Putting social purpose into your business

If you stand for something, you need to stand for it all the time - 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days of the year. Not just the one month that it gets lots of media coverage.

June is the month when companies show their support for the LGBTQ+ community by rolling out the rainbow version of their logo. It’s a great gesture - but is that all it is: a gesture?

Companies of all sizes and sectors are embracing “social purpose” as part of doing business. Pride Month is just one example. Climate change, diversity, gender equality, wellbeing and poverty are just some of the issues where businesses can demonstrate social purpose. ( I describe “social purpose” as?making a contribution to society and getting involved in causes that sit outside a company’s commercial interests.)?

But commitment to a social purpose is something that should be evident all year round - not just during the relevant month / week / day when that particular cause provides a marketing opportunity and some convenient social media content.

Demonstrating social purpose can be a very effective way to strengthen your relationship with customers - particularly those that share your commitment to that cause. According to Edelman’s Trust barometer, 68% of people believe business leaders should step in to fix societal problems when governments fail to. But social purpose isn’t without risk. Your support needs to genuine. It needs to be authentic.

An easy way to assess the authenticity of your social purpose is to take a look at your business. Every business - regardless of size or sector - consists of five functions: operations, human resources, marketing, sales and finance. To test your authenticity, consider how many of these functions are influenced by your social purpose. If it’s just marketing, your social purpose lacks authenticity.

There are many ways to build authenticity into your social purpose, but a good starting point is to look at your operational and human resources activity. For example, if you want to tackle climate change, take a look at your operational activity. What steps are your taking to minimise the environmental impact of your products or services? If you want to support diversity and inclusion, take a look at your HR activity. Does your company culture and your recruitment policy encourage diversity and inclusion? Social purpose isn’t a marketing campaign. It should be fundamental to how you do business.

So, when it’s time to roll your rainbow logo out next June, make sure there is something tangible behind your “support” for Pride Month.

__________________________________________________________________________

Now is the time to make a plan

In a challenging economic environment, it’s a important to have a plan. Without one, it’s easy to waste your time and your resources. As forecasts predict a challenging end to the year, now looks like a good time to make one. Part of your business plan should be understanding how your brand can drive your business success. This article makes some suggestions for how to get started.

Read the full article >

__________________________________________________________________________

Branding tip: If you want to raise your profile online, think about how you use colour.

In a crowded environment, where space is limited, colour can be a great way to get noticed. On smaller screens, it can be more distinctive than your logo. Whether it’s in your avatar or as a frame around photographs, it can help you to raise your profile and draw attention to your content.

__________________________________________________________________________

Brand In The Boardroom

If you would like to know more about how your brand can drive your business success, you might be interested in Brand In The Boardroom. It explains how your brand connects the core functions of your business - operations, human resources, marketing, sales and finance - and why that's important.

You can find it on Amazon >