As a marketer, you want to build a positive reputation for your brand. With all the resources you invest toward turning a profit, a new study from Edelman suggests that your biggest conversion driver may be your company’s charitable nature – watch our video recap for more insights.
Edelman found that consumers prefer to buy products or services from philanthropic brands. The report discovered that between 2008 and 2010, approximately 42 percent of American consumers were more likely to buy from organizations that had greater social agendas, rather than companies that didn’t participate in community betterment programs. This year, Edelman noted that the figure jumped to 53 percent.
Consumers also buy more frequently from brands that participate in altruistic events. Nearly half of Edelman’s respondents said they made monthly purchases from brands that engaged in charitable events, compared to only 32 percent who bought products or services with the same frequency in 2010.
This should be marketers’ cue to start broadcasting their brands’ corporate giving – easily accomplished by companies with a solid content marketing strategy. Marketers who struggle to produce a variety of content may be able to increase lead generation by self-promoting causes their companies participate in throughout the year. While content marketing often entails crafting blog posts, infographics or video clips to sell products, answer consumer questions or detail in-depth functions of a service, brands may discover that tooting their own horns through website articles and Tweets every once in awhile can deliver results, too.
However, marketers must toe the line when reporting on their charitable causes, as overly ambitious and attention-grabbing language may paint the brand as trying to capitalize on less-fortunate circumstances. It’s important to work with conscientious content writers and simply lay down the facts – let the world know a brand is trying to make it a better place and wait to see how new and existing customers respond.
