Tofu - when to hire an agency vs. in-house marketer, where's climate tech in anti-Black Friday movement, are climate marketers joining the Great Resignation, and more
When to Hire an In-House Marketer vs. a Marketing Agency vs. Freelancer(s)
A Framework for Solving the Marketing Hiring Puzzle in Climate Tech
Your climate tech company grows, in part, based on the success of your marketing. You know you need help with marketing but aren't sure whether to hire an agency to do the heavy lifting or hire an in-house employee or work with freelancers. We're sharing some strategic frameworks for thinking about the in-house vs. external debate. [read more]
Major sustainable brands join anti-Black Friday movement - where was climate tech?
Black Friday is an unabashed celebration of consumerism, and most consumer brands are still happy to profit from the hysteria. But consumers are becoming more aware that brands are largely responsible for perpetuating social and environmental woes, and 86 percent of consumers believe that businesses must do their part in solving environmental and social challenges.
As a result, more and more brands joined the likes of Patagonia and REI to forgo the most lucrative day in the shopping year, instead encouraging their customers to be more thoughtful with their purchasing — or even not shop with them at all. Sustainable Brands has a great overview of who did what over the holidays.
Here at Tofu HQ we were wondering if climate tech brands showed up in this movement. I spotted an op-ed on “Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the Climate Emergency” on LinkedIn published by Trevor Neilson, the Co-Founder Chairman and CEO of WasteFuel, a next-generation fuel company that develops low-carbon biofuels from waste.
Which other climate tech brands joined in the story? Let us know in the comments below.
What we’re reading…
While climate tech founders and CEOs might be wondering whether to hire in-house marketers, agencies or freelancers (see our article above), climate tech marketers might be considering going freelance as part of the Great Resignation. After all, jobs in the digital marketing field are among the world’s most lucrative and rewarding remote-based jobs. According to a survey from the remote-office platform, unremot, the top 10 top remote roles include content writers, social media managers, and UX designers.
Are you thinking of joining the Great Resignation for freelance work? This article in Psychology Today looks at the pros and cons.
Is the Great Resignation Driving You to Freelance? What to consider before you go it alone (via Psychology Today)
You can barely read news headlines these days without seeing something about the unprecedented Great Resignation. And with roughly 4.4 million U.S. workers quitting their jobs as of September 2021, an all-time high — many have decided on becoming independent contractors, at least for now. [Read more]
From the community
👋 Welcome new Tofus!
Thank you to everyone who’s subscribed, joined the Tofu Slack community, and shared this newsletter with their climate tech marketing friends!
Here’s a snapshot of some of our newest members - head over to #introductions on Slack, where you can say hi and learn more about them.
Gabriella: “I’m from Google- where I’ve been working in Marketing for the past 7.5 years. I’m currently a PMM for our Devices & Services team. At the moment, I’m on a pro-bono program helping out a climate start-up build a carbon accounting tool. Looking forward to connecting with you!”
Georgia Ritter: “I run portfolio & community at Pale Blue Dot - a climate fund based in Sweden. Always keen to meet new people working in climate - especially keen on learning from others on climate storytelling!”
Kyle Saukas: “I'm the Communications Manager for Climate Advisers. We're a for-profit/non-profit consulting agency that blends climate/energy/nature policy, analysis, economics research with the services of a PR Agency. Looking forward to learning, gaining more resources, and connecting with more of you.”
#general
👀 Amy shared these helpful PR reminders for entrepreneurs (and everyone else):
Avoid "off the record" (it's a last resort)
Prepare them for background conversations as if the reporter plans to publish a glowing feature article on them the following day
Background conversations can be great for building relationships and establishing how you and your colleagues/ acquaintances are future helpful sources - show your value
🐤 Mike from Canary Media is on the lookout for more stories on the intersection of climate/renewables and social media and the internet, for his Friday Social column. Add yours to the list!
❄️ Loni shared the results of a recent interview he concluded with the scientific director of Pleistocene Park, a nonprofit organization experimenting with re-wilding the Russian Arctic. Fascinating story!
📰 Jason is wondering if anyone has any experience working with the BizClik Media Group and their Sustainability Magazine? Provide your feedback in the chat.
#jobs
💼 Did you know that Tofu has a vibrant jobs channel featuring new jobs in climate tech marketing every day? Check it out for your next career move.
Want to feature your climate tech marketing job ad here and promote it to over 200 climate tech marketing experts? Get in touch with Bettina to chat more.