Social Marketing
A marketing strategies checklist will not be complete if it is just centered on the improvement of the business and its operations. It is important for companies and small establishments to understand that they are also responsible in promoting an advocacy that can better the lives of people who trust their brand. Social marketing is the type of marketing activity that does not only focus on giving benefits to the business but also to the society. There are several strategies, processes and undertakings that are essential to be implemented to ensure the success of social marketing. A few of the mostly implemented social marketing examples are listed below.
1. Usage of Recycled Products
Recycled products can come in various compositions and forms. The usage of recycled products as a part of your brand promise to social marketing should depend on the operations of your business and the demands of the nature of your company. You may also see marketing emails.
If you want to use social marketing strategies through the development of products, marketing tools, and other items from recycled materials, then here are some ways on how you can do so:
- Be guided by the standards of social marketing strategies that focuses on recycling.
- Put emphasis on how you have used recycled items in your products
- Develop an advocacy that will help you engage your customers in protecting the ozone layer by buying your products which parts are made from recycled and environmental-friendly materials.
- Specify the recycled materials that you are working with and identify how they have become a part of your offering. You may also see marketing campaign
- Market your business as a corporate entity that is nature-friendly, which should be based on your real approach with regards the matter in relation to its long-term effect to the community and the society. You may also see internet marketing.
2. Eco-Friendly Marketing Strategies
Since social marketing targets the achievement of long term benefits for the society, most business try to develop marketing strategies and activities that are eco-friendly. Though it is not always the case when executing social marketing undertakings, being eco-friendly can help the society to have more awareness about the issue of taking care of the environment.
Some of the popular eco-friendly marketing strategies include the usage of recycled materials for marketing paraphernalia and developing campaigns that generate sales to be used for supporting programs related to environmental care. You may also see top marketing trends.
For eco-friendly marketing to come full circle, it is necessary for establishments to keep in mind that using recycled materials when developing products is not the only way on how you can promote environmental support. You can also make operational changes that will allow you to lessen the waste of your companies or you can develop operational guidelines that strictly emphasizes the importance of social marketing execution as one of your end goals. You may also see marketing segmentation
3. Product Marketing Using Local Sources
Local sources do not only imply to businesses that are considered as local start ups. This also includes the products that a particular location within the country is known for. It is very important for product marketing to include local sources as double promotion can be done– one for the brand of your business, and another for the local sources where you have resourced your raw materials. You may also see relationship marketing
Product marketing can be more sustainable if more businesses can benefit from the transaction. A marketing strategies checklist can help you within the implementation of this process. The support for local brands, products and services is a great way to promote the following:
- The equitable transaction exchanges which can make industries more intact and businesses more aware of how they can help one another
- The effective implementation of social approaches especially those that involve a variety of market niches
- The positive effect of social marketing in local businesses as well as to the other local entities You may also see guerrilla marketing
- The efficient enhancement of sustainable marketing through the support of local sources
- The development of the well-being of the society especially those that are within the scope of the local sources’ vicinity
4. Cause-Centered Marketing
Social marketing does not only focus on brand marketing. It provides consciousness and awareness with regards the benefits of business operations to the society. As a marketing concept, it should be included in the actual marketing plan that the business will use. One of the strategies involved in social marketing is the development of cause-centered activities.
Cause-centered marketing can be achieved if the entirety of the society is involved in the business plan of the company. It is important to remember that continuously helping those who are in need can impact the society for a long time. Some marketing activities related to this matter include offering a product for a price of two, then donating half of the proceeds or sales to charity. You may also see retail marketing
5. Organic Product Promotion
If a company supports eco-friendly businesses like local farms as a part of its social marketing programs, then it is most likely that this company also provides organic products to its customers. The social structure of the community can be affected if businesses will focus on helping one another select healthier options. You may also see market analysis.
Organic product promotion depends on the products of the business. This is most likely to occur if an establishment offers food items and other perishable goods. Though using organic products as ingredients or as a part of a product mixture is simple, it can still impact the health of consumers positively which is why it is included in the marketing strategies of many companies. You may also see email marketing trends.
