Social responsibility campaigns should be an integral component for law firms that wish to create a positive local impact while identifying new prospective leads. A well-run campaign can result in increased business, happier staff members and more loyal clients.
What is a social responsibility campaign?
Conceived around an issue affecting your community, social responsibility campaigns are designed to create a brand that cares by doing good. Instead of simply acting as one of dozens or hundreds of donors to an existing charity, your social responsibility campaign crafts a cause and puts your firm’s name beside it.
These campaigns are an offshoot of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), also known as corporate citizenship or the corporate conscience. CSR is a business philosophy in which companies attempt to comply not only with codified legal requirements but within the spirit of the law. Many corporations identify moral responsibility and ethics as CSR tenets. Social responsibility campaigns take the concept a step farther by establishing corporations as responsible members of a social community.
Why build a responsible brand?
The 2013 Cone Communications Social Impact Study(1) found that more than 80% of consumers consider social issues when deciding where to work, what to buy, where to shop and which products and services to recommend to others. The study concluded that “social impact is the new standard for how companies address social issues to drive meaningful and positive change. When done right, social impact expresses the heart and humanity of a company, and consumers stand ready not only to engage with but to reward companies for those authentic efforts and progress.”
A brand that becomes a community leader reaps a four-fold harvest:
1. Employee engagement: Employees of socially responsible corporations are happier, more productive, and more loyal than the staff of less community-minded businesses. 88% of workers whose company has a cause-related program feel proud of their company’s values.
2. Client engagement: Social responsibility campaigns offer new ways to engage existing clients and acquire new ones.
3. Brand differentiation: Community-based efforts offer opportunities to stand out in the marketplace and be a force for good.
4. PR and marketing opportunities: Social responsibility campaigns create a story platform that can achieve great success in earning story placement and social media engagement.
Combined, these elements will positively impact your search marketing and optimization efforts through increased co-citations, earned links and social engagement.
Consumers reward companies that have a heart
Axia Public Relations research found that 86% of Americans say that learning about a company through news coverage is more influential and credible than seeing a company’s advertising. 90% say they are more likely to trust a company that supports a cause, and the same percentage claim they are more likely to be loyal to community-involved corporations. 82% say that they are influenced to purchase products and services from companies that support a cause. (2) Create a buzz with public relations.
Public relations is a powerful tool that yields impressive returns. News stories about a company or its products and services have three times the credibility and six times the visibility of an advertisement of the same length or size, according to research by Axia Public Relations.
Leverage your public relations skillfully using press releases, social media and other PR outreach. To create brand awareness around your campaign, PR is essential to your overall plan. Publicity around your social responsibility campaign also will build your brand’s reputation and keep it in the minds of those touched by your campaign, both as participants and as observers.
Steps to build a social responsibility campaign
The marketing consultants at Consultwebs.com have identified six core phases of a successful social responsibility campaign:
1. Conceive of the campaign’s focus and goals
2. Plan the full campaign
3. Develop a Web asset for the campaign
4. Manage its social media presence
5. Foster relationships to support your campaign
6. Leverage public relations to reach a broader audience
A well-executed campaign starts by identifying local issues that are important to your community or have a connection to your firm. Once you have established a cause, create relevant content and design elements for publication on your website; this sets the tone for the campaign.
Invite and involve participants who will be actively engaged in the campaign. Generate enthusiasm on social media sites. Organize events to accompany the crusade. Maintain contact with participants in the campaign and provide to them any documents they need to promote the cause. Steer the campaign with PR and press outreach.
