From planting trees to fighting hunger, many companies have a cause to champion. But with so much greenwashing and virtue signaling, audiences are (understandably) suspicious. How do you build an authentic purpose into your business in the right way? And can it really help your marketing?

Join me on Marketing Unf*cked as I speak with Fiona Ras-Jones, founder of the Make Impact agency, as we talk about the right ways (and wrong ways) to build a purpose-driven business.

We get into the perils of greenwashing, how to measure the effects of your work, and the many benefits you can find by aligning your purpose with your business — at every possible level.

In this episode:

• Let’s define what a purpose is, and how it impacts your business.
• You have to do integrate your company’s purpose throughout your entire business.
• Why do marketers need to have a purpose in the first place?
• Customers want companies they can believe in, and they are more aware than ever before.
• Why aren’t more marketers working on their purpose?
• Every good purpose aims to solve a clearly defined problem.
• Once you define your purpose, how do you measure its impact?
• What are the prerequisites you need to achieve first?
• When your purpose is aligned with your business, more profit also means more social impact.
• How do you align your purpose with your business when it comes to e-commerce?
• We’re all scared of doing this the wrong way...but it’s a learning process.
• Consider the negative impacts and side effects of your business.
• What are the benefits of the Theory of Change Framework?
• How do we communicate our positive impact to customers?
• Consider the power of a clear, compelling story that conveys your purpose.
• How do we deal with the challenges of greenwashing (and other forms of “washing”)?
• Don’t project perfection, but be honest and realistic about how much impact you can make right now.

Resources:
Fiona on LinkedIn
Make Impact
Theory of Change Framework
Website Carbon Calculator