Fostering Sustainable Behavior

1. Community-based social marketing: A powerful approach to fostering sustainable behavior

Community-based social marketing draws heavily on research in social psychology, which indicates that initiatives to promote behavior change are often most effective when they are carried out at the community level and involve direct contact with people.

Evidence-based approach. Community-based social marketing (CBSM) is a pragmatic, research-driven method for promoting sustainable behaviors. Unlike traditional information-based campaigns, CBSM focuses on identifying and overcoming specific barriers to desired actions while enhancing the perceived benefits.

Five key steps. The CBSM process involves:

1. Selecting behaviors with the highest potential impact
2. Identifying barriers and benefits to those behaviors
3. Developing strategies using behavior change tools
4. Piloting the strategies
5. Broad-scale implementation and evaluation

By following this systematic approach, organizations can create more effective programs that lead to measurable changes in behavior and meaningful progress toward sustainability goals.

2. Selecting behaviors: Focus on high-impact, probable, and under-adopted actions

To determine which behaviors to promote, begin by creating a list of residential energy efficiency behaviors.

Prioritize effectively. Not all sustainable behaviors are equally impactful or achievable. To maximize program effectiveness, focus on actions that:

• Have a high potential impact on the issue (e.g., significant energy savings)
• Are likely to be adopted by the target audience
• Have low current adoption rates in the community

Use data to guide decisions. Gather information on:

• Relative impact of different behaviors (e.g., energy saved per action)
• Current adoption rates in the community
• Likelihood of adoption based on surveys or past program results

By selecting behaviors strategically, organizations can concentrate resources on actions that will yield the greatest environmental benefits and have the highest chances of success.

3. Identifying barriers and benefits: The foundation of effective behavior change strategies

To create an effective community-based social marketing strategy, you must be able to sort through the competing theories. In doing this, you will discover the actual barriers that inhibit individuals from engaging in the activity, as well as what would motivate them to act.

Research is crucial. Effective strategies are built on a thorough understanding of why people do or don't engage in specific behaviors. This requires moving beyond assumptions and gathering real data.

Methods for uncovering barriers and benefits:

1. Literature review of existing research
2. Observations of people engaging (or not) in the target behavior
3. Focus groups to explore attitudes and experiences in-depth
4. Surveys to quantify barriers and benefits across a larger sample

By identifying the most significant barriers (e.g., lack of knowledge, inconvenience, social disapproval) and benefits (e.g., cost savings, environmental impact, social recognition), programs can be tailored to address the specific factors influencing behavior in the target community.

4. Developing strategies: Utilize proven tools to overcome barriers and enhance benefits

To design an effective strategy, select tools that are tailored to the barriers and benefits you identify.

Targeted approach. Once barriers and benefits are identified, select behavior change tools that directly address them. Common tools include:

• Commitment: Getting people to pledge to take action
• Social norms: Showing that others are engaging in the behavior
• Prompts: Reminding people to act at the right time and place
• Communication: Crafting persuasive messages
• Incentives: Providing rewards or disincentives
• Convenience: Making the desired behavior easier to do

Combine tools for greater impact. Often, the most effective strategies use multiple tools in combination to address different aspects of behavior change.

Test and refine. Before full implementation, use focus groups to get feedback on proposed strategies and conduct small-scale pilots to measure effectiveness and make improvements.

5. Commitment: Harnessing the power of consistency to drive action

When individuals agree to a small request, it often alters the way they perceive themselves.

Psychological power. Commitments tap into people's desire to be consistent with their words and actions. Once someone agrees to do something, they're more likely to follow through to maintain their self-image and avoid cognitive dissonance.

Effective commitment strategies:

• Ask for written commitments (more effective than verbal)
• Make commitments public when possible
• Start with small requests before asking for larger commitments
• Use existing points of contact (e.g., when delivering a service)
• Combine with other tools like prompts or social norms

Real-world example: In a study on reducing engine idling, drivers who made a commitment and displayed a window sticker reduced idling time by 32% and duration by 73%.

6. Social norms: Leveraging the influence of others to promote sustainable behaviors

We each have hunches about why people engage in activities such as walking to work, recycling or composting.

Power of social influence. People are strongly influenced by what they perceive others to be doing. By making sustainable behaviors more visible and demonstrating that they are common and approved of, we can encourage wider adoption.

Types of social norms:

• Descriptive norms: What people actually do
• Injunctive norms: What people approve or disapprove of

Strategies for using social norms:

• Make sustainable behaviors visible (e.g., recycling bins on streets)
• Highlight positive behaviors rather than negative ones
• Use credible messengers from within the community
• Provide specific, local information about adoption rates
• Combine with other tools like commitment or communication

Caution: Be careful not to inadvertently promote undesirable behaviors by highlighting their prevalence.

7. Social diffusion: Accelerating behavior change through social networks

Both the mundane and important decisions of our lives are strongly affected by a process known as social diffusion or diffusion of innovations.

Leveraging social connections. People are more likely to adopt new behaviors when they see others they know and trust doing so. By strategically targeting influential individuals or groups, behavior change can spread more rapidly through social networks.

