Advanced: Marketing Strategies

Implementing marketing methods such as the following can be useful in growing your business. The text below describes two common marketing methods which anyone can implement into their business.

Charitable Marketing: Charitable Marketing is a method of marketing that involves aligning with or providing support to a charity or non-profit (organization not meant to earn profits) organization. In doing this, a company demonstrates its dedication to a cause or issue, hence attracting customers with similar dedications/views. In creating a charitable marketing campaign, a company can attract new customers and build customer loyalty (a positive relationship between a customer and a business). For example, a customer who values animals is more likely to buy from a business that supports animal charities than a similar business that doesn’t. When creating a charitable marketing campaign, a company must choose a charity or non-profit organization which aligns with their beliefs or company values as well as their customer’s values. This will make sure their relationship with a non-profit organization is valuable to their business and serves its purpose of helping out a charity while also increasing their customer base (a target group of people who are likely to buy or have bought a company’s products). Overall, charitable marketing creates a positive image for the company so customers who care about various social issues are more likely to support the company. The goal of charitable marketing is not only to increase profits but to make the world a better place.

• One way you can implement charitable marketing into your business is by promising to donate a fraction of the profit from each product sold to a charity. For example, when I created my macrame business, I donated $2 from each plant hanger sold to support a girl in India whom my family sponsored. 

Green marketing: Green Marketing is a method of marketing that involves marketing different products based on their environmental benefits. This can include their environmentally conscious aspects as well as their commitment to sustainable practices. There are many different forms of Green Marketing. A company may market its products as eco-friendly if it develops a biodegradable, recyclable, carbon-neutral/negative, or energy-efficient product. A biodegradable product can break down naturally and efficiently, leaving no waste to fill the planet. A recyclable product can be reused rather than thrown away, leaving less waste behind. A carbon-neutral product is one where the amount of greenhouse gases emitted to make one product through production and distribution are offset by an equivalent amount of carbon-negative methods such as planting trees. A carbon-negative product emits less carbon than it removes, leaving an even better impact on the environment. Energy-efficient products reduce the amount of energy needed to use a product, hence reducing the amount of greenhouse gases dispersed in creating energy. One example is LED light bulbs which are much more efficient than incandescent bulbs which were previously more common. Whether it's the product itself or the company’s practices, using eco-friendly actions not only attracts customers but also makes the world a better place. 

• One way to implement Green Marketing into your business is by using only recyclable materials in the construction and selling of your product. Be sure to do your research as many materials are commonly perceived to be recyclable when in reality they aren’t.