Responsible marketing: Creating a more meaningful connection.
I believe marketing is one of the most important ingredients in building a responsible business at this point in time. It not only becomes your legacy; how you tell your story, chapter by chapter, as you create change, and contribute something to the world, it is also vital right now to help shift the consumer driven paradigm we have built of ‘more, more, more!’
The old, traditional way of marketing focuses on sales as its number one purpose driver. And, consequently, I think we can all relate that most of the time it feels like brands will tell us anything to make a sale. Hello, Greenwashing!! ‘Sustainable’, “Purpose-driven’, ‘Giving Back’ have all become such buzzwords that when we scratch a little more beneath the surface they often hold very little meaning and substance. Rightfully so, we no longer trust what we’re being told and view everything with a touch of cynicism.
Responsible, forward-thinking marketing is not about manipulation, it is about connection and education.
Responsible marketing and communications stops us from seeing human beings as just consumers whose sole purpose in life is to consume, consume, consume (and as marketers, it is therefore our sole job and purpose to help make them consume more). It treats people with deep regard to inform, educate and converse in a mutually beneficial conversation based on congruency, respect and honest transparency.
Responsible and ethical brands strive to operate at a higher level than conventional, profit-first brands. The end goal is different and consequently we act and engage, in ways that make each step of the journey more meaningful. We want our audience – customers, employees, stakeholders, everyone who comes into contact with our brand – to be left feeling more connected, hopeful and ultimately acting more responsible themselves. We want them to feel our brand has helped them grow as humans and enriched their lives, community and planet.
We recognise the responsibility we hold with everything we put into the world, and we use it wisely and mindfully. We shift from buzzwords and meaningless constant content, to real and meaningful connection.
I think in terms of connection because no matter what the product, service, or brand on offer is, it’s all we all truly want as humans. It is our nature to need. To feel connected to the people, places, ideas and ideals that we care about and that form parts of our identity.
That’s what anything with meaning has to do; connect. True connection changes how people feel, it changes what we do, and it creates change in the world.
Our approach to connection as a brand and business should be no different than our approach to developing real, meaningful, profound connections at a personal, human-to-human level.
There is communication and there’s connection— what’s the difference?
As world renowned speaker Sean Stephenson says “Connection is not an exchange of information. Connection is an exchange of humanity. It’s an exchange of emotion.”
An exchange of information is not connection – it’s a basic form of communication.
Telling someone what we want them to do or believe is not connection – it’s a basic form of communication ( that rarely works!)
Talking at someone is not connection – it’s barely a basic form of communication.
Human connection and honest conversations get more than a quick “like”, they get our undivided attention. They get us to stop long enough to be able to connect with, feel and understand what is being communicated.
Respectful communications and real connection are not one-man performances and yet, this is still the approach traditional marketing centres around. In order to truly connect, we have to create a space to share and be there for others to share.
Just like our human connections, our brands need a level of self-awareness before going into a conversation with another to know 1) what is important to us to share and communicate and 2) whether we’re masking our communications with alternative agendas that our audience and customers will ‘feel through’ and ultimately lose their trust and connection with us. And, just like our human connections, we need to be deeply invested in the relationship with our audience to really understand their needs and wants, to ensure they know we care – through our actions, not just our words!
We need to take the time to listen. Like, really, really listen! When was the last time you stopped and took the time to truly consider what your customer/audience wants and needs and is trying to say to you instead of only trying to think of something clever to say to them based on what you need from them (i.e sales!)?
Don’t be afraid to hit pause. Ask questions. Observe. Listen. Focus on them without thinking about how you will respond (just for now). Value your connection to your audience more than being right or important or needing to put them into a box that suits your desires and wants as a brand. You will be surprised by what you find and the more organic, authentic ways to connect and communicate will naturally reveal themselves.
That’s when connection takes place: the moment we feel that somebody cares about us, we’re open to learning from them. - Sean Stephenson
And, just like every other aspect of responsible business, this is not a quick-fix, overnight solution/approach.
It takes time. It requires investment. It demands integrity.
There will be times when it is much easier to resort to marketing tactics and communications that don’t align with our values for the sake of a quick-win. And, I get it. There are sales targets that need to be met and we are accustomed to the ways that help us quickly meet them. A responsible marketing approach isn’t connection, integrity and responsibility vs sales, commercial success and market share. It’s about both. It’s about long-term, sustainable success – for the planet, people and profit.
Clarity on your vision and what you are committed to contributing to the world and your integrity to it will be needed when it comes to making the best decisions at these times.
Integrity, whilst not always the easiest and most comfortable choice, actually makes things a lot clearer and more simplified.
Here’s the thing: when you have integrity, you actually don’t need to make up great brand stories and a world of fancy meanings and jargon carefully curated to fit into a marketing strategy. It comes through naturally – in every single thing you do and say.
Your brand lives and breathes your promise and commitment through every one of its interactions and understands how much this matters in significant ways. And when your brand matters to people, they change the way they think, feel and act with respect to your brand. People align more closely and connect deeply to your brand’s ideals. People move from passive buyers and unengaged workers to people who want to be a part of what you are contributing to the world, who want to see you succeed and will help you to do just that.
Less Noise. Less Ego. Maybe a few less likes. But… More Honesty. More Connection. More Loyalty. And we all know, customer loyalty is key to building long-term success. Sometimes less really is more!
As my all time favourite, the great Maya Angelou said, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
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My “Art of Brand Connection: Responsible Marketing Communications” workshop is designed to dive deep into the heart of your message to effectively create an honest connection that articulates your story, your vision and your purpose! This strategy session focuses on the vital foundations of building that meaningful connection with your audience. We’ll humanise your brand to communicate your message with honesty and integrity – the sales and long-term results will follow. It’s perfect for start ups or brands and organisations who have lost their way a little and need to re-connect to their message.
Once we know and are aware, we are responsible for our action and our inaction. We can do something about it or ignore it.
Either way, we are still responsible.
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Jean Paul Sartre.