In today’s competitive business environment, grabbing consumer attention has become more challenging than ever. Most businesses use digital marketing, social media and SEO to expand their market share. Unfortunately, these conventional marketing tactics are no longer working; you have to invest time in something meaningful. Various brands are now focusing on building an emotional connection with their customers rather than providing a false gimmick to sell their products.
Did you notice that all multi-national organizations are keen on promoting socially responsible behavior and ethical practices? With increasing environmental concerns and awareness, people are moving towards eco-friendly practices.
How about you do the same for your company? Boasting the socially responsible side of the business is an incredible way to develop relationships with customers. It enhances your brand image while oiling the sales machine.
Corporate social responsibility – CSR has become a marketing channel for powerful businesses. Companies that are adopting the green initiative help them reach the desired audience more quickly and innovatively. Instead of limiting your brand to a specific group of consumers, you should focus on building a connection by weaving the brand message of common goals. If you find it challenging to incorporate CSR in your business operations, then we have something for you.
Here are the seven fascinating ways to incorporate CSR in your business:
1. Refrain From Greenwashing Your Business
Some companies go after CSR to follow the trends, projecting a false brand image to the audience. It is all about pretending to care about the environment, whereas you still dump waste in the river. Unsurprisingly, this is not how CSR works; you have to practice what you preach. At the same time, stay away from advertisements that are manipulative or are harmful to society.
Gillette started a campaign on ‘best a man can get’ – this ad received more dislikes than likes due to its stereotypical remarks on masculinity. Similarly, people boycotted Marlboro as they designed a campaign to target young customers. These bad corporate social responsibility examples can help you understand the damage greenwashing can do to a business.
2. Align CSR To Business Strategy
All the CSR initiatives should connect to your core business goals and strategies. You have to focus on making a difference and play your part in aligning the business strategy with more ethical and socially responsible practices. For instance, if you own a food chain – take initiatives to reduce food wastage.
Moreover, you can take initiatives to collaborate with a public trust or a charity organization and help in providing food and essentials to the homeless and orphans. Likewise, you can create a code of ethics to outline employee conduct on the environment, eco-friendly practices, respect, and customer service.
After all, incorporating CSR into the business model is the most organic approach.
3. Adopt Eco-Friendly Practices
Unlike large corporations or multi-national companies, you do not have to do something extraordinary to show social responsibility. Small gestures and trivial changes are enough to make a difference.
The following are how you can be more eco-friendly:
• Switch to biodegradable products, considering the harmful effects of plastic.
• Go paperless to stop deforestation as technology provides plenty of alternate options.
• Use eco-friendly cleaning products that are free form the chemicals.
• Ban plastic bottles in the workplace and encourage workers to drink water in reusable containers.
4. Follow Workplace Health And Safety Program
Change begins from home, and this also applies to workplaces. When you move towards socially responsible practices, you have to keep your employees on the same page. Therefore, create a workplace that adheres to health and safety practices to establish reliable systems. It protects your employees from accidents and prevents injuries. Consumers also appreciate companies who care for their employees, reflecting a positive brand image. Alongside this, it ensures compliance with government legislation on health and safety standards.
5. Identify Potential Projects
With on-going business operations, it becomes arduous to delve into additional projects. Thus, take out some time and start participating in CSR projects. These projects can become a living example of CSR values you are trying to promote. However, it is essential to opt for the right opportunity, which becomes possible through networking, researching, and studying available initiatives. If you own a construction company, consider building home for refugees or community gardens. Similarly, if you own a school, offer evening programs for less privileged ones to get equal opportunity to complete their degree.
6. Open Yourself To Collaborations
There could not be anything better than joining hands with other brands to support a good cause. You can take inspiration from global players and learn how to make things work. Usually, brands are targeting talent who firmly believes in CSR, explicitly millennials. They actively participate in activities where they can make a difference, supporting brands with their initiatives. How about you give it a shot? It does not have to be complicated – for instance, start giving seeds with every order to promote plantation.
7. Establish Charities, Rewards, And Bonuses
It is no secret that charity makes us feel happy and gives a sense of accomplishment. Feel free to bring these feelings into your workplace by making your business more socially conscious. If you own a restaurant or a physical store – keep a donation box on the billing counter. You can allocate that box for orphanage donations, providing free food, or for helping cancer patients. Similarly, you can give out a percentage of your sales on these charities and encourage employees to do the same.
CSR Conclusion
Usually, most companies jump onto the CSR bandwagon without any thorough research and knowledge. And soon, these companies fail to comply with socially responsible standards. Avoid hastening your decision and back up your practices with in-depth study and long-term commitment. Listen to the consumers across all channels as their feedback can help you shape up your CSR strategy. It gives you an understanding of what matters to people, allowing you to integrate CSR into the business model flawlessly. Hopefully, with the ways mentioned above, your business can also become successful in implementing CSR in the work operations.
