Are Special Interest Initiatives Really Advantageous to Your Business?
I answer a lot of marketing questionnaires. Not because I want 50 points at MyPoints or eMiles, but because I want to know what major brands are asking their potential customers. By the 4th or 5th question, it's usually pretty easy to figure out who's asking the questions. I see some trends:
- Financial institutions (banks, credit card companies, investment houses) are asking whether you're more or less likely to think well of them, recommend them, and do business with them if they donate to NPOs
- Vehicle manufacturers want to know if you'll buy their car if they are perceive to be a green initiative supporter
- Retailers want to know if you'll buy your next pair of slacks from them if they donate to environmentally focused NGOs
I don't know about you, but it feels dirty. Downright filthy, actually. If you do the right thing, of course I'll think better of you than if you are a money-grubbing rotter. But if you ask me whether I'm going to buy something from you because you're doing 'good deeds', you're just buying my business. Your donation is a just an advertising expense. Excuse me now, please. I have to go wash this slime off my hands.
Don't get me wrong. I am a firm believer in doing well by doing good. At SEOmoz, we donate time for pro-bono work and have done so since long before we could "afford" to do so. I make personal and corporate donations to causes I think are worthwhile. As a consumer of SEOmoz goods and services, you'll find less than a handful of mentions of one of those pro bono services in relevant blog posts.
Now I don't want to go around trumpeting and wearing a halo. I do want to make a point about the difference between going green and being a responsible corporate citizen and headlines written by marketing departments to prop up otherwise reprehensible practices that rightfully tarnish reputations.
Here's the thing: I know you're the kind of person who goes all out for what you believe in, with all your heart and all your strength. How do I know? You're reading this post! You're an entrepreneur. You've already put your money and reputation on the line to achieve your vision of building your own company. If part of your vision is doing something important with your money beyond buying a Jaguar, then you're either already doing that or you're looking forward to the day when you can.
Yes, I'm encouraging you to think larger than your personal wealth and do good things with your money. I'm also encouraging you share that donation or support with your customers because it makes you human, defines your priorities, and promotes transparency in your business practices. But, if you believe that people are going to buy more from you because you commercialize a donation, rather than share your devotion and commitment to a purpose you believe in, you're sadly mistaken.
Corporate responsibility comes from the top – from you. Decide what you stand for and support it all the way. Share your vision as you would with any colleague; keep private the things that you don't feel comfortable sharing. You know where to draw the line. Don't let an ad agency pressure you into anything else. Do the right thing. Always and in all things. Trust me: success will follow without turning your commitment to environmentally sound practices or financial support of NPOs into an ad campaign.
Here's to being a responsible entrepreneur! It's an honor to count you as my colleagues and friend.
Gillian Muessig
CEO Coach
President / Co-founder SEOmoz
Join the Discussion
- February 10, 2011
Amen and Amen!
- February 11, 2011
We got a rare chance to do a case study when a new dropshipper came on and we built 4 Miva stores all using this dropshipper.
One client used NPO marketing (had nothing to do with green) by getting NPO keywords into their domain and company name. They immediately started outselling the other 3 and after 1 year had 3 times the sales of the other 3 combined (according to their Analytics reports). Extremely powerful stuff.
We now recommend NPO marketing for clients where the client is already supportive of the cause.
It’s simple proactive fundraising for the cause that consumers are eager to reward. Merchants should rightly be proud of this kind of work.
I agree with you that merchants should not use public opinion polls to decide which NPO to exploit.
- February 15, 2011
I don’t agree. So what the reason and the how you get someone to support a cause. The cause gets supported, and some causes actually come up with value for people for the money they beg for (Girl Scouts for example). Here’s another way of looking at it - in your formation of a moral conscious, you initially do something or not do something because mommy wants you to, or will spank you if you don’t. You don’t really care about the rules. Later on, you develop discipline and understanding as a part of who you are. I was a part of a 100 year old company whom as individuals and as a company, we played a significant role in supporting the poor as a community. Initially as a company our customers would have noticed, and I’m sure that’s how it got started, but in today’s distribution the customers are completely unaware. And so I suggest getting off of your high horse and judging the motives of others. It’s ACTIONS that count, not Words. Kindof like politics isn’t it?
- February 15, 2011
Hi Dave,
I hear you. I think I didn’t do a good job of making my point. I think it’s a great idea - even a corporate obligation - to support NPOs. What troubles me is that (as an example) a bank will send out a questionnaire asking whether people will consider using their banking services if they support - and advertise that they contribute to - an NPO. The idea that the bank will only make such a donation if it increases sales is somehow repugnant.But I see your point, too. If that’s what it takes for a company to get started in becoming a good corporate citizen, perhaps we should simply let time takes its course. I think you’re saying that in time, the corporation (and perhaps the individuals who work there, too) will continue to support NPOs without considering whether it increases sales. And if that’s so, I have to agree with you - it doesn’t matter how things get started, no matter how distasteful it appears initially. It only matters that worthy NPOs get funded. We shouldn’t worry about why.
- February 16, 2011
That clears it up Gillian. We might even get more specific and discuss whether the NPO money must be given to the corporation or if the money goes directly to the NPO. One may well question if there is a corporate profit taken from a donation to an NPO.
The NPO marketing we do for our clients is of the direct donation type. We publicize the NPO, provide photos, videos and links to the NPO website. We don’t require the public to make a purchase to support the NPO. Yes, we exploit NPO keywords to drive organic search traffic and conversions.
The most successful stores we’ve done this way sell products that NPO supporters use. We’ve also done some where the product line has a more tenuous connection to the NPO. We have one that sells some products handcrafted by the people the NPO helps.
When planning an NPO campaign use your imagination. There’s lots of high quality ways to support the NPO while increasing sales and customer loyalty.
- February 16, 2011
Steve -
With that last sentence, I think you hit the nail on the head: there are high quality ways to support NPOs and there are ways that leave a slimy film behind, as there are in all things.
I think we both support doing well by doing good. And we both support doing it with dignity, some transparency and certainly ethically.
Thanks for weighing in here! It made the conversation very interesting.
