Purpose-driven brands use this authentic tactic to forge meaningful customer love

Imagine this. An alarm blares. Your ideal customer fights their eyes open in the morning and scrambles for their phone on the bedside table. Brain still asleep, they hit their phone screen to force the wake-up. Whether they scan their inbox or scroll their social feed, your brand is there. Competing for attention. Their sleepy, aimless attention. It’s a rough daydream, but a realistic one. How can you cut-through? Be a purpose-driven brand.

As the adage goes, the simplest ideas are the best. And that’s where purpose-driven businesses excel. They’re authentic. They’re clear. And it’s a marketing approach that works. In fact, Deloitte found that businesses who share their purpose create deep customer connection, are community-involved, and see greater results. Wanna know more about it? Read on.

What is purpose-driven marketing?

Profit with Purpose author Carolyn Butler sums it up simply in Smart Company: purpose-driven marketing is when a company is in service to their purpose. Yes, that means its reason for being in business trumps profit. It means that its decision-making is inspired by its why.

Patagonia is the first purpose-driven brand example that comes to mind. In 2022,  Patagonia made global headlines when founder Yvon Chouinard transferred his family’s ownership of the company to one shareholder, “Earth”. (Aka, the company and non-voting stock were given to an environmental not-for-profit).

But Patagonia are not alone. Other businesses are thriving, underpinned by a brand platform based on purpose. Not just in their industry, in their own right. Intrepid Travel create positive change through the joy of travel. Verve Super is an ethically-funded superannuation fund built by women, for women. Who Gives A Crap create eco-friendly toilet paper to drum up funds so 50% of profits can be donated to build toilets and fund sanitation in the developing world.

Can you be a purpose-driven brand?

Yes, if your business is driven by purpose. In fact, if you are a small or medium business in Australia that started with a why – get on it! Last year, consumer research by the Australian Retailers Association and Queensland University of Technology found that 69% of Aussie consumers believe the purpose of a retail company is to respond better to social and environmental issues. With 24% willing to pay more for products or services from companies that share their values.

Now, price will always be factor in short-term consumer decisions. But these results show that humanising your value builds credibility and loyalty which can create a positive customer connection over the long term.

Here’s some tips to start outlining your brand’s purpose

Ready to own your purpose? Brand-driven marketing is a natural fit for you if your business was born to make a difference (socially or environmentally). So, deep dive into why you went into business. Let it shape your brand communications in an authentic way to create standout and memorability. It’s the long-term way to foster customer attention and loyalty in a way that a trending reel or snap 24 hour sale ever could.

Here’s some prompts to help you get started:

• What’s your purpose?
  It’s a big question, right? Simply put, it’s the pull you have to get out of bed. It’s not what you do, it’s why you do it. Watch this video with Simon Sinek or read ‘Start With Why’ to really deep dive into this idea.
• What are your values?
  Write down a list of what you stand for and what you have zero tolerance for. Summarise this.
• Share your impact with your audience
  Update your content strategy to ensure your purpose leads it. It should be evident throughout your communication channels like your website, email and socials.

Calling all purpose-driven brands – let’s illuminate your story with the right words

Are your words on the tip of your tongue but coming out wrong? As a strategic website copywriter, I team up with brands on a mission to help them use purpose-driven marketing copy to create meaningful customer connections. I write websites, target webpages, blogs and website content. Sound like just what you need? I’d love to hear from you.