All Posts By

Arisha Gwen Coleman

Arisha Gwen Coleman
In Bulbshare blog, Purpose, Uncategorized

How companies can promote social responsibility: What consumers really want from brands

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is how a company manages its actions to create a positive impact on its employees and the community. A study published on Frontiers in Psychology shows that CSR can improve brand equity and corporate reputation as it helps them establish trust and credibility. This gives businesses a sustainable competitive advantage over those that don’t prioritise CSR.

Making donations is a common way for companies to show social responsibility — however, this doens’t quite cut it any more. The goal of CSR is to involve everyone in your organisation to help earn the trust of consumers and other stakeholders. If you’re trying to think of ways to improve your business’s CSR, below are a few tips to consider…

Decide on a social mission

The first step to making your company more socially conscious is to establish a social mission. This is different from your vision and mission statements; this shows how your company will play an active role in helping the community. When creating your social mission, keep it simple and specific to make it attainable. Michael Wylie-Harris lists a few examples of brands that offer products and start initiatives and campaigns that give consumers an idea of what’s included in their social mission. For instance, Under Armour launched the ‘Unlike Any’ campaign in 2018, which was made to celebrate and support women in sports. Meanwhile, The Body Shop has made it a foundation of their brand to be against animal testing.

Make sure your story translates to executions

Being eco-friendly has become a way for businesses to stay relevant while also saving the planet. After all, Bulbshare’s customer communities show that 76% of people are now taking sustainability more seriously. Aside from growing their own food and using reusable face masks, this also means consumers will be supporting eco-conscious businesses.

One thing your company can do is utilise renewable energy, such as solar and wind energy. As seen on Hoymiles, there are companies that cater to businesses that want to switch to greener energy. If you’re looking for solar energy, for instance, you’ll need a solar power system that’s specially made to support a business rather than just a home, complete with power storage banks and inverters. The good news is that the UK Government is providing £235 million a year to fund low-carbon technology, which will help businesses take advantage of solar and wind energy.

Implement ethical labour practices

CSR isn’t only about what you do outside of your company — the job market is changing too, and employees and applicants alike now want a company that makes work sustainable as well. Thus, ethical labour practices – like ensuring your employees’ well-being and creating a safe and healthy work environment – will help you attract top talent and boost morale. You should offer competitive perks that will make employees feel valued.

Netflix, for instance, gives 52 weeks of paid paternal leave and employees can use this perk at any time during their child’s life. Ethical labour practices give your business a competitive edge, which also improves your brand confidence.

Train employees

You should educate your employees with regards to your company’s CSR as well as in terms of upskilling and reskilling. First, it’s important that you educate your employees about the issues your company wants to address, may it be going green or fighting racism, why you’re doing it, and how. The more your employees are involved in your cause, the better that consumers can feel that your company is taking your cause seriously. Meanwhile upskilling and reskilling employees are also a part of CSR. For one, we’re already in the ‘Age of Automation’, and not everyone has the skills needed to adjust — they run the risk of being left behind the times. Because of this, companies should help close the gap by investing in educational opportunities. For example, the Reply UK Technical Apprentice Programme, is helping those from disadvantaged backgrounds get a foot in the technology sector by offering a 16-week bootcamp.

Social responsibility is now a fundamental part of running a business. If you looking to improve your company’s CSR, we hope the above tips help.

Arisha Gwen Coleman
In Bulbshare blog, Uncategorized

Listening and learning: How to build your brand’s story with your customers in mind

Since the pandemic started, many businesses have struggled to keep up. However, for some disruptors, it has been an opportunity they eagerly seized. Sky News reports that 2020 saw a record number of startups, with over 407,510 businesses launching during the period. This comes after the announcement of government grants for businesses providing cash assistance from £6,000 to £18,000.

With so many new players in the business landscape, it is becoming increasingly important to find ways to stand out from the competition. You need a loyal client base. A study found that 96% of consumers identify customer experience as one of the biggest factors behind brand loyalty.

There are many ways to improve customer experience, but the best way to cultivate an experience your customers love is by listening to what they truly want. By promoting your consumer to co-architect of your brand, you ensure your brand message resonates with your audience. Here are just some of the ways you can listen and learn to do so with your customers in mind…

Listen to what your customer wants from your company

Customers are the most integral part of building a successful business – so it is important to cater to what they want and need.

By creating an online customer community in which you test creative concepts, pack designs and gather consumer insight, you find out what your consumer genuinely wants at every step of the journey. Inviting them in to analyse, design, and co-direct your company not only promotes their brand loyalty, it ensures you’re providing them with exactly what they’re after.

An example is by becoming more environmentally conscious. When 80% of the Bulbshare insight community say they care about sustainability, it’s important to listen to your consumer’s environmental concerns and act accordingly. Customers want to support brands whose ideals and advocacies align with their own.

Learn ways to simplify your brand’s message

Another thing you can do to cultivate your brand’s story is by simplifying it in a way that’s relatable to your customers. Marketing expert Donald Miller notes in his book ‘Building a Story Brand’ that creating an effective message doesn’t have to use flowery concepts or stupefying words. Creating a story that your audience can understand is what matters. It is a way to compel buyers to support your brand because they know what they are getting.

And what better way of understanding what your customer appreciates than by building always on customer communities?

The transparency these communities offer between customer and brand give a competitive edge through building trust, and customers feel reassured that they know exactly what your brand mission is. If they’ve had a hand in crafting that brand identity, even better.

Make sure your story translates to executions

Now you’ve co-created a brand story with your consumers that resonates, it’s time for action. Creating a meaningful brand means going beyond glib messaging. To become a successful brand storyteller, you shouldn’t just be talking the talk; you need to couple your story with action.

As always, the key to this is going beyond guesswork about what actions your consumers expect – you must ask them.

In a world where authenticity is rare, keeping it at the heart of your brand is critical. With 67% of consumers feeling skeptical about greenwashing, 55% feeling doubtful about brand motivations behind diversity in their marketing, and 71% believing social media marketing is becoming more sinister, it has never been so important to back up your words with action. Consumers are eagle-eyed to spot insincerity.

Forbes lists some of the practices your company can do to uphold the authenticity of your brand. For example, create a manual that employees should follow, taking the values of your business into account. As they are representatives of your company, it is important they uphold its beliefs and act accordingly. Additionally, Forbes notes that consistency is key. If your brand has certain goals and values already in place, make sure to stick to them as much as possible so it is known to the public and is authentic.

Creating an effective story for your brand is essential to creating a better experience for your customers. It is also a great way to connect to them and widen your brand’s reach. Use these tips to create something authentic and effective.

Close Menu