3 ways you can be socially responsible in your marketing and sales efforts in 2021

Support causes you genuinely care about

First things first, you’ll need to decide as a company what is important to you and the causes you want to support. This could be a cause that will help you maintain better working practises across the whole business, such as investing in biodegradable and recyclable packaging, or committing to only working with suppliers that can provide fair and safe working conditions for all of their employees.

If you want to support a specific charity, you could donate a specific number of profits from every sale across your entire store or a particular product range. Michele Scott-Lynch, founder of haircare brand Bouclème, for example, donated a £1 from every order in March to Malaika – an organisation that helps to transform the lives of girls in Sub Saharan Africa. Toms’ shoes, available to buy on Clearpay retailer ASOS, also invests a third of its profits in grassroots organisations that create change at local level.

Make it clear to customers what you stand for

Once you’ve decided on your key commitments, you need to make it really easy for both your online and in-store customers to find out more about them. If some of your profits are going towards a charity, for example, include this information with your product details and repeat it again at checkout. You can also include a note in their confirmation email and inside their package, offering more information about the cause and explaining how you’re supporting it.

In store, communicate this same information through informative signage that explains how you’re donating to a specific cause and why. You should also ensure your store staff are knowledgeable about your social responsibility commitments and can answer customers’ queries confidently and accurately.

Include social responsibility in your wider marketing messaging

On a wider scale, consumers are making a beeline for brands that they know are making efforts to be socially responsible, so try and get your message out far and wide. There are a few ways you can do this such as creating informative and inspiring editorial and blog content that tells customers more about your social aims and initiatives. Additionally, you should also use your social platforms to show customers what you’re about while updating them on any social commitments you have made. Interviews, videos and engagement posts are a great way to do this.

Brand podcasts are also another powerful medium that you can use to talk about your social commitments and even interview key people involved. Finally, let the wider media know more about your corporate identity and values with timely press releases that give real-time updates on your progress and successes.