Consumers today want brands that reflect their ideologies and beliefs. They no longer select a brand based on price or convenience. They want a brand that gives back to the community and stands for various social issues. According to a report by Edelman in 2018, this phenomenon of choosing a brand that is contributing towards creating a better world is a worldwide trend. This also has to do with millennials being the largest generation in the work force, with many having a high spending capacity. They don’t want to buy from just another brand: they want to support brands that stand for a cause and that are giving back to the community in some way. The same applies to B2B brands, while price and convenience are also important, brands that genuinely stand for a social cause will definitely be distinguishable from the competition. So here are some ways in which your B2B brands can communicate and be prominent in the general noise by supporting various social causes:
Define Brand Purpose:
The first thing you must do before you decide what social cause your B2B brand could support is to take a look at your brand purpose. Analyse why your company exists and take a look at your company mission statement. Based on your why, you will be able to determine what social causes would fit best for your company and this will give you clarity on how your messaging on your subject can connect to and reflect your why.
Show Your Support
Actions speak louder than words. So instead of only talking about the issues, show your customers how your brand is actively contributing to the cause. Connect with relevant organisations and show your support for the cause on social media and through various event sponsorships and PR initiatives. Make sure that your brand is not associated with any businesses that do not align with your corporate values.
Make Your Employees Your Brand Ambassadors
Your employees are the biggest brand ambassadors for your company as they are the ones who meet customers, clients and other partners. Make sure that they are aware of the brand values and the social causes supported by the brand so that they can incorporate this message while communicating with various third parties.
Additional Tips for B2B brands
It is important for brands to understand that not every social issue needs to be spoken about. Brands should avoid taking a stance just for the sake of it. Speak up only on issues that are in line with your company mission and would line up with your customers’ and employees’ views. This will help create an authentic message and will resonate better.
Another thing for B2B brands to understand is that this cannot be done overnight. Proper in-depth research and analysis needs to be done before deciding on the right social causes and associating with anything. The brand should understand the views and values of its customers, employees and the company itself before making any decisions. Only if the cause is in alignment with these values and views will it have a positive impact on your brand.
When crafting a message showing your support for any social, environmental or political issue, start by looking at various other brands that have supported similar issues. Do your research and inform yourself well on the matter, as this will help you decide on the right hook for your messaging. Next, think of creative ways your message can stand out, keeping in mind what platform the communication is meant for. And lastly, make sure that your messaging is inspiring and educating so that your customers can learn and understand why the issue is important to your brand.
