For businesses, being socially responsible is increasingly important in the contemporary digital marketplace. While we should probably all be striving to be more ethical in our business practices, the benefits of such an approach extend beyond philanthropy.
Regardless of the scale of your enterprise – or the industry you operate within – social responsibility is also an effective marketing tool.
Within the digital marketplace, brand image is now vital as companies scrap for attention in a saturated landscape. The rise of SEO as an industry is evidence of the new-found significance of reputation online.
Resultantly, marketing strategies are becoming increasingly diverse, and promoting socially responsible business practice is an effective way to improve a company’s reputation. So how do some of the world’s leading companies use social responsibility as a marketing technique?
An effective approach to building a company’s reputation is to work with specific communities. As opposed to closing your eyes and picking a cause at random, an effective approach is one that is relevant to your interests.
Community work, ultimately, should begin at home and be relevant to either business or personal beliefs. The tech giants Microsoft offer an excellent example of this approach.
In addition to their day-to-day business, the U.S firm operates a charity arm of the business, raising around 1 billion dollars a year for various charities and non-profit organizations. In addition to this work, Microsoft also engages directly with disadvantaged communities by providing local education programs across the country.
Microsoft encourages its employees to volunteer at various local schools, where they teach computer science to students. Through this initiative, the company aims to help young students towards a viable career path, while also tackling the shortage of IT professionals in the US.
The company’s socially responsible practice has considerably softened Microsoft’s edge, and despite being one of the largest enterprises in the world, the company is renowned for their ethical practice.
While their reputation alone is not the sole reason for their position in the marketplace, Microsoft’s ongoing dedication to ethical practice certainly helps them stay on top in the increasingly competitive tech industry.
For other businesses, social responsibility comes in the form of conservation and environmentalism by involving themselves within a specific movement or cause, or shining a light on previously unethical practice within their field.
This approach to ethical practice is extremely good for PR as it demonstrates a commitment to change, and to protecting the environment, showing both compassion and awareness.
YOOX, the international fashion retailer, is one such example of this type of practice, having launched their Yoox Loves the Reef initiative earlier this year.
Partnering with the Great Barrier Reef Foundation and the Australian brand We Are Handsome, this initiative promotes conservation of the Great Barrier Reef, which has declined by 50% between 1985 and 2012, in part due to climate change.
Particularly within the fashion industry, which has a reputation for problematic ethical and environmental practice in the past, YOOX’s focus on conservation is an excellent strategy.
As well as raising both awareness and money of a specific cause, YOOX is aligning themselves with the ethical fashion movement, and demonstrating their commitment to better practice.
For companies who have previously received criticism, committing to socially responsible business is a wise PR move. A devotion to good ethics demonstrates a self-awareness and understanding of the problems within your practice, and a devotion to changing this perception.
Starbucks, who have previously been criticized for struggling to reduce their environmental impact, have successfully changed their image in the public eye.
The company has focused on promoting recycling by introducing recyclable cups, as well as offering discounts to customers who bring their own cups, and even giving coffee grounds away for composting.
This dedication to social responsibility has allowed Starbucks to change the narrative, giving them a better, more ethical public image.
The above examples, of businesses using social responsibility as a marketing technique demonstrates the range of approaches to this strategy. In terms of quantifiable results though, how does this approach affect brand loyalty?
The data company Nielsen spoke to 30,000 global consumers, and found that 55% will pay extra for products and services from companies committed to positive social and environmental business. Additionally, 52% made at least one purchase from a socially responsible company in the past six months.
These figures demonstrate the growing returns of investing time and money into social responsibility as an increasingly viable and worthwhile marketing technique.
Original: SociableBlog
Regardless of the scale of your enterprise – or the industry you operate within – social responsibility is also an effective marketing tool.
Within the digital marketplace, brand image is now vital as companies scrap for attention in a saturated landscape. The rise of SEO as an industry is evidence of the new-found significance of reputation online.
Resultantly, marketing strategies are becoming increasingly diverse, and promoting socially responsible business practice is an effective way to improve a company’s reputation. So how do some of the world’s leading companies use social responsibility as a marketing technique?
Working with specific communities
An effective approach to building a company’s reputation is to work with specific communities. As opposed to closing your eyes and picking a cause at random, an effective approach is one that is relevant to your interests.
Community work, ultimately, should begin at home and be relevant to either business or personal beliefs. The tech giants Microsoft offer an excellent example of this approach.
In addition to their day-to-day business, the U.S firm operates a charity arm of the business, raising around 1 billion dollars a year for various charities and non-profit organizations. In addition to this work, Microsoft also engages directly with disadvantaged communities by providing local education programs across the country.
Microsoft encourages its employees to volunteer at various local schools, where they teach computer science to students. Through this initiative, the company aims to help young students towards a viable career path, while also tackling the shortage of IT professionals in the US.
The company’s socially responsible practice has considerably softened Microsoft’s edge, and despite being one of the largest enterprises in the world, the company is renowned for their ethical practice.
While their reputation alone is not the sole reason for their position in the marketplace, Microsoft’s ongoing dedication to ethical practice certainly helps them stay on top in the increasingly competitive tech industry.
Conservation and environmentalism
For other businesses, social responsibility comes in the form of conservation and environmentalism by involving themselves within a specific movement or cause, or shining a light on previously unethical practice within their field.
This approach to ethical practice is extremely good for PR as it demonstrates a commitment to change, and to protecting the environment, showing both compassion and awareness.
YOOX, the international fashion retailer, is one such example of this type of practice, having launched their Yoox Loves the Reef initiative earlier this year.
Partnering with the Great Barrier Reef Foundation and the Australian brand We Are Handsome, this initiative promotes conservation of the Great Barrier Reef, which has declined by 50% between 1985 and 2012, in part due to climate change.
Particularly within the fashion industry, which has a reputation for problematic ethical and environmental practice in the past, YOOX’s focus on conservation is an excellent strategy.
As well as raising both awareness and money of a specific cause, YOOX is aligning themselves with the ethical fashion movement, and demonstrating their commitment to better practice.
Changing the narrative
For companies who have previously received criticism, committing to socially responsible business is a wise PR move. A devotion to good ethics demonstrates a self-awareness and understanding of the problems within your practice, and a devotion to changing this perception.
Starbucks, who have previously been criticized for struggling to reduce their environmental impact, have successfully changed their image in the public eye.
The company has focused on promoting recycling by introducing recyclable cups, as well as offering discounts to customers who bring their own cups, and even giving coffee grounds away for composting.
This dedication to social responsibility has allowed Starbucks to change the narrative, giving them a better, more ethical public image.
How does this affect brand loyalty?
The above examples, of businesses using social responsibility as a marketing technique demonstrates the range of approaches to this strategy. In terms of quantifiable results though, how does this approach affect brand loyalty?
The data company Nielsen spoke to 30,000 global consumers, and found that 55% will pay extra for products and services from companies committed to positive social and environmental business. Additionally, 52% made at least one purchase from a socially responsible company in the past six months.
These figures demonstrate the growing returns of investing time and money into social responsibility as an increasingly viable and worthwhile marketing technique.
Original: SociableBlog
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