Companies are now expected to be socially responsible by consumers who actively seek out organizations making a concerted effort to improve the world. The incorporation of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) into marketing strategies is a key factor in transparency for organizations, with 88% of consumers wanting to know about the company’s CSR efforts at the start of the customer journey. Another survey revealed that 87% of Americans will purchase a product from a brand that proactively promotes beliefs and values in sync with their own.
CSR practices aim to benefit society and often share added business benefits by better connecting to consumers, enticing future employees with a positive culture, and making the business more profitable through philanthropic practices. To promote their purpose or CSR strategy, companies need to gauge the audience’s viewpoints and effectively promote their CSR mission to engage the audience.
One method organizations have employed is to link the efforts of their marketing and human resources teams to implement internal change that matters to employees. Utilizing company leaders to generate shareable content is another method, giving the brand an authentic voice while conveying the focus on social responsibility and the efforts being made. Such self-promotion must be genuine and have actual backing to establish a connection with the audience. For more information on aligning CSR and marketing strategies, refer to the accompanying resource.