Money is fine, but it’s not the only thing that should matter in a business. The social contribution helps brands acquire greater visibility (especially in the local environment), in addition to strengthening the image and values of the company.
The social marketing strategy is widely used by small, medium and large companies, since it usually helps in customer loyalty to the feeling of well-being through the positive impact towards the community from the brand.
However, for that to happen you need to know more about this strategy and how it is used by companies that have seen great results.
For this reason, we have prepared this article to talk about social marketing, what are the advantages, and some examples to inspire you.
What is social marketing?
Social marketing aims to spread ideas that help improve the reality of a collective or environmental space. Basically, these are campaigns aimed at raising awareness and helping to solve social or environmental problems.
These social problems may be related to issues of public health, labor, education, the environment, and a variety of other issues.
These situations are rooted in society and generally arouse the interest of people because they have to do with social welfare. That is why it is seen with good eyes when approached or disseminated through a brand, company, or product; often, there is even a direct benefit for it, such as tax reduction (depending on the country).
In addition to working in favor of social benefit, the brands and companies involved acquire more exposure and visibility, causing supporters of the cause to start supporting the brand and, consequently, influencing sales.
For example, data released by Viewers for Change shows that 76% of consumers will not do business with a brand that conflicts with their interests and beliefs.
That’s a big deal in this woke era where anyone can have a viral opinion.
Additionally, 90% of those surveyed said they would switch to another brand if it supports good causes; while 55% said they had somehow boycotted brands and companies that carry out irresponsible practices.
In an increasingly competitive market, this is a way to gain prominence and a segment of it.
Social marketing is a concept that emerged in 1970 by Philip Kotler and Gerald Zartman, who realized that marketing also acts as a propagator of attitudes, causes, and behaviors.
Since then, it has been one of the most widely used digital marketing strategies. Its objective is to raise public awareness about issues that are relevant to society in general.
Note: not to be confused with Social Media Marketing or social network marketing, which many call simply “social marketing”.
The difference between social marketing and commercial marketing
You have probably already understood that the main difference between Social Marketing and Commercial Marketing is the objective of each one, but it is worth reflecting on it.
Standard commercial marketing aims to improve sales through the dissemination of products and services, generally spreading the benefits thereof.
For its part, social marketing does not seek to generate sales as it focuses on values and humanization. The idea is that the company or brand demonstrates that, in addition to transforming the lives of consumers, it contributes to transforming the world.
It is also a way for the company to show itself committed to its values, solidifying its image in society by ensuring social welfare.
Social marketing confers indirect benefits to companies, from a marketing point of view, while the benefits of commercial marketing are direct and easily perceived.
Why invest in social marketing for my company?
We have already mentioned some benefits that social marketing usually generates both for brands and companies, as well as from a social and humanitarian point of view.
These benefits tend to improve the positioning of the brand in the market and its image before the target audience when it is done genuinely.
It is said genuinely because a segment of the public is usually well informed about brands before supporting them and will not hesitate to boycott it if it does not fulfill what it promises or does not live what it preaches.
From a marketing standpoint, focusing on social issues tends to help win more customers, retain current customers, and generate better overall market acceptance.
It has also been mentioned that social marketing is becoming a competitive advantage, since consumers are increasingly demanding and competition within the market is growing given the interests of environmental protection and society that individuals have.
In addition to these factors, social marketing has the power to increase the credibility and reliability of the company, since individuals understand that there are more benefits than just what they will consume.
Benefits of social marketing and social responsibility
Social responsibility is the fulfillment of the duties and obligations of people and companies with society. Some companies, for example, demonstrate their concern for the environment and extend these actions to their products or production processes.
As an example: Natura, and other cosmetic companies that no longer conduct animal testing for their products.
Those who identify with the cause start using the brand and demand that the brand have more market positioning.
The trend is to win more loyal customers and, in turn, the brand or company has a more significant commitment to sustain and increase that more solid customer base.
Among other benefits generated by social marketing we can mention:
- More added value to the product or service: as mentioned in the example of Natura, the tendency is for the public to identify and even agree to pay more for a product that contributes to social welfare.
- More committed employees: a study published by Nielsen reveals that 67% of people prefer to work in companies with inclinations to contribute socially.
- They increase the profitability of the business: it is a consequence of a greater exposure to people who embrace the cause.
- Market opportunities are generated or found: a report published by Mintel on consumption patterns in Europe states that 72% of consumers are interested in buying products from environmentally responsible brands, which explains why “green brands” have been among the fastest growing in the region.
- Greater exposure and visibility: promotional campaigns and social marketing promotional actions tend to give brands greater visibility.
How to apply social marketing
You already know what social marketing is and you know its benefits, but in order for you to be able to use it, it is necessary to draw up a marketing plan, acquire knowledge of your target audience, your business and your competitors.
This data will help you define the best cause and the best strategies to apply within social marketing:
Defining a cause based on your values
The first step is to define a cause to support, and for that to be possible, you need to turn your attention to your company and also to your audience.
The cause should not be defined based on personal taste, but to be considered it must be aligned with the goals and issues that your target audience supports and demonstrates.
Therefore, it is necessary to obtain complete information from your Buyer Persona and your target audience, it is also valid to carry out surveys with consumers to assess how they feel about the different actions and causes that are advertised in the media.
