Keep it real
How to market and communicate your green credentials.

VisitBritain/Matt Cant
What do you mean, keep it real?
If you’re already working hard to be more sustainable, it’s time to find how to make your customers know about it - and enjoy it.
Keeping it real is all about recognising that authenticity makes your customers’ holidays and days out more fun and their business trips more pleasant.
Businesses like yours across England are changing to be more sustainable but are too shy to tell their customers, for fear it’s not relevant or will be misunderstood. Some of you have public recognition in awards and certification but still struggle to know how this can be used to best effect.
Who is this guide for?
This guide is intended for all those businesses that behave sustainably, but struggle to know how to turn their efforts into real commercial advantage.
The information will help you to improve how you communicate your green credentials and explain how to use them as a key marketing tool:
- to attract new customers,
- to tempt them with more interesting products,
- to persuade them to behave more responsibly, and
- to encourage them to spread the word and return.

VisitBritain/Rod Edwards
Who do I tell?
Who will appreciate knowing you are working to be sustainable and create a sense of place?

VisitBritain/Stephen Spraggon
Why do I tell?
Why is it important to your business to communicate openly about your green credentials?

VisitBritain/Sam Barker
What do I tell?
What impression do you want to create with your sustainability text and images?

VisitBritain/Tomo Brejc
Where do I tell?
Where can you integrate sustainability to communicate quality?

VisitBritain/Andrew Pickett
When do I tell?
What information works best at different points in the customer journey?