You might think that customers are purely interested in what you can sell and what you can offer in your company. It’s a natural and somewhat understandable conclusion, but it’s far from correct. These days customers aren’t just interested in what you can offer them but rather, what you can offer to the world.
Over the past few years, we have seen the world online open up with exciting new possibilities including various social media networks. That has pulled back the curtains on what’s going on behind the scenes in a lot of companies, and it’s fair to say that some have fared better than others.
You might, for instance, have heard of GlassDoor. This is a rating site that has scores for 600,000 companies. Now you might be wondering what the issue is here because there are plenty of rating sites online. You might already be checking a few to make sure there are no bad reviews hurting your business.
But GlassDoor is different because it allows employees to review your company and post comments on how well they have been treating. While feedback like this will certainly impact the employees you attract, it’s also going to have an impact on buying customers. They might think twice about buying from a business that treats their employees poorly.
If you’re not on a site like this, you might think you have nothing to worry about. But glass window is also marketing term. It’s about showing a window inside your business and letting customers see the people behind it. Customers expect this these days and love to see happy, smiling employees that they can buy from.
This is just one example of how customers expect a lot more from your business. Let’s look at a few other possibilities.
Philanthropy
You would be amazed by how many startups on the market today have a philanthropic angle at the heart of their business model. Or, maybe you wouldn’t if you’ve been paying attention to the significance of consumer opinion. A startup based around philanthropy ensures goodwill, and indeed a positive buzz is built into your business from day one.
That’s useful, particularly if you are eagerly looking for investment money from crowdsourcing. A cause that will help the world will ensure that your business stands out on a competitive platform such as this.
It will also get you media attention which can help you build up your business brand and gain attention from various clients and consumers. You will expand your reach if customers see your business as focused on doing good. Of course, it would be cynical to suggest that philanthropic startups are designed to find success first and then expand. But it’s certainly not a bad marketing tactic.
If your business has already been on the market for some years, you won’t be able to benefit from a philanthropic cause built in. But, you can quite easily create one, build one and grow it out of your company. You might have noticed some businesses now encourage their customers to make donations when they purchase a product. This is clever for two reasons.
First, it highlights that the business is aware of issues in the world today and is attempting to be a positive force. Second, it doesn’t cost the company a dime and still makes you look great.
Of course, you can take things further. If you want to stay local, make sure that you reach out in the community. Sponsor a few different events, potentially helping finance them as well. Do this, and you’ll get the local support which can be highly beneficial if you are eager to make sure that you always have a solid group of customers backing your business.
You can even go further than this and set up your own nonprofit organisation. That is the definition of showing some skin and ensuring that customers see your business as more than just a machine for making money.
But, if you do this, you need to make sure that you go about it the right way. You’ll need legal advice on how to operate a nonprofit correctly. You’ll need to hire employees who will be able to manage this side of your business. You’ll need to building interest and attention which will require services for specialist marketing projects. You can learn more at ExploreInbound.com and similar sites. This will help ensure that your nonprofit is successful with both volunteers and donations. That’s important because failing at doing going, in the eyes of customers, can be worse than doing nothing at all.
Saving The Environment
Finally, you might want to think about setting your business up in a way that can help save the planet. That’s definitely a cause that is on a lot of minds these days and for good reason. A report recently suggested that we may only have a few decades before we start to experience serious consequence of climate change. Indeed, many experts suggest there is already evidence of this. As such, consumers are eager to find and indeed support the companies doing their part. However, thinking of staying green with allow you to stand out on the market. It will, however, keep you in the game as more businesses look for ways to save the planet.
This is particularly important for small business owners who will be able to position their company as a friendlier option to large conglomerates who care very little about the planet. For instance, smaller drinks producers could look a lot better than Coca-Cola who are believed to be responsible for countless tonnes of plastic waste. Recycling is a major point to focus on, but there are other areas.
For instance, it’s never a bad idea to think about renewable power and consider how you can set up this solution in your business model. These days it’s far easier to jump on the renewable bandwagon and solar panels can quickly be installed on your business property. You will have to consider the cost of this change though as it doesn’t come cheap. However, it will more or less pay for itself in several years.
We hope you see now how selling great products is no longer going to cut it when you’re trying to win new customers.