Remember that your cause must be aligned with your objectives, it must be a cause that you feel will make a difference for the audience and also for the business.
From the moment you start investing in campaigns and promotional marketing, your company’s image is associated with this cause. Abandoning it could be troublesome.
So do not rush to define it!
Research your competitors
Researching the competition and identifying if they support a cause is also essential so that you can define your social marketing.
This may help you choose a cause that is not prominent in the market, giving you a differential over the competition.
In addition, it is also very important that you are able to identify in the social marketing of your competitors which actions had a positive result, so that you can later adapt them to your business.
Answer questions as to get closer to your goal:
- How are top brands in your industry using social marketing?
- What are your social responsibilities?
- What methods do you use to develop these campaigns? On which channels?
- What people do they usually involve?
- How does your audience perceive these campaigns?
Financial resources
It was well said at the beginning that money is not everything, it is necessary to know that financial resources are needed to start a social marketing campaign.
Depending on the cause and also the actions that you intend to carry out, these will require an investment, so it is necessary to plan and put the expenses on paper and pencil.
Maybe you can design some campaigns with a reduced spending plan or you can look for sponsors or alliances to support your cause and generate mutual benefit.
Think about how you can come up with different strategies to support a cause.
It can be through educational or cultural events and in some cases you can even divert part of your earnings to help NGOs, shelters, communities and other entities. These actions like these also generate a positive impact on the consumer,
Of course, do not forget to define the frequency of these campaigns.
Set goals and objectives
“If it is not measured, it cannot be improved”.
With this premise of digital marketing in mind, you should know that it is important that you define and be very clear about what the main objective of executing this campaign will be.
It is also necessary to implement goals so that these can be achieved, as well as set only goals and objectives that are tangible , achievable and realistic.
Keep your team informed about all the details, goals and targets, get them involved and motivated to contribute to the goal and campaign.
By keeping track of the objective of social marketing campaigns (whether environmental, social or any other cause) you can adopt a campaign model such as those described below:
- Informative: these are campaigns with the objective of informing the population about a problem that needs action.
- Action: campaigns that involve actions such as making food donations, participating in protests for the cause, repopulating ecosystems.
- Behavior change: aims to stimulate population awareness by generating new habits and behaviors. It should be noted that a long-term set of actions is needed, which is why they require a great commitment.
- Transformation of beliefs: The objective of this campaign is to reach values rooted in the citizenry through messages that provoke reflection. Today there are many examples related to the LGBT community.
Divulgation
To publicize your social marketing campaign, the objective should be to reinforce the values of your brand and also to inform the public about the actions that your company takes in favor of social benefit.
It is even possible to invite the public to participate in these actions, so you need to look for channels where your target audience spends time.
Currently in digital marketing, social networks have gained an important role in advertising and are excellent tools for you to use in your promotional campaigns.
You can also create a blog and use content marketing to not only promote your social marketing efforts but also to promote your products and services.
This strategy is widely used in the digital environment to promote products or services and improve the relationship with the public. The best thing is that content marketing is also a strategy that can be used on social networks.
The important thing is that you know the channel where your audience is and try to communicate with them through this channel or that you know how to apply multichannel or omnichannel marketing strategies.
Campaign evaluation
Once implemented, it is time to evaluate if the campaign was positive and if the objectives could be achieved through that campaign.
How did the public react to the campaign?
It is vital that even during your social marketing campaign, you continue to monitor if it is generating public mobilization or if the audience seems engaged with the cause.
At this point, you will identify aspects to improve, either in dissemination or in the campaign itself, so keep the results obtained through your campaign available to all employees who participated in it.
Tell about the impact of it and how you can set new goals to reach more people and get the audience to recognize the importance of your cause.
Examples of successful social campaigns
Knowing what social marketing is and how to apply it, it is time to move on to some practical examples that have given results.
Natura and its relationship with NGOs
Natura has partnered with various NGOs that work to preserve the environment, one example being the NGO Associação de Grupamento Ambientalista, which has a project to preserve springs.
To support this NGO, simply make a purchase on the Natura website using the coupon corresponding to the cause you want to support, and the company will donate 5 reals to support the NGO.
Social commitment of Polar Companies
Even in adverse circumstances, social marketing is an excellent option to help the community and strengthen public perception of a company.
Venezuela is going through an economic and social crisis reported as one of the worst in history, which is why Empresas Polar decided to implement sports initiatives that dignify the lives of children, taking them away from the streets and bringing them closer to sports.
The Sports Development Center has attended close to a million and a half children from all over the country in sports clinics, training talks and national and international tournaments.
Happy McDay – Ronald McDonald Institute
It is promoted by the Ronald McDonald Institute to raise awareness about the fight against childhood cancer.
It is held annually and sales of the Big Mac hamburger on that day are donated to institutions that help children with cancer. It already has more than 20 editions.
Apply social marketing to support your marketing campaigns!
In this article we address the importance of social marketing and how brands and companies can influence the behavior of society.
As we already mentioned, social marketing does not focus on sales but on positively impacting society and coming out stronger.
Recognize the values of your company and your public, focus on a campaign and you will help society while strengthening the presence of your brand and enjoying more loyal customers.