous air quality: is.gd/ym7zCp

New 1-year Sustainability Position in DC (and one of our favorite clients!): ow.ly/7WRqk

RT @taigacompany: Why Business #Sustainability Plans Need a Social Media Strategy bit.ly/v8FlGc

RT @taigacompany: FDA finally agrees to look into safety of BPAbit.ly/stKreT

RT @ecomagination: Who knew that that a humid #subway or #metro ride could potentially provide heat for homes? bit.ly/cmSmVk

Share, learn, sharpen & compare #sustainability selling techniques. Upcoming TSSS Event bit.ly/vkVyta @TSSStweets #csr #grnrev

9 Rules for Selling to a CFO: helpful for sustainability consultantsow.ly/7T58B

Have I Fallen in Love with Walmart? soc.li/4Y8mL3L

First time in history: if you're building new construction, chances are it'll be LEED certified grn.bz/sCp3h2

RT @bradcracchiola: 3 Obvious Ways Companies Can Flip the Switch and Save Millions bit.ly/rFhx4E

RT @cleanerusa: Improving Supply Chain Profit, Production & #Sustainability dld.bz/a538h

Settlement Forces FDA to Determine BPA Fate by March 31 |GreenBiz.com bit.ly/u0AWjg

Want to join Jennifer in the Twittersphere?  Find her with username jenniferwoofter or click here.

]]>Lessons for Sustainability Consultants Using Twitterhttp://www.sustainabilityconsulting.com/blog/2012/1/24/lessons-for-sustainability-consultants-using-twitter.htmlSSC Team2012-01-24T15:00:36Z2012-01-24T15:00:36ZBest Sustainability Blogshttp://www.sustainabilityconsulting.com/blog/2012/1/19/best-sustainability-blogs.htmlSSC Team2012-01-19T15:00:52Z2012-01-19T15:00:52ZOccasionally we get asked by clients for our recommendations for keeping up to date with sustainability issues. For "keeping up to date" there is no better tool than a blogroll. So with best wishes for an informative and up-to-date 2012, here are our favorite sustainability blog picks (besides our own, of course!!):

Taiga Company Blog

SustainAbility

Guardian Sustainability Blog

Mark Gunther

And as a bonus, here are our favorite companies that have blogs devoted to their sustainability efforts!

Stonyfield Farm

SAP

Fleishman-Hillard

Are we missing someone obvious? Please help us add to our "best sustainability blogs" list by commenting below!

]]>Do Sustainability Consultants Need To Blog?http://www.sustainabilityconsulting.com/blog/2012/1/17/do-sustainability-consultants-need-to-blog.htmlSSC Team2012-01-17T15:00:09Z2012-01-17T15:00:09ZShort Answer: YES! Read on for the long answer…

Last week we established the fact that every sustainability consultant needs to have a website. Let's take that thinking a step further and talk about adding a blog to that website. Here are three reasons why sustainability consultants should have a blog.

#1: Blogging keeps your content fresh.

We did a survey last year that collected information on more than 75 sustainability consultancies in the United States. All of these companies had websites (and so we're sure that there are dozens more that haven't gotten around to creating a website yet). As we delved deeper, trying to identify the "real players" in the industry, we discovered that many of the websites were static. It was hard to tell if these were actively practicing sustainability consultants—or if they had thrown in the towel (as many did in 2010 and 2011) and just had another year or two on the domain before the website expired. Blogging is one of the easiest and fastest ways to continuously add information to your website—making it clear to prospective clients, partners, and colleagues that you are still in the game.

#2: Blogging gives you a chance establish thought leadership.

It's pretty easy to throw up a sustainability consulting website—and a quick Google search will reveal that many of the sustainability consulting websites are using the same language and offering the same services (sustainability gap assessment, anyone?). It can be really hard to tell the differences between boutique consultancies—especially those that are relatively new and haven't put a lot of effort into developing their website. Blogging is a great way to quickly build out the breadth and depth of your sustainability services. It allows you to demonstrate that you are more than the bland service descriptions you provide. You have ideas! You have suggestions! You have great case studies! You have resources to share! All of this information can easily and effectively be disseminated via a blog—and it will keep people coming back for more.

