What is the mission of your business? How does it impact the world? And, more importantly, how can you reflect these values on social media?
There’s a new breed of business, where the triple-bottom-line baked into the business from the outset: where their impact on the society and the planet is inherently tied in with their products or services. This means that their values are front and centre. There’s no ‘greenwashing’, or logos changing colour simply to appeal to a specific market: they live those values day in and day out from design.
Despite these businesses having a social or environmental impact at their centre, it can still be a challenge to talk about their values and mission in an authentic way on social media. So, here are a few examples of how you can do it.
Here are my favourite examples of other businesses are nailing it.
Related: How To Create Instagram Stories For Your Business
Show the why
Purpose-based businesses are driven to address a particular environmental or social problem, in addition to being a financially viable business. Creating content which shows the motivation for why your business exists is a simple, and effective way of helping customers connect with your business.
Show the impact
How is your business impacting the world? Whether it’s data, testimonials or case studies, create content that shows not just that they will get a rad product, but that the purchase also makes a positive impact on the world at the same time.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CWZkQp0h5wu/
Practise what you preach
A lot of the time, a purpose-based business is on a mission to impact the world in a specific way. If you’re a company that saves fabric from landfill to make new products, it makes sense that you’re an environmentally conscious business. In this vein, it helps to show that you’re trying to live those values in every aspect of your business, for example, using recycled packaging or powering your office with solar power.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CeDM_XVpnK9/
Start a movement
Similarly, if your business stands for a specific cause, become a facilitator for that cause. People don’t just need to use your product or service to make an impact with that issue – but it’s one thing they can do to take a step in the right direction. Creating content which shows them other ways for them to engage with that goal is another way to reflect your values.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CWuDI1pL4o0/
Your product is unique
For many purpose-based businesses, what they are doing is unique due to it’s mission — and that’s it’s unique selling point. If you’re creating slow fashion, or upcycled products or saving ‘ugly’ vegetables from landfill, your product might take longer to deliver, it might not look the same as in the photo. But that’s the point. It’s for those reasons that people buy your product: so celebrate it.
Put your money where your mouth is
Not all businesses are designed to impact every cause, but a simple way to support other causes your business is passionate about is by making a donation. Putting the cause front-and-centre, rather than talking about your financial contribution, is a strong approach which puts the issue to the forefront. Nice one.
Recap
If you’re a purpose-based business, or a business looking to better reflect your company values or culture, there are a lot of ways you can go about it.
You can talk about your business mission, show the results or impact of your work, show off how you’re taking steps on a daily basis towards that impact, make that impact part of your unique selling point or story, or simply donate toward those important causes.
If you’re a purpose-based business and you’d like a hand with your digital marketing, please get in touch. I’d love to help you share your message, and mission, with the world.
Blog published in 2020, updated in 2022.
Want to work with Rachel?
Rachel Beaney is a writer and social media content specialist, helping businesses connect with their audiences. She’s worked with local, national and global companies, in addition to not-for-profits and government bodies. She loves helping businesses tell their stories with creative and data-driven solutions.
She is based in Sydney, Australia.
Want to work together? Rachel would love to hear from you. Get in touch today.
Love to talk all things digital and social? Join my Facebook community, Bean Social