Newsletter
| January 2008 Using 3rd party Labels And Logos In Your Marketing Plan Are you recognized for your quality products or stellar service? Saying your products or services are high quality, green or socially responsible is one thing, proving it is another. Third party labels provide that proof and can speak volumes to your audience. Having a visual reference point like a label can quickly help potential customers decided to look closer at your products or services. 3rd party assurance  Labels and logos from third party organizations help assure consumers that they're getting a safe and reliable product. Organizations like the Better Business Bureau or Underwriters Laboratories (UL) approve or accredit products or services with their label. Although these two organizations qualify completely different things, they're a good representation of the breadth of advocacy in the market place. Of course there is no one label that provides ratings and accreditation for everything. So it's important to understand what an organization endorses, and whether the label is useful to your business by speaking to your customers. Green business has its labels too Like the organizations mentioned earlier, these organizations help consumers understand which products are environmentally responsible and/or socially responsible: • The Forest Stewardship Council promotes responsible stewardship of the world’s forests • Greenseal supports environmentally responsible products and services • Energy Star provides information on the energy efficiency of products and rates them for consumers  Labels provided by organizations require that the businesses seeking their seal of approval meet specific criteria. Businesses must be approved by the organization in order to acquire the endorsement and label. Otherwise, the label itself would have no meaning or usefulness to consumers. Organizations that offer these labels have high standards that the product or service must meet.If you're unsure about the organization offering the endorsement, look at the transparency of the organization and its process of vetting candidate businesses. One way to find this out is to look for the requirements of the organization posted on the organization's web site. Do your customers know the label? Knowing the labels and logos of third party organizations that your audience knows and understands is very important to your marketing plan. If there is no recognition by your customers toward a third party logo, the endorsement from them may not be reaching your customers. Make sure to research the value a particular label holds with your customers. Know what the labels mean and what they mean to your audience. Having that independent endorsement may help your customer make the decision to buy from you instead of your competitors. Well yes, we've been labeled... Pylon Studios is a San Francisco Green Business and a member of the Co-op America Business Network. We went through a series of audits for the Green Business Program by the city of San Francisco Department of the Environment and Co-op America. The Green Business Program is a voluntary program that encourages businesses to take proactive actions that are good for their bottomline and the environment. The mission of the San Francisco Department of the Environment is to improve, enhance, and preserve the environment and promote San Francisco's long-term environmental sustainability. Co-op America's mission is to harness economic power—the strength of consumers, investors, businesses, and the marketplace—to create a socially just and environmentally sustainable society. Back to the Newsletter page Sign up to get your copy of the Pylon Page |
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