#3: Blogging allows you to express personality.

Other areas of your website may be pretty standard and straightforward, but a blog allows you to talk directly to your readers in a natural voice. You can be controversial, you can be funny, and you can be inspirational — just be authentic. Prospective clients and partners reading your blog can get a sense of what it will be like to work with you — and that can be incredibly helpful in advancing your business development goals.

If this blog entry whetted your appetite for more information about how sustainability professionals can use blogging to grow their business, you may be interested in our 8-week, self-guided, online course called Social Media for Sustainability Professionals. It includes an entire section devoted to blogging (with additional sections focused on websites, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+ and more!)—including how to use categories to properly tag and organize your blog entries, how to come up with blog content, and how to properly manage your time on the blog.

]]>Companies with GREAT Sustainability Websiteshttp://www.sustainabilityconsulting.com/blog/2012/1/12/companies-with-great-sustainability-websites.htmlSSC Team2012-01-12T15:00:37Z2012-01-12T15:00:37ZThinking about adding a sustainability section to your website? Need to revamp your company website to include a better discussion about your commitment to corporate social responsibility? Just want to be inspired by companies with great sustainability websites? You've come to the right place. Here's three of our favorite corporate sustainability websites, with our take on what makes them stand out from the crowd:

Coca-Cola – Citizenship

What we love: The page is seamlessly integrated into the rest of the company's website. It's easy to navigate by issue, so you can dive right into the areas that make you tick (water, packaging, community, etc.), but overall goals and performance are also given up front—making it easy to see the company's CSR priorities. It incorporates multimedia, with a series of videos easily accessible from the main page. Similarly, the most recent sustainability report is right smack in the middle—no searching down three levels to find a tiny reference to the document.

Patagonia – Environmentalism

What we love: The main page is simple, with a handful of key points to make. It doesn't overload the senses (see: PWC Sustainability for an example of something that makes our heads spin with too much information to absorb at once). Patagonia breaks down the company's sustainability initiatives into meaningful categories (product impact, how consumers can get involved, key issues, etc.), and the Patagonia Footprint Chronicles is just plain awesome.

Rabobank – Sustainability

What we love: While a little more staid than the previous examples, Rabobank does an excellent job of helping the reader quickly understand the company's sustainability priorities. It breaks down topics into "themes, policies, ethical issues, and facts & figures," backing up its narrative with numbers charting progress against sustainability KPIs. It's not flashy, but it gets the job done.

Do you have other suggestions for companies with great sustainability sections of their website? We'd love to hear them—just add a comment below!

 

 

]]>Do Sustainability Consultants Need a Website?http://www.sustainabilityconsulting.com/blog/2012/1/10/do-sustainability-consultants-need-a-website.htmlSSC Team2012-01-10T15:00:54Z2012-01-10T15:00:54ZThe short answer is: YES! The long answer is a bit more complicated.

More than half of our new business comes from prospective clients calling us out of the blue. When we have our initial conversation, I ask how they found Strategic Sustainability Consulting. Was it a referral? Did they see our work somewhere? Had they read our sustainability report?

Nope. Most of them say that they found us just by googling "sustainability consulting" and checking out the websites of the companies that came up at the top of the list. (Fortunately, we have an awesome URL and usually come up first on a Google search!)

The reality is that most clients that are in the market for sustainability consulting services are going to start with an internet search. If you are a sustainability practitioner, you absolutely need a website that acts as a landing page for your online presence. Even if you make initial contact in person (like at a networking breakfast), chances are the person is going to check you out online afterwards.

Even if you mainly get work subcontracting for other sustainability consultancies, you still need a website. Here's how it works at our company:

Strategic Sustainability Consulting works with a network of more than 600 sustainability professionals in a loose association we call the SSC Consultant Network. About half of these individuals are sustainability freelancers—either sole owners of their own sustainability consultancy or freelancers operating under just their own name (e.g. without a company name). Of the remaining half, a good portion of the SSC Consultant Network is made up of people from small, boutique consultancies or other sustainability service companies.

When we have a project that requires the assistance of individuals from the SSC Consultant Network, we send out a call through our e-newsletter. People respond providing us with resumes, bios, and cover letters. I put them aside, and go straight to their email signature line and look for a website address.

