Gevo specializes in renewable energy, marketing low-carbon biofuels to fossil fuel-dependent industries. In order to convince industry leaders to invest in sustainability, Gevo has to develop top-notch messaging. Gevo isn’t alone in their fight, either. City Sustainability, Klarna, and Climeworks are a few of many companies implanting sustainable copy to take on climate change challenges. Here’s what marketers can learn from Gevo’s unpretentious, accessible web copy.
Gevo makes the case for renewable energy.
Gevo knows its audience. Its website appeals to knowledgeable professionals committed to investing in sustainability, but also to curious skeptics. Their website is educational and up to date, with an informative and respectful tone, and they back up their claims with detailed science along with relevant historical storytelling to make their case. Did you know that Henry Ford developed his cars to run on ethanol? This is just one of the historical and scientific tidbits that Gevo invokes to draw in late adopters and industry leaders.
Gevo also appeals to the economic benefits of energy independence, such as new business for farmers. The website is thorough and direct, providing comprehensive answers to every question that a prospective buyer might have, while seamlessly taking the visitor through their brand story.
Sustainability can be accessible.
In addition to providing comprehensive information, Gevo’s website is also highly intuitive. With simple navigation on their homepage and a robust list of product offerings, Gevo makes it easy for customers to find what they’re looking for. The conversion from high-carbon energy to biofuel is not a simple investment for many companies, and CEOs have busy schedules. Say an industry leader is skimming the Gevo website, looking for information about carbon neutral fuel. They can quickly and easily find the relevant information with an easy-to-read drop menu. Features like this make the website more approachable. Readers looking for basic information about renewable energy can find it, while other readers who are already highly knowledgeable on the topic can quickly navigate to more in-depth offerings on isobutylene and carbon sequestration.
Acknowledge the learning curve.
Gevo knows that they are on the forefront of a new industry, so they encourage their audience to check their website often. They consistently release new products and update their website as soon as those products are available. On the educational front, Gevo stays up to date with white papers and news releases. A big part of their brand is their ongoing research into new possibilities for renewable energy, and they make sure to convey that in every aspect of their web copy. As long as Gevo is making exciting new discoveries, their website will always be populated with processes, project updates, and, most importantly, results. Investors expect trustworthy and reliable solutions, and Gevo delivers consistently. This commitment to a steady flow of accessible information is a repeatable and sustainable strategy for other websites.
The hands-down largest transportation network in North America, the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) in New York serves over 15 million riders. When the MTA decided to modernize the fare payment system and launch OMNY (One Metro New York)—contactless “tap and go” riding, it encountered an obstacle: how to communicate several options across a ridiculously broad range of languages, reading levels, digital savvy, and more. NY-based web agency Reflexions, on deck to build the new OMNY website, tapped MarketSmiths to write the web copy, introducing New Yorkers to their future of transit: crisply and effectively. As of November, 2019, OMNY rollout has been a massive success, with 6,100 taps on day 1, widespread early adoption, and installation across 472 stations.
Invest in a brighter future.
Gevo’s strategy delivers a strong campaign message. They are revolutionizing energy by introducing a hopeful possibility for zero carbon emissions at a crucial time for both the market and the environment. The world needs sustainable alternatives to high-carbon energy, and Gevo is committed to development of renewable electricity and low-carbon fuels. They pride themselves on consistently updating their offerings for nearly every industry, encouraging their audience to stay on the lookout for whatever their next release will be.
Gevo is on a mission to make energy alternatives lucrative, and they’re incentivizing investors via consistent messaging. With initiatives like converting feedstock into jet fuel and enabling certain plastics to be made with more sustainable materials, Gevo has potential to become a multi-billion dollar business. Most recently, Gevo’s dairy-manure natural gas project has launched, expecting distributions of $9-16 million. As Gevo’s initiatives accelerate returns and compete with high-carbon energy, their hope is that more industry professionals will want to invest in renewable energy.
Energy should be green, but green writers can benefit from a seasoned team of experts. That’s where we come in. Contact the MarketSmiths team when you’re ready for a sustainable refresh of your website.
