Corporations and brands can spend years refining their corporate voice, and building loyal audiences of customers and fans.
Dedicating time in your comms schedule for something that doesn’t directly impact your sales can be a scary decision. It can also be an incredibly hard sell for old school comms managers.
But using your brand voice for social good has never been more important, nor more accepted.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has been a hot topic in business and branding for the past few years, with huge companies such as Patagonia and Ben & Jerry’s basing their entire business model around the core purpose of “doing good”.
But as the online social world and the world of advertising increasingly collide, brands have become more conversational.
And when the entire world is swept up in conversations of activism and social justice, you should take part in that conversation.
What is Social Good?
Social Good is a term that applies to activism or activity that benefits society. Social Good can be an environmental, health, education, equality, or community action. Broadly speaking, by doing “Social Good” you are creating impact that benefits the most people possible in the most efficient way possible.
What are some examples of Social Good?
An example of Social Good could be:
- Improving air pollution in a city
- Advocating for representation of marginalized groups in positions of power
- Reducing food waste and creating more sustainable food sources
- Defending the rights of marginalized groups
- Creating maternity and paternity policies that give both parents equal paid time off
Why is speaking up about Social Good important for corporations?
Using your corporate voice on behalf of Social Good causes is good for employer branding, audience affinity, and internal employee engagement.
Also, sometimes standing up for a cause is just the right thing to do.
Employees are proven to like working for companies who dedicate resources for CSR. Consumers also are more likely to buy sustainable products. As markets become more competitive, differentiating yourself from your competitors is crucial. And showing a genuine commitment to doing Better Business is one way to do so.
How can corporations do Social Good?
Corporations are in a uniquely powerful position when it comes to enacting Social Good. They already have an audience and a platform, and can use their existing reach to amplify a cause.
Corporations who want to do Social Good can:
- Share a petition or donation link over their social networks
- Team up with a non-profit to send a joint newsletter promoting their work
- Committing to creating a more sustainable supply chain for their product
- Donating funds to a non profit organization
- Giving their staff paid leave to undertake volunteering in their communities
But Social Good should be authentic, justified, and timely. Tacking a charity onto a campaign that doesn’t fit naturally within your brand is very transparent, and will be picked up on by your customers immediately.
When deciding to if a cause is right for your corporation, ask yourself:
- Is this cause related to our industry or community?
- Is this cause important to our employees or customers?
- Can we use our platform to make a real difference?
- Can we take actual action for this cause?
If the answer is no to any of those questions, think twice before sending out a solidarity Tweet.
Social Good is incredibly important for companies, but it needs to be beneficial for the cause – not just the corporation.