Why?

Resumes are boring and cover letters rarely tell me what kind of person you are, whether you will fit in with our team, and what kind of services you deliver. When I look at your website, I can tell (within a couple of minutes) whether you pay attention to detail, what kind of projects you've worked on, and your personality and teamwork style. That saves us a TON of time, and gives us immediate insight into whether you'll be a good fit for our team.

Of course, that also means that you don't just need a website. You need a GOOD website. Fortunately, there are a ton of tools out there that make it easy to create and update a website. You don't need to spend a ton of time or money, or be best friends with a graphic designer. But you DO need to make sure that it's professional, personable, and reflective of the kind of services you deliver. (Honestly, this is where a HUGE number of independent sustainability professionals fall down—and if we were giving tough love for 2012, it would be to take a critical look at your website and fix it up if necessary!)

If this blog entry whetted your appetite for more information about how websites can help (or hinder) sustainability professionals, you may be interested in our 8-week, self-guided, online course called Social Media for Sustainability Professionals. It covers everything you need to know to kick start your social media strategy for 2012—and it is getting rave reviews!

]]>Social Media Training for Sustainability Professionalshttp://www.sustainabilityconsulting.com/blog/2012/1/5/social-media-training-for-sustainability-professionals.htmlSSC Team2012-01-05T15:00:37Z2012-01-05T15:00:37ZIn the last couple of months, we've seen a flurry of reports showing that sustainability consulting is poised for major growth in 2012. We've also seen a number of articles, webinars, and reports (and a couple of ridiculously overpriced seminars) showing that social media is an essential part of building a small business. Put those two findings together and you'll quickly come to the conclusion that social media is a critical tool for sustainability practitioners seeking to grow their businesses.

Easier said than done.

Many sustainability practitioners know they *should* be using social media. But getting up to speed on the different platforms can be overwhelming, and setting aside the time to create a social media strategy can be downright daunting.

We've been down that road, made the mistakes, and come up with some great lessons about effectively using social media as a tool for sustainability professionals. And for 2012, we're delighted to announce that we've teamed up with Julie Urlaub at Taiga Company (who is freaking brilliant on social media stuff!) to package that learning in a self-guided, online program that includes video lessons, discussion forums, additional resources, and homework assignments that will put your learning into practice.

Building an online presence with blogging and profiles on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn can be easy and fun.  Let us show you how! We share different approaches to social media success, what works, and what doesn’t--with proven skills and best practices to maximize your branding potential, communicate effectively, organize your time and build a network of quality contacts.

We're offering a 100% money-back guarantee, and people are telling us that it's totally worth the time and effort. Here are a few snippets of testimonials:

“I really liked the course content and think it was a great idea and great collaboration.   It’s definitely worth the $250 (and more) even if you aren’t a sustainability professional and just want to learn more about social media for small business.  I look forward to applying the lessons on my own business in 2012.”

-- Jim Jones, Sustainability Consultant and Owner of Verdant HFC

“This is a fantastic program!  Whether you are a sustainability professional or not, if you want to use social media tools to advance your business, this program is a must. I found all of it to be excellent, but particularly found the homework "assignments" useful.  They make you apply what you have learned promptly, which aids in the retention process.”

-- Julie Brooks, City of Golden, Colorado

Learn more about the program, and sign up at Social Media for Sustainability Professionals.  Also, check out today's press release: "Social Media For Sustainability Professionals - Online Training Offered for 2012"

]]>SSC PICK: Last of 2011 Sustainability Resources Round-Uphttp://www.sustainabilityconsulting.com/blog/2012/1/3/ssc-pick-last-of-2011-sustainability-resources-round-up.htmlSSC Team2012-01-03T15:00:07Z2012-01-03T15:00:07ZWe like to keep an eye out for the new and interesting, and in our travels we always like to share some of our top picks along the way … we welcome you to do the same, please comment if you know of something that the rest of us might not!    

