One of the major shifts in marketing that was readily apparent in many of the Super Bowl commercials is creating an emotional connection with the audience.
How one feels about your business brand is memorable, because it takes meaningful content to create that feeling.
Big brands are embracing purpose driven marketing because it’s proving to be a powerful differentiator in crowded markets, and for good reason.
Marketing Purpose Comes from Within
The reason purpose works to differentiate marketing is it’s not an idea created for a marketing campaign. It’s personal to the business; and it comes from within.
If you are a meditation or yoga practitioner you know these disciplines bring your attention inward, thereby liberating your most authentic qualities. When you focus on understanding yourself, you are then better equipped to help others.
The same holds for true for business.
You and your team have to do a self-inquiry to determine that one special and often personal human quality about your business that will resonate with your community.
The key is recognizing purpose isn’t a business quality, it’s personal.
Would you like some examples? Online retailer Zappos is known for having fun. Whole Foods cares about the local community. These are not business qualities. They are personal or social qualities that are part of the business culture.
The Authentic Truth Resonates with Customers
It is important not to overthink this. Your purpose doesn’t have to be overly unique, but it must be true.”
What’s true about your business that is somehow not being reflected in your marketing?
The authentic truth about a business always resonates with customers because it’s built into the fabric of the organization.
One of the advantages of embracing purpose driven marketing is that is unifies your marketing, sales, and customer service efforts. This instantly simplifies your social media marketing efforts, while also helping to better leverage the unique qualities of each respective social channel.
What’s exciting about purpose driven marketing is that singular focus provides clarity that simplifies, and that’s essential in our increasingly complex digital world.
Thus, it’s not surprising that a recent article in Advertising Age made a bold claim about purpose driven marketing: “This is the future of the industry.”
How does your business want its customers to feel?
About the Author: Jeff Korhan, MBA, is the author of Built-In Social: Essential Social Marketing Practices for Every Small Business – (Wiley 2013)
He helps mainstream businesses adapt their traditional growth practices to a digital world. Connect with Jeff on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.