6. Corporate Social Responsibility Programs
If the social marketing activities of the business is effective, then more people can benefit from its operations. There are considerations that are necessary to be done especially with regards the corporate social responsibility programs that the business would like to implement. These considerations include social regulations, ethical guidelines and the like. You may also see video marketing
There are different CSR programs that businesses can come up with. Since corporate social responsibility is very much aligned to social marketing, then these two processes work hand in hand to support the business while championing the social advocacy that it cares for.
7. Usage of Green Raw Materials
Since social marketing targets the improvement of social norms and business processes towards a more positive societal engagement, using raw materials that are considered ‘green’ is a great way to implement certain marketing activities. You may also see mobile marketing statistics
Green raw materials are those that are not harmful to the environment. Most of these raw materials are harvested or gathered in the most natural way possible so that they will not affect customers negatively in relation to the usage of chemicals and toxic materials. Using this type of materials is recommended as it achieves the goals of social marketing which are as follows:
- To protect the community from possible harm
- To spread awareness on the long-term benefits of taking care of the environment
- To incorporate social marketing metrics in the marketing activities of the business
8. Consumer Health Awareness
A business transaction is not a one way process. If you want your business to thrive in the industry, you have to ensure that consumer health is one of your top priorities. Social marketing includes consumer health awareness in one of its clauses. It is very important for companies to ensure that the products that they will come up with are created with the safety and security of the health of the society in mind. If this is done in this manner, then a company has already achieved the following:
- Providing the needs of the society in terms of health awareness
- Promoting the long-term advantages and benefits of the product to the society
- Sustaining the needs of the business especially in relation to sales
If you want to give highlights on your consumer health awareness programs, some ways on how you can do so include the following:
- Avoid using chemicals and other harmful ingredients in your products
- Lessen the additives that you will include in your product content
- Market ingredients or products that are organic
- Spread awareness on the effects of products that are not safe for the consumers’ health
- Create marketing campaigns that can showcase your concern to the overall health of your target audience
9. Local Business Support
A great way to practice social marketing is by supporting local businesses. If you want other businesses, especially those with a smaller scope of operations compared to your company, to thrive then allowing them to showcase the quality of their products through your offerings is a great way to establish a harmonious business to business relationship. You may also see social media marketing
Instead of importing products from other suppliers, why not use quality offerings of local businesses especially if they are relevant to the products and/or services that you provide your clients with? Local business support is very important as it allows the presence of the following to be realized:
- The promotion of a professional relationship which can make the customers and/or clients of businesses to trust the products and image of the company where their trusted brand is associated with
- The exploration of business possibilities among establishments in the same market place
- The development of innovation when it comes to marketing two businesses and/or products at the same time
- The creation of a social framework that can be the reference of other businesses. You may also see marketing brochure
- The improvement of the support system in the industries especially for startup local businesses and social entrepreneurs who need help in terms of market exposure
10. Customer Engagement
Consumer engagement or relationship marketing is a marketing strategy that allows the establishment of a strong business-to-consumer marketing relationship to exist. Aside from the benefits that it can provide to the clients, customer engagement can also give these benefits to the business:
- It allows the company to align its social objectives with the orientation of their customers
- It helps gives specification on the kind of audience that the company would like to reach
- It analyzes the social needs of the community which serves as the target market of the business
- It improves the impacts and positive effects of the social message of the company
- It makes the planning, usage and assessment of effective communication channels for social programs to be easier
Through customer engagement, there will be a more efficient process of implementing social marketing activities since the business already taps the community to whom the entire program is for. With proper implementation, customer engagement can help companies a lot especially when it comes to the incorporation of the recommendations and comments of customers to the operations and actions of the business. You may also see marketing business cards
Social marketing is a great way to give importance to certain social needs and issues. If a company willingly supports this kind of marketing undertaking, then customers can see the qualities of the business aside from the products and/or services that it offer. The long-term good of the society is essential to be looked into as businesses will not thrive without the support not only of their customers but also of their suppliers and all the other people who also has the same concern with the society where they belong. You may also see postcard marketing
With societal considerations, the company can have a more favorable response in the market place. This means that buying their products can be more desirable especially when social marketing can expose the desire of the business to help the society and not only to gain sales. You may also see content marketing.