  1. A CSR Checklist that Works for Every HR Department.  Coro Strandberg of Strandberg Consulting is recognized throughout Canada as a thought leader in sustainable business practices. Coro has a lot to offer in her 2009 publication “Role of Human Resource Management in Corporate Social Responsibility: Issue Brief and Roadmap.”  The report also comes with a 10 step checklist and serves as a set of actions human resource professionals can pursue to integrate CSR into the way the organization conducts its business while generating social and environmental value.  The report and checklist also serve as a great HR professional’s “how-to guide” for creating a comprehensive sustainability program; covering everything from integrating CSR and sustainability into recruitment practices to measurement and reporting.
  2. Business Social Responsibility Conference Highlights.  The 2011 BSR Conference brought more than 1,000 professionals to San Francisco to examine the state of the art of corporate social responsibility.  You can find the fruits of their labors in some of the great video highlights or by browsing session highlights and other conference material on the BSR site.
  3. Skill Development You Can Take to the CFO.  Volunteerism and pro bono service activities almost always involve exercising your skill set, but which activities actually develop skills with quantifiable business value?   Specifically, what skills can you gain or develop further that help to complete job-related tasks more quickly, or produce more successful results (i.e., “productivity” in business jargon).  Check out this article for some interesting considerations when it comes to the three most typical types of skill-related experiences in volunteerism.
  4. Join the Volunteerism ROI Tracker.  How much progress have you made on your measurement goals for 2011?  This neat little tool quickly and easily collects data directly from your volunteers, then generates a confidential, custom report for you that (1) quantifies the impacts of your volunteerism; (2) benchmarks results against peers; (3) identifies practical opportunities to increase ROI; and, (4) takes only 30 minutes of your time: just review the customizable survey tool, define the volunteer group you want to survey, and the rest is done for you.  Watch this 90-second overview and download an overview document to get started.
  5. Be a Case Study.  This is a great opportunity to showcase your leadership if you have you made concrete social or business gains with your volunteerism or pro bono efforts.  This case study series with the Points of Light Institute is perfect for those organizations who have reported on the social or business value of their program to corporate leadership, communicated impact to external stakeholders, or monitored program performance to guide future program design or investment decisions.  Share your story!  By filling out this short form you’ll be set up for a short interview and a one-page summary case study will be drafted for you.
  6. The Amazing Truth About Organic Food.  Take a quick read of this blog entry for some interesting thoughts around the organic food debate.  “There is a continuing and quite wrong assumption that agricultural systems need to be big to feed a growing world population.  But as it turns out, this is not the case.”  The blog sites some statistics from a recent study from Rodale Institute in Pennsylvania that compares organic food to conventional food. 
  7. GRI and ISO 26000: How to use the GRI Guidelines in conjunction with ISO 26000.  In 2011 GRI released a document on how to relate GRI to the ISO 26000 so that (GRI) reporters would have a practical set of tools to measure and report on their social responsibility policies and practices. With integrated reporting looming large, now is the time to understand ISO 26000 as it relates to your sustainability program, management systems and sustainability reporting.  Download this free white paper!
  8. LEEP-C Downloadable Analysis Tool.  ACEEE released a new user-oriented tool to assist local policymakers and stakeholders in advancing appropriate energy efficiency policies within their community. The Local Energy Efficiency Policy Calculator (LEEP-C) allows users to enter characteristics about their community, learn about and customize policy options, draw on a database of energy and economic data, and compare the estimated impacts of different policy choices across time. Outputs include energy savings, cost savings, pollution reduction, net jobs, and others. Currently the tool includes policies focused on two economic sectors: existing public buildings and existing residential buildings.  While LEEP-C is primarily designed to analyze local policy options, it is also applicable to issues of interest to state, regional, and national policymakers and stakeholders.
  9. UL 880: Sustainability for Manufacturing Organizations.  The publication of the first commercial version of the UL 880 is here, a response document has been created that describes and addresses the major thematic issues raised by stakeholders.  The UL 880 document is linked to this message for ease of reference, and is available to all other users for download at no cost from the UL website.

Interested in learning more about sustainability consulting or grabbing some great resources if you’re feeling a little stuck?  Sustainability is an ever-evolving field, and as sustainability consultants, we’re constantly learning new things.  Instead of keeping all of this knowledge to ourselves, we are always open to sharing!  From our webinars to our white papers and more, we hope you find what you’re looking for!

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