Mostly, we follow in the footsteps of celebrities and imbibe their actions and lifestyle into our lives as well. But nowadays, not only public figures but also brands and social campaigns are responsible for enhancing our behaviors. It is never like we follow them all implicitly but analyze the importance of the situation or an issue, and then comply with it. Nowadays, more than public figures, many brands have taken their toll on our buying decisions. As people are valuing sustainability in their daily lives, they expect their trusted brands to abide by the same guidelines. Not only sustainability but also supporting a social cause as a brand and conjecturing it is crucial. However, there are some ground rules to extend your support as a brand. Merely using social campaigns for marketing can be a risky business move. But when administered correctly, brands can make a real difference to the genesis. 

In this blog, you would come to know how associating with a social cause can benefit your brand. You will also learn to magnify your business in an effective and meaningful manner.

Why support a social cause?

• According to a survey conducted in 2019, mission-oriented brands are preferred by 74% of consumers and clients as they support a common belief.
• Supporting a social cause would also benefit the workplace and its standards. It was stated that 87% of employees are in favor that a business should bolster global issues.
• But, brands should take honest and genuine efforts to approach people. If the efforts seem to be deceptive, then the initiative would suffer a heavy setback. Their corporate life should also depict these values in their diligences.

Social Media to support a social cause

• Many brands have come up with thought-provoking marketing strategies through social media or their websites. And with this rising trend, people are supporting the brand and aligning with it.

• Social media is a platform that has drastically transformed from a networking model to a place where people can be vocal and take a stand for their beliefs and opinions. 

Brands have taken these platforms as a median to connect with their consumers and inspire them in the movement. This is one of the prime strategies for brands to withhold their positions in the business world and to convey their ideas. Many platforms are helpful in brand development and manoeuvring strategies such as– FaceBook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Snapchat, etc.

Here are some tips to comprehend these social media as a ground for your brand.

Authenticity First

• Authenticity at first may seem to be a hashtag on Instagram, but always remember while socializing a campaign with your brand, it is necessary to pull genuine and earnest efforts.
• When a PR team designs a plan, it is necessary to realize the reason why your brand is supporting a cause. It should not seem as imbibed forcefully, which would yield desired followers and results to the brand. When the brand is inevitably associated with some goal, then it is easier to buzz with similar consumers and support at all intervals.
• For example, Adidas, an original sports brand, is spreading its sustainable efforts to create awareness on sustainability. 
• The brand itself is educating and inspiring its consumers in its mission to a sustainable supply chain. As it is rightly said, ‘Practice what you preach’ to replicate these efforts in the workplace, it has banned plastic in its offices and factory outlets. 
• Their motive is to use the plastic waste recovered from the oceans as a raw material to manufacture shoes and clothing. To target a large sum of consumers it is engaging with athletes and their own brand ambassadors to support their message.
• All their products reflect an environmental stance with the selection of the raw materials to zero-waste post-production techniques. 
• One of the integral parts in supporting a cause is to have ‘evidence or receipts’ that advocate your mission is essential in global development. 

Draw the Local Voices in the Community 

• Starting a movement in the course of development isn’t just about the strategies used by the brand, but to provide a platform with a vocal base to the voices associated with it. 
• The most interactive trick is to leverage user-generated content (UGC) to gain more followers and buyers for your brand. A study conducted by TurnToNetworks found that 90% of the consumers can be persuaded by user-generated content. 
• You can introduce particular hashtags for your mission through which the users can contribute their story on a media platform. These stories can then, be featured on the brand’s website or social media page. By using these features it shows that the brand is affectionate to its viewers. It also encourages new stances to boost its mission.
• This also brings new and honest perspectives to your mission. When a particular brand user shares his story, it gives a profound meaning to the social cause. Moreover, it does not look framed. 
• For example, the 2018 Global Climate Action Summit conducted by the UN Foundation; it created a campaign for the environmentally friendly Instagram users. It was in order to share their first-hand experiences of climate change and the solutions they implemented for the same. Although this campaign had 2500 posts, it almost connected to around 4 million people on social media.
• A small tip to stash all the stories and posts generated from the maneuver ; There are particular UGC tools that naturally stack these posts into one dashboard along with its user handle. 

Also read – How Does The Instagram Algorithm Work?

Stop publicizing and work for a change. 

• When running a mission, the ultimate goal should be to work for a better change; not to publicize your brand to gain new followers.
• You can drive momentum to your initiatives via Instagram marketing, fundraisers, new hiring policies, etc. 
• Not everything that a brand conducts, should be publicized. For example, the brand should initiate in-house social-cause fundraisers and charity programs. These fundraising programs can also be conducted on social media such as Instagram. They are raised through monetary contributions for NGO’s and other charitable trusts.
• Instagram allows you to post details about your mission and gain user preferences. There are other media platforms such as Pinterest, TikTok, Youtube. etc. through which you can dig deeper abut your motives via story telling or conducting a quiz.
• Always remember the bottom line in developing a mission to build an environment with a communal goal; and not a brand that is only into fashion.

Connect with your Community

• When a brand is introducing its value and ideals, it becomes difficult to reflect them in all your actions. 
• When you publicize your brand and its mission, it becomes necessary that you connect with the users and respond to their queries. As a brand to support a cause and gain more consumers, you must connect with your audience at a social level where even others can know about your methods and learn something from it. Responding to people on your movement is essential because it seems that you are genuinely concerned about the issue and their opinions on the same.
• This should not only be for the viewers but also for the in-house changes that the brand develops through the phases.
• Always remember branding your content is 2-way Street that goes beyond your movement. 
• For example, many brands have supported the Black Lives Matter movement by including the anti-racism policies and solutions but have faced insightful criticism. Yet, they have responded to these challenges with utter dignity and faith that they would bring a change to build a better community.

Plan your Moves and Feeds

• When you create momentary operations, they have short-lived results. Thus it is necessary to have a long-term plan. The existing social causes in communities can combat only with a long-term strategy. Hence, you should plans campaigns accordingly like a year and beyond.
• Efforts for only a fix period appear as a symbol for taking things as granted for their own benefits. 
• You can either create a content calendar by creating bookmarks in your calendar or plan your feeds by using social media planning tools to design your activities further.
• Striving efforts for the development of the community cannot yield results overnight. It’s a long term process that goes beyond a single post and hashtag campaign. It needs awareness amongst the users and consequently implicating these efforts in everyday lives.
• For example, when you brand campaigns for a coveted issue like climate change. They can arrange multiple campaigns that are collaboratively effective. 

These were some of the helpful tips to influence your brand with social media and support a social cause. These would evidently help to build a better community for an important cause. Let us know in the comment section how these tips were helpful . Also share with us the campaigns and efforts behind it.