I recently presented this topic to my colleagues at the Oakville Networking group, and they found it very informative and helpful, so I thought I would repurpose it and share it with you – not to mention it’s a long overdue blog post for us at Sydcam! Here is Part 2 of a two part series on this topic.
Social Responsibility
Of the many hot ‘buzz’ words in the 21st century, arguably none is bigger than corporate social responsibility (CSR). With all the corporate wrongdoings by both individuals and groups such as Bernie Madoff, WorldCom and Lehman Brothers, is there any doubt why the issue of CSR is so prominent today? Clearly, there is a need for businesses to be more ethical and accountable. Brands that can legitimately represent CSR values can build brand equity and value through these actions. Those that can’t will likely be the next businesses under Chapter 11.
Social Consciousness
Employing socially responsible business practices is nothing new. As many of us know, companies like Ben and Jerry’s and The Body Shop have been doing this for over a decade. Where the tide has shifted however is in the attention given to this area of business. Once considered a novelty and a “nice to have”, today the public considers socially responsible business practices a requirement, part of the rules of engagement in business. Anything less is considered a failure and a symbol of irresponsible management.
What does this all mean for small business?
While many small business owners may look at this development as a daunting one to take on, one could argue the complete opposite. This is very much a “glass is half full” scenario, where this “social” movement can enable small business marketers to position their clients in a way that would have been virtually impossible even 15 years ago.
This so called ‘social’ movement has enabled small businesses to differentiate themselves and stand out from the crowd. Smaller companies have the benefit of being more nimble and community focused, and thus better able to use these attributes to leverage the local market and beyond with their social purpose and mission. In the end, it’s all about making a difference and a statement about what your business stands for.
The Social Movement
The evolution of social consciousness has created a number of opportunities for marketers of all types of companies, small, medium, large, for profit and non-for-profit. But to embrace this phenomenon requires a completely different perspective than in the past: marketers need to consciously develop a social element to their client’s marketing that becomes an integral part of their brand, mission and values.
 "Pin It")
