As our world continues to move toward a more socially conscious mindset, consumers are starting to question the ethics of organizations before doing business with them.
Clients want to know where a company stands on topics like environmentalism, diversity, and giving back to their community.
Your stance on these issues can persuade customers to either support or boycott your business.
Corporations often advocate for these things with popular hashtags and short posts on social media.
However, some customers may see this as nothing more than a simple marketing and PR tactic, just jumping on a common trend to garner favor with the public.
Your business blog can serve as a platform to explain your values and demonstrate your commitment to upholding your beliefs.
In this article, we’ll go over how blogging can help positively promote your brand image.
We’ll also look at how you can use your blog to publicize your dedication to causes and issues that matter to you and address customer concerns about your ethics and practices.
Personalizing Your Brand
As the face of your company, you must come across as personable and relatable.
Blogs allow you to humanize your company in the eyes of potential clients.
It helps them see you as an approachable, down-to-earth organization rather than an unfeeling, money-obsessed one.
Here are some things you can include on your blog to personalize your brand.
Share Your Story
Create an “About Us” section of your blog that gives readers a sense of who you are and what you’re about.
Discuss the traits and quirks that best describe you and reveal your authentic self.
You can also talk about what inspired you to start your business and the goals you have for your company.
This is a great way to show that you are a go-getter and encourage customers to root for your success.
Display Compassion through Your Mission Statement
Showing your brand’s devotion to helping others lets readers know that you genuinely care about your customers.
As you discuss the personal goals you have for your company, emphasize how you strive to make sure that your services, products, and suggestions will positively impact those who use them.
Convey Your Personality through Your Blog Design
While a neat, monochromatic layout may show off your professionalism, adding casual or unique elements to your blog can help clients identify with your brand more easily.
Use colors and templates that engage your customers and put them in a cheerful mood.
When adding images to your blog, choose photos that reflect your personality and style to show that you are interesting and likable.
Showcasing Your Core Values
With so much focus on sustainability and social justice in the media, it’s important to show customers your ethics.
Liking and hashtagging causes on other platforms is a simple way to voice your opinion on these issues.
However, going in-depth and defining your company values on your blog helps readers feel confident that your beliefs align with theirs.
Environmentalism
Many people are doing their best to live a greener lifestyle.
To show your commitment to protecting the environment, you can blog about your company’s efforts to reduce its carbon footprint.
Talk about your organization’s recycling program, eco-friendly building practices, or how you’ve eliminated single-use plastics in your offices.
Diversity and Inclusivity
When it comes to workplace diversity, some organizations simply say, “We are an equal opportunity employer,” and leave it at that.
Demonstrate your full support for people of different ages, races, sexual orientations, and abilities by blogging about the policies and education initiatives that your company uses when conducting business.
Charitable Causes
Another excellent way to help customers understand your values is to show them that you are willing to put your money where your mouth is.
Discuss non-profits and charities that make a difference in your community, and talk about any contributions you make to support their efforts.
You can also link to organizations so that your readers can donate to these causes as well.
Creating a Community
One of the benefits of using blogs to boost your company’s image is forming relationships with your readers.
The more you use your platform to voice your opinions, the more like-minded clients will engage with and show support for your brand.
Use the following strategies to build trust between you and your customers to improve your image.
Stay Consistent
Consistency is key when it comes to maintaining a positive brand image.
Customers who care about social issues need to know that you mean what you say and that money or negative backlash won’t sway your opinion.
As you’re blogging, show readers that you stand firm on your values regarding diversity, environmentalism, and other topics and refuse to compromise on your convictions.
Establish Credibility
It’s also important to show your readers that you know what you’re talking about.
Use research-based evidence from credible sources to prove that your business methods are in line with your values.
Whether you refer to federal guidelines on discrimination prevention, environmental science data, or your own experiences, citing your information sources is a great way to back your beliefs.
Encourage Feedback
Despite your best efforts, people may still question your ethics on social media.
Address concerns and accusations with a brief social media post, and direct readers to your blog for a more in-depth explanation of the problem.
From there, you can give specific details about the issue and layout a plan for avoiding repeat offenses in the future.
In Conclusion
Business blogs can be so much more than a marketing tool or a digital diary.
They are an excellent place to reaffirm the values and beliefs you support on other social media platforms.
Make space on your company blog to address these topics to promote your brand while showcasing your commitment to progress and social change.
Contributor: Hazel Bennett is a freelance writer and blogger. She has a degree in communications and lives in Northeastern Ohio. Hazel loves writing about numerous topics and showcasing her expertise with words.
