In Australia and NZ there are over 4000 searches every month for green/eco products.

But what are some of the trends online for the environment sector? and how can online research help you direct your next pr and marketing campaign? Below are just a few ideas in this sector.

Organic SEO

Green Search Engines such as greenmaven.com are becoming popular internationally (as the green/eco movement grows the need for a streamlined search arises). Implications? you need to have better organic search engine optimisation if you are going to rank well in this highly competitive environment.

 

Ever considered submitting your organisation to a Green Directory? In Australia there are a variety of directories relevant to the eco market. For example try www.thegreendirectory.com.au Directories rank well due to their high volume of links.

The Killer App - To drive traffic to your site you need the killer app. Banks have the home loan calculator and employment sites have the pay-rise calculator. Environmental goods suppliers could have an ecological footprint calculator that links you directly to their online shop (to purchase energy saving bulbs etc)

Keyword Research Ensure you have done your keyword research before creating any new online content. It is important to know what people are searching for.

Social Media

While Facebook and MySpace are well used social networks in Australia currently there is very little presence by environmental groups or eco suppliers indicating an opportunity.

Creating pages on these networks would encourage connectivity with like-minded eco friends and the page could offer unique offers such as product discounts and events.

In addition, the pages could give users the ability to rate products and suggest future products (E-Consultancy's Social Commere Report 2007 reported that online retailers are increasingly tapping into UGC - user generated content as a way of increasing sales and improving customer satisfaction)

In Australia, there is very little eco/green blogging indicating that there may be an opportunity to take a leadership/authority position in this area.

Interested in best practice green websites? look no further than the international http://www.treehugger.com/. The site is structured into three areas Education, Interact and Take Action - two way communications is key to this sites appeal and important if you are creating a community not a customer.

Finally ensure that you are monitoring the digital space. You need to know what people are saying about you and your products before any campaign begins.

Before planning an online pr campaign it is important to spend considerable time researching the online landscape first to find the opportunities that are right for you.