Socially Conscious Audience? Incorporate A Social News Aggregator
If you run an online business, social has a particular meaning. It would mean Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and many other social platforms. Today, it's not just about social media, but being socially conscious too.
Socially conscious consumerism is increasing in popularity. Therefore, embracing social responsibility as part of your brand DNA — and keeping your audience informed about it— is an excellent way to stand out from the crowd. Even in a saturated niche. This is where a social news aggregator can help.
According to an Impact report of 2017, consumers are gradually getting connected to benevolent causes. They are keen on purchasing from brands that align with causes that matter to them. They are also more likely to research the culture of a company and the cause it supports before buying a product.
For instance, think of TOMS Shoes. They are famous for donating a pair of shoes to a needy person for every purchase made. Knowing that they are giving back to the community every time they buy shoes makes customers feel good about their purchases. Through the buy one/give one model, TOMS has built a brand that makes sales and wins hearts.
So, what does a socially conscious audience care about?
To understand the socially conscious consumer and what matters to them, Nielsen surveyed more than 28,000 people in 56 countries. Results from the survey demonstrate three crucial findings:
- A majority of these consumers (63% in the study) are under the age of 40
- 66% of these consumers are of the opinion that companies should support the environment
- Socially conscious consumers are willing to pay more for socially responsible goods and services
Nielsen’s research also identified some of the causes that matter to a majority of socially conscious consumers. They include:
- Eradicating extreme hunger and poverty
- Increasing access to technology
- Ensuring environmental sustainability
- Improving training and education in science, engineering, technology and math
- Providing relief following natural disasters
This in-depth understanding of a socially conscious consumer enables companies to develop solutions that drive meaningful action while at the same time igniting brand trust. The information is also crucial in helping you create great blog posts, marketing messages and social media posts that consumers will want to read.
Nonetheless, there are many other companies also striving to be market leaders in your niche. This means that just creating great content and hoping you will get noticed will not cut it. You have to move a step further. Make it easier for the audience to access your content.
This is where a social news aggregator, such as Curator.io, can help.. Content aggregators are an awesome way to help you get the word out.
But how can brands use a social news aggregator to align with a social cause?
Socially conscious content, whether it is a pledge to save the environment by banning plastic bags or a social-political statement during a political moment, goes a long way in humanizing a company and setting it apart from its competitors.
While being humble is great, you want to build a relationship with socially conscious consumers. So, don't keep all those good deeds a secret. Social news aggregators like Curator.io enable brands to foster relations with customers over social.
Here are credible tips that can help you implement a successful socially conscious marketing campaign:
1. Connect your company with a cause.
When building a social responsibility platform for your business, opt for a cause that will fit naturally with the brand. Do not choose a random cause. Consider a cause that will match your company culture and will matter to your audience. If consumers cannot easily connect your brand with your charity, it is unlikely that your efforts will bear the expected fruits.
Let’s use Cheerios as an example. In a bid to sensitize people of the declining honeybee population, they removed their bee mascot ‘buzz.’ This cause was very much in line with what the company does. They started including packets of seeds in their cereal boxes so people could plant flowers that would hopefully aid in bees pollination.
Unfortunately, a few days into the campaign, people started to point out, through social media, that the seeds for some of the flowers might be harmful in some climates. Although the backlash was mild, the do-good message Cheerios hoped to communicate was overshadowed by the controversy.
Another important thing to keep in mind is the cause should matter to you as well. For instance, even if your brand doesn't manufacture food, you may still donate meals for every X products sold or partner with a well-known charity. The two of you can help market each other.2. Authenticity matters to consumers
Authenticity is best demonstrated when a company ties a cause directly to their mission and services. For instance, Patagonia has incorporated social responsibility in all aspects of their business model from how they create their products to how they purchase materials and run their factories.
A poor example of cause marketing is when businesses engage in causes that have no relationship to what they do. This is very prevalent in October during breast cancer campaigns. Companies, which have no relation whatsoever with women's health go pink. Customers often sniff insincerity from miles away, and you can lose your credibility if you are only jumping on a trend as a marketing ploy.
When the tie to your cause isn't immediately obvious, offer your story on social media. Explain why it matters to you and/or your employees. For instance, if many of your employees are breast cancer survivors, it would make sense for your company to go pink.3. Be transparent and educate your audience
The days when you had to look beyond the company creating the products to get an unbiased opinion are long gone. These days, brands have a greater responsibility for transparency and keeping their customers informed so they can make appropriate decisions. Providing transparent information about your brand's activities will increase trust in your customers and positively influence brand loyalty.
Remember, if you're not providing full transparency, someone will. The last thing you want your socially conscious consumers to think is you're hiding something. Be forthcoming and they'll continue to trust you, even if you've made mistakes. A great strategy is admitting that something you're doing isn't exactly socially correct. This could be not recycling or not being energy efficient. Launch a campaign to change your processes to a more environmentally friendly method to prove that you do care what your consumers, and the environment, think.4. Choose a great name for your campaign
Besides an appropriate social cause and strategy, you also need a great name for your campaign. The name of your campaign is the foundation on which your content will be built upon. Spend enough time on brainstorming on the name to make sure it is relevant, easy to remember as well unique. Try to ensure the name you select is not in use by other brands.
Why does a name matter so much? You want to pick a name that people want to mention on social media. It's also a great way to create a unique hashtag and use a social news aggregator to pull all mentions of that hashtag.5. Well-timed socially conscious content makes your brand stand out
Socially conscious material can be instrumental in helping your brand stand out particularly during events and times of the year when there are numerous ads in your niche.
Just remember, make sure you're not just jumping on the bandwagon. Once again, socially conscious consumers can smell a rat. Don't just time your socially conscious content well, but be sincere about it. It is fine to support a cause during specific times of the year, such as a holiday charity. As long as it's relevant to your brand, your consumers will be happy.6. Do not over promote
Well, it is natural that a business would want to reach as many people as possible. Indeed, a social news aggregator can help with this. However, be careful not to over promote your brand. A Pushy Paula is the last thing an audience would want. In between your marketing campaigns also post relevant industry news. Also, post other fun things that your followers would like. This way, it feels more organic.
A good rule to follow is the 80/20 rule. This means that 80% of your posts are non-promotional. This is all the useful and engaging stuff just for your audience. The other 20% of your posts are the marketing and promotional stuff. Think about how you like marketing content. It's great in small doses and obviously necessary. However, even you unfollow brands that do nothing by market to you, even if it is for a good cause.7. Parnter with a well-known nonprofit
We mentioned earlier that it's a good idea to partner with a charity. Often times, brands partner with each other to help each other. Most nonprofits are happy for any type of positive marketing that helps to raise awareness. Talk with a nonprofit that has a cause that's relevant to your brand in some way. Not only will you help raise awareness and money for the cause, but the nonprofit also mentions you on social media. Your followers check out the nonprofit and the nonprofit's supporters check you out. It's a mutually beneficial partnership.Embrace Being Socially Conscious
As highlighted in this post, socially conscious marketing has many benefits. It enhances brand awareness. It creates genuine loyalty with your customer base while at the same time helping others.
Social news aggregators can go a long way in engaging the audience in your social activities. It gathers all the content related to specific hashtags, topics and users in a single place so your audience always knows exactly what's going on.
However, remember that to make your campaign a success, you need to be genuine. Consider a unique cause and content that resonate with your audience.
What are your thoughts? How can brands use social news aggregators to do socially conscious marketing campaigns? Leave a comment below.