Social movements abound and continue to dominate mainstream news and social media. People are more socially aware than ever, and customers and clients are looking to align themselves with like-minded people and companies. Clients not only want to know what your stance is, but they will also use it as a driving force to give you more or less business. Why? Because people do business with people they like. According to a Nielsen study, 81% of the millennial respondents expected their preferred companies to make public declarations of corporate citizenship. In another survey, 87% of those polled supported a brand that advocated for an issue they cared about.
While it is essential to determine when it is appropriate for your brand to speak up, executives have an opportunity to be thought leaders without ruffling anyone’s feathers. They can create content that speaks to their alignment with social issues that gather a great deal of attention. Your website, social media, e-blasts, and media partnerships provide a great platform to explain your position. It is a little scary for some leaders and companies to do this, but if you want to carve out a target audience and win more work, you have to put your values out there and stand by them. Since many of these issues help drive search traffic, a campaign around a topic that your company is passionate about will bring you a good bit more exposure.
Here are three things to consider as you grow your business:
- Decide as an organization what social issues are important to you and identify your stance.
- Craft specific messaging about your stance and share the guidelines about how to use it.
- Decide what platforms you will use to reach the public.
So, take a stance for one or more issues that you believe in, and you’ll likely find loyal customers lining up to work with you.