Small Business Marketing Blog from Duct Tape Marketing

Sometimes we assume that buying local costs more. Even though Walmart and other big box retailers may charge a bit less for an item, how much of that money is going back into the local community? Some goes to local employees, of course, but a big chunk goes to corporate headquarters and to China. Less money is available to come back to you and your business. So I've started asking my clients to spend their upcoming "economic stimulus rebate" (or whatever that one-time check from the US Treasury is called) with local businesses.

Worse yet, in my opinion, is small business "green washing." I've increasingly seen small businesses I deal with promote themselves as green because they buy carbon offset credits, or what have you. Yet their business practices themselves are often unethical, such as in the way they force employees into unpaid overtime. Being "Earth friendly" takes more than writing a check to a nonprofit organization.

Well, lovely, according to your checklist, the company I work for employs pretty "earth-friendly" practices.. Lights off: check
Computers off at night: check
technology eliminating cross town meetings: Where possible, check.
We, however, don't ride bikes to work, most of us would be in transit for several hours if we did that..

I like to buy locally because if there is a question or problem, the person is right there; not continents away. This amounts to an incredible saving in my energy as well as cash.

I like to buy locally when we can because that person supports the infrastructure of the community right along with me. If the product is local, often delivery is easier and less expensive.

I've wondered about that buy local thing. Sure, but realize that whether you buy from Amazon or the local store, it still got shipped to you from the same (possibly overseas) location to your place of business. If you buy from the online retailer, it made the last mile in a UPS, FedEx or USPS truck, while from the local brick and mortar retailer, it probably made that last mile in your private car. Which do you suppose is more efficient? Hint: it's not the private car, since the truck is delivering (and likely picking up) from you and your neighbors as well.

Buying local is not necessarily a good idea from an environmental perspective. a good article on why.

I love your emphasis on buying locally. I have three home businesses, and whenever possible, I try to purchase from local vendors for my business needs. I live in a very congested part of California and one of the things I wish I could buy locally is fresh food. Funny thing, during the winter, one of the best tasting oranges I've ever had I purchased at my local Safeway and it had come from Australia! Not very local at all.

Simon Smith is on target. One of our clients is The Hitachi Foundation, a leader in the corporate citizenship field. Their work has shown that there's a real difference between what companies say and do when it comes to this stuff -- big and small companies alike. I've learned, when it comes to my company, just do the good stuff (with very little promotion). It's made us a better place to work and therefore we do better work.

Along with buying locally you often get a great experience. Like checking out the local farmers market. When charities call and ask for clothing donations it's a great way to clear clutter but also to recycle! Happy Earth Day!

Conflicting priorities? Sometimes what's good for the local economy is not necessarily what's best for the environment. Different folks will prioritize that in different ways, and even the same person will make different decisions in different situations. As for me, even though I'm a conservationist, occasionally an environmentalist, I'll usually choose community (people) over environment (things). Yes, I understand that the environment is a crucial component of what allows people to live good lives. Yet I still do whatever I can to promote my local community and its economy.

This is so true. We try to find customers and vendors from our local area. Another benefit of buying and selling locally is that there is less of a fear of being scammed from across the country. Not saying that its not possible but if you meet with a customer in person, you assuage their fears a bit.

Hi John,

As a marketer I have recently started to look very differently and I think much more profoundly about the whole green / sustainability issue. Unfortunately I have come to the conclusion that until now marketing has been very much a driver of creating the unsustainable world we now live in. Marketing can be seen as pernicious in that it drives consumerism and creates demand for the 'newest' and 'latest' which fuels our disposable life style - how many people have recently thrown away a perfectly servicable mobile phone because they want the latest version? I think our challenge is now to become part of the solution rather than part of the problem. The things you suggest - like promoting buying local - may have a role to play in this but I believe that we need to think far more radically than this. We should be encouraging product design that looks at longevity rather than building in redundancy, we should be looking at how recyclable or upgradable products are and re-educating consumers to the need to be sustainable. It is a huge challenge but without wishing to sound too profound - it is a challenge that if we don't take on we won't have a world to be consumers in any more. See more of our arguments on this subject on our blog - http://www.blog.totalmarketingsolutions.co.uk/

Small business can actually be more environmentally friendly if that is the way they are in life. At our office we do it all but that is because as an office the environment is important to us. Small business make their own choices and can make them immediately, as oppose to big business whom have committees involved in the process. Again I think its about the owners of the business that make these decisions.

wow...If this is a test, I have failed. I need to pay a little more attention to this.