Regardless of the product, service, or industry that your firm specializes in, businesses from all corners of the globe are falling victim to the same issue. Thanks to the growth of cutting-edge digital marketing strategies like social media and targeted web advertising, an environment of information overload is leading many consumers to seek more from the content they choose to consume.
In fact, recent market research suggests that customers are now more inclined than ever before to consume content that promotes values like social responsibility, with just over 70% of Millennials admitting that they are more likely to utilize the products and services of firms that tout themselves as socially or environmentally conscious brands.
With such trends in mind, it should go without saying that brands hoping to remain competitive well into the future should start striving to develop strong feelings of customer loyalty among younger demographics such as Millennials and Generation Z. However, this realization leads to many questions, mostly surrounding how brands should approach the delicate task of intertwining political and societal issues into their current marketing strategies.
While numerous effective strategy approaches can separate your brand as a socially-minded organization, some are more effective than others. As such, I’d like to discuss a few strategies that allow for brands to naturally transition their content towards socially-minded initiatives.
Leverage Micro-Influencers
A recent survey by Nielsen concluded that over 90% of customers trust information about a brand more when it appears to come from natural peer-to-peer word of mouth. This trend may sound startling to organizations who have implemented strategies that are heavily reliant on social influencer content – yet, there is no need for concern. Transitioning the focus of your brand’s campaign from traditional social influencers to micro-influencers, who are typically everyday Instagram users with a following of 5,000 or more, can provide many of the benefits of traditional influences while making your brand feel more down-to-earth and approachable. In fact, the rise of micro-influencers represents an opportunity to leverage a new breed of Instagram marketing affiliates, many of whom are already self identify as promoters of important societal causes.
Drive Customer Interaction Through Corporate Action
It may seem counterintuitive, and even a bit risky, but one of the most effective ways to align your brand with a societal or economically minded strategy is to implement some form of public, organization-wide action. There have been numerous implementations of this strategy, ranging from Nickelodeon’s unprecedented action of taking their television network offline for 24-hours to promote a “Worldwide Day of Play” to REI Co-op‘s tradition of forgoing Black Friday profits to promote the importance of taking a day off to enjoy the great outdoors.
While both of these initiatives were viewed as a risky strategy at the time, they resulted in the opportunity for these brands to strengthen their corporate images while promoting #impactful initiatives that their leadership cared about deeply.
Evoke Emotion With Curated Content
The reality of today’s marketplace is hard for many businesses to grasp, yet stunningly simple. At the heart of most purchasing decisions, consumers are not just looking for a product: they’re looking for an emotional connection. Think of Coca-Cola, one of the most popular soft drink brands in the world. When one watches their expertly crafted advertisements, they can’t help but feel a warm, emotional connection to the brand itself.
What would be another sugary soft drink suddenly becomes a key component and centerpiece to some of life’s most significant moments. Coca-Cola does offer a superior product (please accept my apologies, Pepsi fans), but their timeless popularity would not be possible without their innovative, emotionally-charged advertisement strategy.
Developing Customer Loyalty Is A Marathon, Not A Sprint
In my experience, there are a number of effective approaches to that will help to guarantee increased customer loyalty for your brand well into the future. While many of these approaches could be implemented overnight, your brand has the opportunity to approach developing a socially and mindful strategy at its own pace.
As technology continues to disrupt the ways that companies deliver advertising for products and services, I am confident that the number of potential customers that your company could assist will continue to increase rapidly, regardless of industry or geographic location. With such changes in mind, marketers should rest assured knowing that your team can approach content strategies however you would like, as long as the fundamental tenets of delivering value to customers while developing an emotionally-charged connection in the process are satisfied.
Sources Reference/Internal Hyperlinks:
Information overload – https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/online-marketing/online-sales/information-overload-too-much-advertising/
Social responsibility – https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2018/03/22/communicating-brand-social-responsibility-tips-for-success-and-pitfalls-to-avoid/#53fc16023842
70% – http://www.conecomm.com/2017-cone-communications-csr-study-pdf#page=6
Worldwide Day of Play – http://www.worldwidedayofplay.com/
REI Co-op – https://www.businessinsider.com/rei-ceo-closing-on-black-friday-smart-business-move-2018-10
Advertisements – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybRXPWdZHxw