There’s a lot of talk about kindness in the business world these days. Many brands are now realising the benefit that promoting kindness through internal practices and brand marketing can have.
This doesn’t just apply to the way people feel and are motivated within the workplace, but also how brands interact with customers and connect with them on a genuine human level, ultimately helping organisations to generate better profits.
As a crowdfunding and Kickstarter video maker agency, this component of kindness is especially interesting for us because we see the way different businesses and projects leverage it to interact with new potential investors, fans and partners.
Within the context of crowdfunding and the need to deliver direct messages and CTAs to your audience in a personal way, there’s arguably a greater need for you to convey your self and your small team as kind, friendly, and personable people who care about what you’re doing and why you’re doing it.
As such, we explore the role of kindness in crowdfunding and brand marketing.
What Does Kindness Look Like?
- Showing people that you care about the world
- Promoting certain social or environmental issues
- Having strong company values
- Interacting with people on a human level
- Offering people value without an agenda
It’s What Consumers Want
People want much more substance today from the brands and businesses they support. There’s now a huge premium on kindness and what companies can do to show people that they care about something, whether it’s specific social issues or company values like equality and diversity.
Many consumers will continue to combine morals and money by making values-driven purchases and looking to spend their money in places that are less damaging to the planet.
As this trend continues, tapping into this aspect of the consumer mindset is something that can help you grow a strong following early on. When you’re trying to inspire people to get on board and make people care about your project, you must show them that you truly care about something too.
Attracting Impact investors
Many investors have money set aside for projects that focus on having a positive change in the world. When raising funds so that your business can grow, consider that investors are much more likely to back companies that align with their own values.
Illustrating certain passions, beliefs and goals for improving things in some small way can help you to connect with like-minded people who will be more likely to back you. Furthermore, these individuals are more likely to develop a long term relationship with your brand and can become a vital part of your community going forward.
This isn’t to say that simply stating that your business is committed to having a positive contribution to society and the environment will get you more money. It means that when you compliment the soundness of your concept, business plan and project vision with the intention to do some good, people are much more likely to support you.
Making Your Values Clear
If you haven’t already, try to achieve some clarity about what your values are as a business. To attract investors who align with your own values you’ll first need to be sure of what those values are.
This can help to define your vision for the future and makes it easier to convey through your crowdfunding marketing campaigns that you’re committed to achieving specific goals. The aim of this process should be to crystalise why you do what you do and what you and your business stand for.
Showing Humility and Transparency
Being transparent about the small tangible efforts you are making to improve the world and spread kindness, even within extremely small areas, is better than making bold claims about changing the world (and not following through).
People are ultimately tired of grand gestures that fall flat. For example, if you want to plant a thousand trees to offset your carbon footprint, dig deeper into how this activity will fit in with the local ecosystem and promote biodiversity for the future. Anyone can plant trees.
Also, long-term commitment to small achievable projects is always much better than generic goodness campaigns or one-off donations to charities.
It’s Good for Your Too
Running a project and business with greater integrity and values does more than just help you to collect more followers and grow. It can also be fundamental to your motivation when developing your organisation, whatever it may be.
If you want to explore how you can convey your core values and beliefs through your crowdfunding promotional content, we’re a Kickstarter video maker agency that would love to help you showcase your beliefs and ideas to your audience.
