What Social Enterprises need to keep in mind to 'Differentiate' themselves?

As we all know social enterprises are focused on creating an impact to the society and environment. This does not mean that social enterprises can ignore some of the key commercial factors of running a business. To put it simply, social enterprises also need to 'differentiate itself from competitors'. In today's dynamic business environment where the customer is often spoilt for choice, social enterprises need to be more agile, different and be innovative if they are to stay ahead of the game. The competitors will always play catch up and want to beat you. Let's take the world's famous Usain Bolt for example. He was no doubt one of the (if not the) greatest athletes to run on the track and field circuit this generation. He was always ahead of his peers and often won with a considerable distance to the second in the race. But even with all the dominance, experience and ability he lost the race at the 2017 World Championship. Social enterprises can also learn a lesson from this example when running their enterprises. Basically 'how good you are yesterday will have no relevance on your success today of for that matter relevance tomorrow'. The effective use of marketing as a strategy can help social enterprises be 'different'. For example a social enterprise who focuses on organic cold pressed juices now need to compete in the overall beverage segment and not only the healthy beverage segment. Hence, they need to use marketing to differentiate themselves and create a top of the mind position within their customers. Given below are 3 tips that social enterprise should place emphasis on when creating an effective marketing strategy in their pursuit to be 'different'. 

1. Story - Every social enterprise has a story or something they want to achieve which creates an impact. The prospective customers need to understand this story and also relate to it. It is only then that they will consider purchasing the product or service. There is nothing more criminal that having a great story and not been able to communicate it to the target audience. Hence, whichever marketing tool used i.e. traditional or digital you need to ensure that the story about the product and company is exemplified well. 'Aayu' which is a social enterprise in Sri Lanka focuses on healthy ready to eat food/meals to counter the unhealthy lifestyle patterns in society. The story they portrait is simple i.e. eat healthy- stay healthy. This is visible in their overall go to market strategy. The health conscious customer segment relates to the story of Aayu and often patronizes the place even if it is only to have a simple herbal porridge.  

2. Get customers involved with the product - Customers feel good and connected to a social enterprise when they are involved in some (or all the parts) of the process/experience. The 'Good Market' which is a social enterprise in Sri Lanka is a classic example of how they get people involved in the overall organic concept and the notion of 'buy social, buy local'!. The weekend market creates a platform for like minded people to try out new products (of social enterprises) and also spend the weekend with friends and family in an atmosphere that makes them feel good and that they are doing the 'right' thing. 

3. Alignment with customer needs & IMPACT- The success of any enterprise depends on the target market or customers actually needing the product. It has to appeal to the customers. The key is developing a quality product or service that is not only a good idea but something that the customers would appreciate and require on a regular basis. As a social enterprise if your product or service is aligned with the customer needs or solves one of their problems then you have a greater chance of success. The marketing strategy then needs to highlight this fact. Customers also prefer to buy a product or service from a social enterprise where they are clear about the 'Impact' created. 'Sena Eco' is a social enterprise in Sri Lanka that creates medicinal and other footwear based on traditional Ayurveda concepts. They use re-cycled material to produce the footwear which are both environmentally friendly and fashionably 'chic' at the same time. The Impact created by Sena Eco is clear and through the various social media marketing (which is their primary tool used for marketing) strategies used by the company customers are aware of the positive impact of the products and hence are inclined to purchase from them. 

The important point for any social enterprise to keep in mind is that 'differentiation' is the key to be successful in this competitive global environment. Marketing is no doubt a strategic tool that any enterprise can use to highlight why they are different to others. Taking note of the above 3 tips will help social enterprises better craft their marketing strategy in their pursuit of success.