Factors influencing adoption:

• Relative advantage: Is the new behavior clearly better?
• Compatibility: Does it fit with existing values and practices?
• Complexity: Is it easy to understand and do?
• Trialability: Can people try it before committing?
• Observability: Are the benefits visible to others?

Strategies for promoting diffusion:

• Identify and engage early adopters
• Make sustainable behaviors more visible in the community
• Encourage people to talk about their experiences
• Use testimonials and case studies in communication
• Create opportunities for peer-to-peer learning and support

8. Prompts: Effective reminders to bridge the gap between intention and action

The purpose of a prompt is not to change attitudes or increase motivation, but simply to remind us to engage in an action that we are already predisposed to do.

Memory aid. Prompts are visual or auditory cues that remind people to perform a desired behavior at the right time and place. They're especially useful for actions people intend to do but often forget.

Characteristics of effective prompts:

• Noticeable: Stand out from the environment
• Self-explanatory: Clear and concise instructions
• Proximate: Placed close to where the action occurs
• Encouraging: Focus on positive actions

Examples:

• Signs near light switches to remind people to turn them off
• Stickers on recycling bins showing what can be recycled
• Smartphone apps with location-based reminders for sustainable actions

By strategically placing prompts, organizations can help bridge the gap between people's good intentions and their actual behaviors.

9. Communication: Crafting persuasive messages that resonate and inspire

All persuasion begins with capturing attention. Without attention, persuasion is impossible.

Beyond information. Effective communication for behavior change goes beyond simply providing facts. It requires carefully crafted messages that capture attention, resonate emotionally, and motivate action.

Key principles for persuasive communication:

• Use vivid, concrete, and personalized information
• Know your audience and tailor messages accordingly
• Utilize credible and trusted sources
• Frame messages to emphasize losses from inaction
• Make instructions clear and specific
• Provide personal or community goals
• Model desired behaviors
• Offer feedback on the impact of actions

Multiple channels. Utilize a mix of communication methods, including:

• Face-to-face interactions
• Traditional media (print, radio, TV)
• Social media and digital platforms
• Community events and demonstrations

Remember that personal contact and word-of-mouth are often the most influential forms of communication for behavior change.

10. Incentives: Motivating sustainable choices through rewards and disincentives

Incentives can be an important component of a community-based social marketing strategy, particularly when motivation to engage in a behavior is low.

Strategic motivation. Financial incentives can be powerful tools for encouraging sustainable behaviors, especially when other motivations are lacking. However, they must be carefully designed to be effective and avoid unintended consequences.

Guidelines for using incentives:

• Ensure the size is sufficient to motivate action
• Closely pair the incentive with the desired behavior
• Make incentives visible and well-publicized
• Use positive reinforcement rather than punishment when possible
• Be cautious about removing incentives once introduced
• Anticipate and plan for attempts to game the system

Examples:

• Bottle deposits to encourage recycling
• Rebates for energy-efficient appliances
• Increased parking fees to discourage single-occupancy vehicle use

While incentives can be effective, they should generally be combined with other behavior change tools for maximum impact and long-term sustainability.

11. Convenience: Removing external barriers to make sustainable behaviors easier

If the behavior is unpleasant or time-consuming, for example, no matter how well you address internal barriers your community-based social marketing strategy will be unsuccessful.

Ease of action. Even when people are motivated to act sustainably, external barriers like inconvenience or lack of infrastructure can prevent them from doing so. Making sustainable behaviors more convenient is often crucial for widespread adoption.

Strategies for increasing convenience:

• Provide necessary equipment or infrastructure (e.g., recycling bins)
• Simplify processes and reduce required steps
• Improve accessibility of sustainable options
• Address safety concerns or other practical obstacles
• Make unsustainable behaviors less convenient when appropriate

Example: Curbside recycling programs dramatically increase participation compared to drop-off centers by making recycling more convenient for households.

Remember that perceived convenience can change over time as people gain experience with new behaviors. Initial support and education may be needed to help people overcome the learning curve for some sustainable practices.

12. Piloting and evaluation: Refining strategies for maximum impact and cost-effectiveness

The point of a pilot is to identify and address problems before launching a campaign throughout the community.

Test and learn. Piloting allows organizations to test strategies on a small scale, identify potential issues, and refine approaches before committing resources to full implementation. This increases the likelihood of success and cost-effectiveness.

Key principles for effective piloting:

• Use a control group for comparison
• Randomly assign participants to groups
• Focus on measuring actual behavior change, not just attitudes
• Calculate return on investment
• Be prepared to revise and re-test until effective

Ongoing evaluation. Even after full implementation, continue to evaluate program effectiveness:

• Collect baseline data before launch
• Monitor both short-term and long-term impacts
• Use multiple data sources when possible (e.g., surveys, observations, utility records)
• Share results to build support and contribute to the field

By embracing a culture of continuous improvement through piloting and evaluation, organizations can develop increasingly effective strategies for fostering sustainable behaviors over time.

Last updated: May 1, 2025