How to stand out when everyone is 'purpose-washing'
We’ve seen a remarkable shift from businesses over the last two years in their actions and approaches to have a more positive impact on people and the planet, but not all claims are authentic. So how can good businesses stand apart from the ‘purpose-washers’? We speak to marketing specialists in the Club to get some tips to help the good guys stand out.
Clients and customers are starting to savvy up to businesses that aren’t walking the talk and 53% of them think brands aren’t as committed to society as they claim.
If you’re a good business owner, here are some insights from ethical marketing specialists that you will want to lean into so you can ensure your community and stakeholders can trust you and help you stand out from those that are using ‘purpose’ to get ahead.
Q: What’s a foolproof approach that businesses can’t fake that will help good businesses stand out from those who aren’t authentic?
“Show - show how you’re making a positive impact. Show up. Show you care. It can be as simple as replying to a comment or being kind or picking up the phone. It could be about taking risks, about curiosity, thinking differently - whatever is right for you. Being authentic is part of how you build trust and trust is so important. If people trust you, that’s a great way to stand out.”
Meg Fenn is a designer, and champion of creativity. Meg helps people to be creative and stay creative in order to problem-solve, innovate and make the change they want to happen, happen.
Q: What are the tell-tale signs that a business is ‘purpose washing’?
“A lack of transparency. Purpose needs to permeate every interaction, action and transaction that a brand or business takes; and this needs to be backed up with transparent reporting.“
Nicola Telford is the Founder of Views For Change, a platform that enables businesses to integrate & attribute donations directly into their marketing.
Q: Where should good business start when looking to authentically share their good business mission and practices?
“Spoiler alert! People usually don’t care that your purpose-led business isn’t perfect, as long as you’re transparent about where you’re at and what you plan to do about it. In your marketing messaging that means stating your mission clearly, then backing it up with an authentic tone of voice, language that’s intelligent yet accessible (i.e. never condescending), information about where you are on your responsible business journey, and details on the specific steps you plan to take to achieve your people and planet goals.”
Tash Morgan-Etty is a strategic wordsmith and brand messaging strategist at Write Rabbit, working with businesses that have an eco-or socially-conscious ethos.
Q: What do you see is getting in the way of good businesses standing out with their marketing?
“This can be the case for all businesses, not just good businesses, but there is often an expectation that audiences already know the purpose, the values, and the great work a business is doing. And as such, it can be easy to forget that audiences need educating and reminding regularly. When you’re living and breathing it everyday you get so far into the weeds that you assume everyone has the same knowledge and is coming from the same context as you. That is never the case, so remind people of what you do, remind people why you do it, and don’t be afraid of shouting about the things you’re doing — what may seem minor or obvious to you, can often be huge to your audience.”
Nick Pomeroy is the Founder of Studio Background, a small but mighty design agency based in Leeds.
Q: Anything else you want to share that you think other good business owners would value knowing about harnessing their marketing activity?
“Be clear on who your different target audiences are, especially if you have paying customers and people you’re helping for free. Your marketing needs to be specific to each target audience as you’re not going to talk to them in the same way. Put your target audience at the heart of your marketing and create content for them. You should always ask yourself if what you’re creating is relevant to them, even when talking about your impact.”
Sophie Badoux is Founder of Marketing for Good, working with small businesses, charities & Social Enterprises who care about people.
Fortunately, policies are being put in place to ensure businesses are held accountable for their claims. For now, take these suggestions from specialists when it comes to identifying and creating authentic brands, to ensure your community knows they can trust you and come up on top.
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