Client: Biffa
Landing page 1 of Google and national backlinks to aid Biffa’s sustainability mission
Known for its iconic red bins, how could we ‘refuse’ working with Biffa? Wheeling away our waste is just the start — they also sort it to help lower the UK’s carbon footprint. We learnt that ‘recycling’ is one of many waste solutions (and ‘Rs’ — there’s also reduce, reuse and recovery), then rolled up our sleeves to educate SMEs on how to be more sustainable.
Our brief was to boost Biffa’s search visibility amongst this audience. The key (for us) is starting with an on-site asset, informed by what people are Googling and ‘irresistibly linkable’ to journalists. Get it right, and you’ve got a spot-on findability PR campaign.
Leveraging the brand’s experts & data
Search insights revealed mass confusion over what the recycling symbols on packaging *actually* mean — we’re talking the triangle with the number in it — and that there was low awareness that not all plastics are recyclable. What’s the result? We’re all popping rubbish in the wrong bins, leading to contamination. You won’t catch us putting a greasy pizza box in with recycling again...
We interviewed Biffa’s gurus in plastics and packaging to build out and optimise two guides, while our Creative team sorted shit-hot visuals.
Psst, brands — never underestimate the power of your own data. Biffa had years’ worth of waste insights at its *ahem* disposal, so a sustainability whizz tracked back to 2017 to find that nearly a fifth of the UK’s recycling can’t be recycled and, bam, we had our news hook. Plus, education was only a click away on Biffa’s website, supporting our ‘findability’ goal.
National & niche media appeal
We pitched around Recycling Week and, before we knew it, The Telegraph requested an interview. Mail Online linked across to both guides. We landed backlinks on SME sector-specific URDs, from waste and sustainability site Circular to manufacturer-focussed title Packaging News, all with relevant decision-making audiences.
Page one of Google with category leaders
Our guides have since attracted 713 users. Our symbol-centric asset propelled Biffa to page 1 (position 7) for ‘recycling symbols explained’ (in good company with eco heavyweights Recycle Now and WRAP) which has been viewed 247 times. ‘Seven types of plastic’ has seen 466 hits! It’s all thanks to our optimisation efforts and 40 backlinks from media.
