This post first appeared in Anthony Bullick’s Daily Post column.
With a business’ environmental, social, and governance (ESG) activities influencing consumers like never before, companies that communicate their efforts transparently will achieve success in the short and long term.
ESG, traditionally the focus of investors, is increasingly playing an important role in people’s decision-making linked to recruitment and sales, which fundamentally affects the sustainability of the business model.
Your stakeholders have expectations of you as a brand; failure to meet those can lead to reputational risk.
Entrusting your PR team with the latest senior management thinking on ESG will prove crucial, with clear and strategic communication leading to more positive outcomes.
Firstly, be open with your PR department about your organisation’s ESG weaknesses and opportunities. It will allow them to update and tweak their comms strategy to ensure the best possible key messages are told.
Two-way communication, such as focus groups and surveys, will allow for honest conversations between you and your internal and external stakeholders to understand their viewpoints as well as build trust.
Educational messaging, particularly aimed at employees and subcontractors, will help drive awareness and knowledge of ESG and the steps they can take as individuals as well as part of their department to support the company with its goals.
Bringing staff on the journey and demonstrating you are listening to their concerns and thoughts will also develop them into brand advocates, which could be your biggest ally if they are needed.
Your PR team will also map internal ESG threats against stakeholder concerns to spot issues at the earliest possible opportunity and put a plan in place to mitigate risk.
Take an integrated approach to telling your business’ story to reach as wide an audience as possible to raise awareness and enhance your reputation.
Share relevant news with the media so that independent, trusted third-party outlets cover it as editorial to add credibility.
Utilise your own channels effectively, as potential job applicants and clients will likely complete desktop research ahead of engaging with you. Is your ESG information easy to find? Is it told in multiple formats such as copy, video, and visuals, to appeal to more people?
Throughout all communication, ensure all stories are factual and honest to avoid allegations of greenwashing, which brings further reputational risk.
When it comes to measurement and evaluation, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Tailor reporting and metrics to your own organisation’s objectives with a detailed and comprehensive framework by reviewing and researching valuable and common KPIs.