Purpose should absolutely be at the core of a social enterprise’s brand identity, but a brand is more than purpose alone.
What is a brand? One definition states that it is: “…the unique identity, perception, and promise associated with a product, service, company, or individual, influencing how people perceive it.”
A brand is everything from the look and feel of the products, packaging, font and logo, to the experience people have using the product or service, to the slogans, stories and tone used to communicate, and the emotions they stir up in consumers.
Brand strategy is then: “the act of directing how people think and feel about your business”.
Understandably, social enterprises usually want a significant chunk of any precious profits made to go right back into making impact, but it’s important they budget for building a strong brand, as a brand can be thought of as an organisation’s most consistent marketing tool.
When it comes to branding and marketing, social enterprises generally have it tough on two fronts: They must communicate the benefits of their product or service, which means competing on online presence, packaging, quality and emotive appeal with purely commercially-focused brands who can spend much more on these areas; and they must also communicate how they are contributing to improving society – moreso, they will be held accountable by consumers for their promise of impact. In other words, they must strike the optimal balance between product and purpose in their brand storytelling.
So, how will all this inform their marketing strategies? With the limited budgets they often have, social businesses will need to be smart with their marketing spending. Are they offering a niche product for disabled teens? Then blanket marketing to Instagram influencers might be wasteful. Are their intended beneficiaries elderly people outside the cities? Then perhaps newspaper, radio adverts and even flyers might be the focus. True to their hybrid nature, social businesses may opt for a mix of marketing strategies – some geared toward commercial success and some toward eliciting social and behavioural change.
