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Building Green in a Black and White World--Chapter 1

The following is an exerpt from the book Building Green in a Black and White World.
Section 1; Chapter 1; Part 4; Marketing Suggestions Based on Current Consumer Behavior

David Ritchey Johnston
January 1, 1900
HousingZone

Marketing Suggestions Based on Current Consumer Behavior

The surveys in this chapter highlight several points in terms of marketing green building. First, identify your target market. Are they "true-blues," "greenback greens," or "sprouts?" The more competitive your price and the more you can showcase quality, the broader your target market can be. When you market your homes emphasize the benefits to the homeowner of incorporating green features. If green homes are not as easy to purchase as conventional homes, buying behavior drops considerably, despite consumers’ inclinations to buy green.

Second, make information clear and readily available. Because most consumers simply are not knowledgeable about green buildings, they might not realize they could have a green home unless you tell them what green involves and show them the benefits. Consumers are confused as they make decisions about which products are better for the environment, such as choosing paper or plastic bags at the grocery store. You have an opportunity to clarify their options and to help them make environmentally sound decisions. Again, remember that information and the whole story behind the products you use and how they improve the home are vital to Cultural Creatives. You can’t give a Creative too much information about what you have built into their home and why.

Caroline Hoyt, Owner
Tom Hoyt, Owner
Kristin Shewfelt, Director of Market Research & Environmental Programs
McStain Enterprises, Inc., Boulder, CO
(303) 494-5900

McStain was founded thirty-two years ago by architectural designers, Tom and Caroline Hoyt. Since they built their environmental research house in 1994, McStain has been striving to increase the environmental sustainability of the 300-400 homes they build each year. The Hoyts and Shewfelt have all been named to the Denver Metro Built Green Hall of Fame. Additionally, McStain received seven awards in Boulder’s Fall Tour of Homes (1998), including three awards for Best Use of Environmental Products.

Third, know your selling points. Since homeowners are most interested in indoor air quality (IAQ) and energy efficiency, information should lay out the health implications of poor IAQ and what you have done to alleviate these problems. The benefits of energy efficiency should highlight increased comfort and long term savings, supported by quantifiable data. This benefit-based sales approach also allows you to sell other features such as resource efficiency and water conservation.

Environmental issues and consumer concern about the environment are creating a strong market for green building. Green building translates into a quality of life improvement for many consumers. Your responsibility is to give consumers clear examples of how your homes provide them the opportunity to make the environmentally sound choices they want to make.

Tom Hoyt says, "What’s going to make you the leader? We think it’s this ability to meet people’s needs on more than just a physical level. Purchasing a green home makes homebuyers feel like they are a part of the whole environmental movement. Not only are they saving money, they are making a decision for the long term. Three homeowners down the road may receive the benefit as well as the original owner. In every national survey you see, environmental consciousness is extremely high in the buying public. What isn’t high is any sense of what exactly they can do for the environment. Green building provides the answer."

Continue to Conducting Your Own Market Research

Would you like to purchase this book?

Building Green in a Black and White World
by David Robert Johnston

Also See:

I.Building Green Introduction

II.Knowing Your Market

IV.Marketing Suggestions Based on Current Consumer Behavior

V.Conducting Your Own Market Research

VI.Conclusion

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