Social enterprise marketing should be approached the same as any business or organisation. Researching and understanding your target audience is key before beginning anything. Plus, the marketing tools and techniques are all the same. The only real difference is that your message will be unique as an organisation that puts social good above profits. Always consider your core values in your marketing but use the tools available to you. Here’s how.
Social Enterprise Marketing Strategy
There’s no one-size-fits-all regarding social enterprise; there are many different types. But, no matter the style or structure of the organisation, they are all mission-led. Owners and marketers involved in the social enterprise need to approach marketing with the same techniques as any corporation. This will allow them to grow and achieve their aims in a competitive marketplace.
Understand your audience & Research Your Market
As with all good marketing strategies, it starts with research. Before starting your enterprise, it’s likely you conducted research into your market and audience. Use this information and develop it further to truly understand your target customer or user. The most important questions you need to answer for a social enterprise are:
- Who is your target audience? What are their demographics, background and social identifiers? Where do they get their information from? What are their goals, values and desires and how does that relate to your enterprise’s offering?
- Why would they choose a social enterprise over a ‘regular’ business? Are they ethical consumers, invested in your cause, or is it simply for financial reasons?
- What is the competition like? Are there other organisations that provide the same services as you do? What are their weaknesses and strengths? How can you provide more than they are.
Once you understand your industry and potential customers, you can build marketing campaigns that are perfect for the audience. It’s about really understanding who will work with you, not just guessing.
Resources
Make your website streamlined
Social enterprises need to dedicate their time to making a terrific website. It’s the window into your organisation for most of your audience, so make it count. If you don’t have a website already, or it’s a little outdated, now is the time for a rebuild. You want your website to work and look amazing, it showcases professionalism and your expertise when you have a fantastic site.
- Functionality. Everything on your website must work; any friction in using the site will put people off. This includes ensuring every single internal and external link works, contact forms submissions are sent, any shop features are receiving orders and payments smoothly, and your users can navigate to every part of the site they need.
- Design. It’s got to look good. It’s not just about pretty colours and flashy images; a site’s design is about the whole user experience (UX). All the information should be easy to find and signposted for quick clicks. The visual elements should help not hinder users from finding information. Colourings and style should fit your brand to make the website instantly recognisable for your social enterprise.
- Content & Copy. Many hold social enterprises and non-profits to a higher standard than a corporation. Your content needs to be completely transparent, accurate and provide as much information as possible. Everyone questions why and how you are doing things as a social enterprise, so leave no stone unturned regarding your content and copy.
Resources
- Writing with inclusivity in mind
- Is my website design outdated? Six signs it’s time for a redesign
- Should I rebuild my website? 5 reasons it might be time
Explain Your Services in Detail
While on the topic of content and copy, ensure your services and products are explained to the nth degree. As the previous section says, many people expect a lot more from a social enterprise. So, you must make everything incredibly clear. Describing your services in detail can persuade users that they should choose you over a competitor. Here are some tips for writing service and product pages.
- Provide detail. Whether it’s about the ingredients list, service inclusions or how a process works, you need to cover every detail on one page. Not only will it help your readers understand your service, but it’s also great for social enterprise SEO.
- Answer their questions. An FAQ section is a must on service pages. It reduces friction for common questions and frees up the staff who customers may contact if they can’t find an answer. Any time you get a question about a service, it should be added to the page with the answer. Eventually, you will have an extensive list of FAQs which will streamline your lead process.
Resources
Use Social to engage
Social enterprise marketing should include social channels. When done correctly, social media marketing is the most effective way of building brand ambassadors, expanding your reach and building trust with your audience. Social enterprises need to invest in social media platforms, even if they are in traditionally corporate fields. There is no such thing as a boring product, only dull marketing campaigns, so now is the time to get creative.
Resources
- How to market boring products
- Conscious Campaigns: Who gives a crap – Marketing Boring Products
- What is influencer marketing
Discuss social enterprise marketing with Middleton Marketing
Get in touch if you’re a social enterprise looking to boost its audience and grow its mission. I offer ethical marketing consultancy and strategies for social enterprises, non-profits, charities and businesses that put ethics first. Check out my about page to learn about my ethical marketing ethos, and see my services page for a list of what we can work together on. Let’s grow your social enterprise together.