Maximize your Sustainability/ESG Report Content: 6 Ideas to Use Today
Your Sustainability/ESG Report has been released into the world. Now what?
Publishing your Sustainability/ESG report is a massive achievement. Reports take a long time to create, require participation across multiple teams, and typically require a hefty resource investment. With all the time, energy, and resources spent on a Sustainability/ESG Report, here’s how you can leverage and amplify the trove of rich content within your report beyond publishing day:
1. Bring ESG/Sustainability into your website
There is likely a section or page on your website dedicated to sharing your Sustainability/ESG report, but if you don’t have one, this is a great place to start. Then, have a fresh look at your website content architecture and determine what content from your report can be repurposed on your site and where. There may even be an opportunity to create a permanent home for more evergreen information to lighten the load of your report. You’ve developed great stories for the report, feature them as articles. Create a content plan that leverages your report’s information by disseminating the content as a series across multiple articles or pages. More about your digital hub options.
2. Add an ESG feature or campaign to email
Email is a natural extension of your website (and drives visitors there). If you are already creating email newsletters, include the latest and greatest from your Sustainability/ESG report. Leverage the email distribution channels you already have (customer newsletters, investor updates, supplier emails) to feature the great content you’ve created. This is an opportunity to focus. Break up the content to feature the most relevant stories, facts, and data for each audience.
3. Create a social campaign
Cull information from your report to engage audiences on social platforms your brand is already on. With your information, create a campaign that helps further the conversation around your initiatives. Share your report’s key highlights, infographics, or snippets; use assets generated for the report or produce short videos that tell the stories — whether it be social, governance, or environmental-related achievements or contributions; or spotlight an employee, charity partner, or community member mentioned in (and vetted for) the report.
4. Add ESG wins to your employee communications
Engaging employees in your ESG efforts can foster a culture of sustainability and encourage employee advocacy. Promote your report and its content to your employees through internal newsletters, intranet, and town hall meetings. Your report should be considered a recruiting tool. Work with your human resources department and hiring managers to identify which content featured in your report may be attractive to talent, then work with those teams to incorporate compelling stories into their recruitment tools. More ideas to engage your employees in your sustainability efforts.
5. Pitch sustainability-focused thought leadership content
Create pitch-worthy articles and white papers that discuss your ESG initiatives and findings from your report. These pieces of content can be published on your website, shared on social media, or distributed to relevant industry publications. This can be especially effective if senior leaders are spearheading initiatives and are authentic voices on these topics.
6. Showcase your ESG work in events and presentations
Leverage industry events, conferences, seminars, and sustainability-focused platforms to showcase your ESG report or learnings from your report and amplify your reach. Depending on the event, have relevant SMEs (subject matter experts) participate as speakers, panelists, or sponsors, and use these platforms to highlight your company’s sustainability initiatives, wins and learnings, while engaging with stakeholders. Offer slides to the sales or customer service or investor relations teams to showcase ESG efforts at a high level so they can easily incorporate them into existing presentations.
The Takeaway
By using one or all these tips, you’ll have a multi-channel approach to make the most of the content from your Sustainability/ESG report. You can amplify your messages, make more of your investment, and reach and engage a larger audience. Don’t think of your report as “one and done,” see it as a tremendous resource to be mined for content for months to come.
Get guidance: How Ideas On Purpose can help
If you find yourself struggling to see how your company can bring its sustainability narrative to life, consider engaging an expert. Check out the award-winning and stakeholder-pleasing sustainability reports and communications IOP has created — and email us to get in touch if you need help with yours.