• by Maryanne Conlin , September 18, 2013

Getting ready for my program at ExpoEast next week, I’ve been thinking more about marketing natural brands. Placement in Whole Foods has been the Holy Grail for growing natural brands for years. However, as the industry matures, more sustainable brands seek to expand beyond the natural foods consumer to reach the vast majority of shoppers – mainstream moms.

This 66% of consumers believes that environmental concerns are important, but they haven’t incorporated it into their everyday lives. Sadly but importantly for green brands, they also haven’t let it influence their purchase decisions. 

This has caused endless frustration for natural brands making greater efforts to communicate their message to mainstream moms, via packaging, ads, social media and an ongoing array of marketing programs. The good news is the message is getting through. The bad news is it isn’t resonating.

If you’re marketing green, organic or natural brands, these three tips will help you talk to mainstream moms and make sure that they not only hear, but more importantly, listen.

• Address Their Needs – Mainstream moms look for natural products for specific reasons that may not be the same as your core green consumers! Moms’ number one concern is health – think saving ourselves, not saving the planet. 

• Speak in Their Language – To be relevant to mainstream moms, who really are interested in how to live healthier lives, focus on your product’s benefits. While your core consumer already knows how organic farming methods and sustainable manufacturing make products better, the mainstream consumer may only have a vague idea. Educate without lecturing, and use relevant examples for the life most moms lead.

• Join Their Communities – Sure, you’d like to hang out with the deep greens. That’s where natural brands feel most comfortable. Reaching out to mainstream moms, though, means engaging with them on the platforms and in the groups where they congregate. Not a homogenous group, many semi-crunchy moms will be happy to become brand advocates and share content about your product.

If you’ve created a sustainable brand, chances are you are a green (most likely deep green) consumer yourself. Most mainstream moms are not. Recognizing this fact and reaching out with a brand message that resonates with their needs and their lifestyle may mean turning your current thinking upside down, but should only send your sales in one direction -- up.