Gain More Customers While Saving the Planet

Recently, The Marketing Journal did a study on the effect of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on consumers. They found that 90% of global consumers are likely to switch brands to ones associated with a good cause. It was also discovered that 90% of consumers are more likely to trust a company that supports social and environmental issues. These are huge percentages, and their discovery is worth the close attention of business owners.   

   CSR has always been a bit of a controversial topic. On the one side, critics argue that business should only focus on making profit, and that CSR is distracting. On the other side, there is the belief that business is not exempt from moral obligation, and that the private sector, and not the government, can and often does have a deeper influence on the wellbeing of society.

Today there is a growing group of consumers who are pro-actively looking for companies that are socially and environmentally conscious. These consumers are under a great deal of research by social and economic scientists, and their research has shown an increase in the number of consumers steering away from brands whose values they do not agree with. Consumers are no longer interested in the product or service alone, but look to its producer or provider, and what that producer or provider is doing to be a better corporate citizen. So, it makes sense that there is a huge opportunity for businesses to create and maintain emotional relationships with their customers through their CSR activities.

CSR provides an opportunity for businesses to tailor their customers’ personal beliefs about their brands and products. The result is new customers and loyal customers, that support the societal essence of your brand, eliminating product competition, often regardless of price. Here are six tips on how to gain more customers and create loyal customers through CSR in your own business:

1. Choose the right cause or advocacy. Choose specific social responsibility programs that are the right programs for your business, and clearly aligned with your organisational vision and goals. The cause must have a logical tie to your business.

2. Get everyone – including customers – involved. Social responsibility may be a strategic initiative, but implementation is a collective effort. Involving employees will boost their morale, resulting in happier and therefore more productive employees. Remember that your employees, and your customers are your best brand ambassadors.

3. Use social media to expose your CSR efforts. Social marketing has become an essential part of most companies’ marketing campaigns and these platforms have enabled businesses to have a wider reach. They are perfect avenues to share your company’s CSR stories.

4. Talk about your social responsibility, but don’t boast about it. There is a thin line between humbly speaking about what you do for others and bragging about it. CSR is supposed to reflect your company in a light where you are doing good for the sake of doing good, not because you expect to gain something from it.

5. Make sure your social responsibility program reflects your brand. It must coincide with your brand messaging, meaning it should have a link or connection to your brand attributes. Make it possible for your customers to easily associate your CSR with your brand.

6. And of course – measure your efforts. Make sure that you have a measurement tool in place to highlight CSR activities that are effectively contributing to enhancing your customers’ experience of your brand through an emotional connection that results in customer loyalty.