Branding For a Good Cause

good-cause
Image courtesy of news-press.com

Is your brand supporting social causes? If not, you are seriously missing out on a huge audience that cares.

We have finally reached an era where consumers truly care about what companies are doing to support their environments (be it the physical environment or social environment). In fact, 90 percent of Americans claim that they are more likely to trust brands that are “making a difference.” And of those trusting 90 percent, 88 percent of consumers say that they are more likely to buy a product that is supporting a cause. And to top it all off, 84 percent of the consumers buying the product say that they are likely to tell friends and family about the company’s supportive efforts.

The best way to share your brands’ extracurricular activities is through blogging activities and social media. The majority of millennials (64 percent, to be exact) use social media to communication with companies and interact with social and environmental causes.

This being said, it is important that your brand is genuine in its attempt at bettering a specific cause. Consumers are getting smarter everyday, and as a result, they can see straight through a farce. “Causewashing” has become a serious issue with companies trying to leverage special causes in an attempt to boost sales.

A consumer’s reaction to a brand that is associated with a good cause can be inverted by a brand that equally engages in irresponsible business tactics. The reason content marketing resonates so well with a social audience is because the message evokes an emotion. Emotions, good or bad, elicit a reaction from people, it is our human nature. In the world of social media, different emotions affect the probability of sharing: anger 34%, awe 30%, practical value 30%, interest 25%, anxiety 21%, emotionality 18%, surprise 14%, positivity 13%, and sadness will decrease the possibility of sharing by -16%.

There are three main ways that a brand can engage potential customers. First, your brand can share individual stories with human elements. This helps your brand feel relatable and personal. Second, show the numbers. People love statistics and numbers they can take a bite into. Numbers are a language everyone understands and telling a story through data can often help people understand. And third, utilize your existing audience. Brands that invite their audience to share their stories will far and away increase engagement over a post that has no personality.

At the end of the day, consumers love a noble cause. If you can manage to leverage your brand to help those in need, the efforts will come back to you multi-fold.

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