The Basics of Conscious Digital Marketing
Congrats! As a conscious company, your story is more compelling than your mainstream competitors’. Your products and services improve lives, not only by solving everyday problems, but by making a bigger impact. Whether you give back, source sustainably, pay fair wages, or everything in between, your message matters. Because of your stellar ethos, your conscious digital marketing efforts may be more persuasive—or at the very least, more important to share—than your peers’.
But here’s the challenge: as a forward-thinking, ethical company, your prices might be higher than consumers are used to paying. Your job is to convince shoppers that you’re worth it.
Position yourself as a leader in both quality and according to your values. Showcase WHY people should spend more of their hard-earned cash for better ingredients, positive social impact, or more sustainable packaging.
Make your mark with conscious digital marketing. Through values-aligned content marketing, social media, website copy, and branding, you’ll be on your way to converting bystanders into fans.
Want to listen to more ideas about conscious marketing? Check out my Branding & Marketing playlist from the Purpose & Progress Podcast.
Values-Aligned Content Marketing
Content marketing for conscious companies packs a sales punch while toeing the line of activism.
Your values-based perspective gives you a unique place to stand in the broader market. It’s also a great way to position yourself apart (or dare I say, ahead) in a sea of competitors. Your stories will allow you to shine through all the market noise.
As a business, you’re ahead of the times (or going back to humankind’s roots—however you want to look at it). Focus on building a platform for education. No matter the medium, your content marketing gives you and like-minded people a pathway to inform others about issues that matter to you and your audience.
Reach potential and existing customers through all the “normal” routes.
Send regular emails that mix impact-focused content, values-based stories, and of course, promotions. Useful lead magnets or insider discounts are still a viable way to collect emails and grow your list.
Use longer blog posts as a way to connect through deeper stories from real users of your products or those affected by the issues you’re combating. Your blog is also a strong opportunity for educating customers. You can teach by sharing research from experts (or positioning yourself as an expert), and by writing tutorials that highlight your products in action. Blog posts are a natural avenue to brag as well, especially when references to your brand’s victories are subtle and the content simultaneously provides information, inspiration, or entertainment to the reader.
Audience-Centric Social Media
Social media is another powerful form of conscious digital marketing. This is the best way for you to leverage networks of advocates who will go to bat for you and your cause. While Facebook is an old standby (both Pages and Groups), Instagram is an obvious front-runner to reach most consumers, especially millennials.
Video—live, via Stories, and as a native post—are favored by the algorithm, as well as by many social users. Video can build trust and familiarity in ways photos and text fall short.
For better or worse, social media is increasingly becoming a pay-to-play game, so don’t disregard the power of well-targeted ads on the social platforms where your audience hangs out. Paid ads work particularly well for special campaigns and launches, especially if you have robust data to back up your targeting.
Whether you’re creating paid or organic posts, be strategic. Study your analytics to see which types of posts get the most engagement and on what days/times. Create a basic content calendar so you can schedule out posts with less hassle. Content planning helps establish consistency and allows for batching to manage your workload.
Consistency is key to pleasing the ever-changing algorithm. Aim to post once a week on any given platform and build up from there, but only as much as you’re able to maintain over time. For example, don’t post 5 times per week for 3 weeks, then fall off the bandwagon for 2 months. You will NOT be rewarded by the social powers that be.
Intentional Website Copy
Don’t overlook the power of an effective website. Luckily, you’re likely dealing with conscious consumers who are willing to do their own research. But make it easy for them. You want your copy to be clear and compelling.
Your website is where you can show all the benefits of your products, not only for the customer, but in terms of your social impact as well. The example from Blue Planet Eco-Eyewear below does a great job highlighting why someone should decide to buy from them over a traditional manufacturer.
In conjunction with on-point copywriting, you need to consider SEO. What are your ideal customers searching for? How can you fold those keywords naturally into your website copy and content marketing? Be sure to use synonyms and variations to cover all your bases. (I know a professional organizer who saw a massive difference in traffic between using organizer vs organizing on her site.)
And with any website, consider the user experience. Make sure your main pages are easily navigable. Guide the reader down each page with useful headlines. Make the experience seamless, and even enjoyable.
Especially for conscious companies, images can be powerful. If you can SHOW your impact, rather than just talking about it, all the better. Video can also serve as a tool to enhance your website, as long as it tells a story. Just don’t overuse video—this can slow down your load speeds and therefore your SEO ranking.
Branding
Your brand is more than your logo or color scheme. Although aesthetics are important, other aspects contribute to your brand and your overall vibe. Some elements to consider include your key messaging, brand voice, customer service experience, and how you live out your values online and in-person.
For any brand, cohesion is key. You should have the same general look, feel, and sound across all mediums. This includes your website, social media, email marketing, and other digital content. A solid brand still leaves space for agile adaptation. For example, you can choose to be more casual on Instagram Stories than in a more formal blog post, but neither should stray from your core brand elements.
Patagonia does a great job of staying consistent across their product offerings, website, and social media. Their mission, “We’re in business to save our home planet,” is represented loud and clear. They reflect and reinforce this mission by using images in and of nature paired with survival-related language, and by showcasing their environmental efforts. There is no confusion as you navigate from any of their digital marketing mediums who you’re interacting with.
Better Conscious Digital Marketing Campaigns
Just like building a conscious company, implementing conscious digital marketing takes work and intention. As with all marketing, you will likely need repeated exposure from a mixture of touchpoints before converting a casual viewer into a paying customer. Review what you want to stand for and how you want your customers to interact with your company and your impact. Then, dive into creating valuable content!
Tell me: What’s your favorite digital marketing medium? Where have you had the hardest time conveying your conscious mission?