If you were born any time between the 1950s and today, you’ve grown up in the age when marketing is an essential part of business. In recent decades, marketing’s only become more prevalent in our lives. From commercials on TV to ads on social media, we are constantly being marketed to. Now, some experts believe these tactics are backfiring. People are tired of constantly being bombarded with messages to buy something and the world has moved past our current marketing strategies. So a new type of marketing is emerging as an alternative – conscious marketing. Here at Movers Development, we like to stay on top of all the news and trends so we looked into this idea and we’re here to answer some of your questions about it.
What is conscious marketing?
Given that we’re talking about a still relatively new concept, it should come as no surprise that there is no single agreed-upon definition of conscious marketing. However, there are some commonalities between the different definitions that do exist. From those, we can conclude that conscious marketing focuses on authentic, responsible, and honest marketing that contributes to a better world. The goal is to provide consumers with all the information they need and then let them make the decision themselves without enticing them with false promises, constantly encouraging them to spend, or overwhelming them with ads until they give in. This would lead, at least in theory, to better and more conscientious relations between businesses and consumers.
But there are already so many different ways to advertise a business. Do we really need one more? Conscious marketers would argue that we do because there is something fundamentally wrong with how we do marketing today – morally, ethically, and even practically. Instead of trying to “tone down” these flawed practices and make them more palatable (the way product placement and content marketing might), conscious marketers aim to build their practices on entirely new principles which center on long-lasting relationships, customer satisfaction, and a better tomorrow instead of sales.
What are some potential benefits of conscious marketing?
So far, there hasn’t been any comprehensive research into conscious marketing and its effects. Consequently, any benefits we discuss are anecdotal, theoretical, or observed in traditional marketing practices that adopt some of the same principles. Still, they’re worth knowing if you’re considering this type of marketing.
You already do it in some ways
The idea of conscious marketing as a comprehensive strategy is new. But some of its principles are present in practices we already employ. Take content marketing as an example. Content doesn’t directly market your business the same way a Facebook ad or street billboard does. Instead, it attracts and converts consumers by providing them with interesting and relevant information (usually for free) in a format they enjoy. Of course, there will be some differences between online vs. offline marketing. But the same principle can be applied in avenues outside of your blog, too.
Consumers seem to respond well to it
Let’s stick with content marketing as an example for a second longer. It’s a wildly popular form of digital marketing. You probably practice it yourself. Why? The answer is simple – because it works! People like to have more honest and genuine information. They like to make decisions without pressure. There is no reason to believe they wouldn’t respond just as well to other, similar forms of marketing.
It aims to create win-win scenarios that benefit both businesses and consumers
One of the main tenants of conscious marketing is benefitting both sides – the business and the consumer. The business (hopefully) gets to make the sale and gain a customer, just like with traditional marketing. But the consumer can make smarter, better choices using honest and authentic information. For consumers, this can make a big difference.
You’ll build better relationships with your customers
If you want to stay in business, developing long-term relationships with customers is crucial. That will be easier if your customers actually like and trust your business. You can achieve that more easily with conscious marketing which is based on honest, respectful relations between businesses and consumers. These types of relationships will last longer and ultimately, pay off more.
You can resolve some of the biggest problems of traditional marketing
Conscious marketers choose this alternative because of the issues they see in traditional marketing, such as:
- too much focus on instant gratification
- pushing people too hard to buy things they don’t need and can’t afford when it’s not in their best interest to do so
- being too aggressive, present, and overwhelming which puts people off
If you practice consciously, however, you’ll avoid all of this. You’ll focus on long-term successes and lasting relationships, work toward fulfilling the needs of your customers without overextending them, and rely on providing consumers with the information they genuinely need, when they need it and where they need it instead of inundating them with ads.
It is an ethical and sustainable practice
The question of business ethics is not always a welcome one in marketing circles. But it is a discussion we need to have. Conscious marketers maintain that traditional marketing is not ethical because it often relies on dishonesty, exaggerations, and even outright falsehoods to garner sales at all costs. Whether you agree with this or not, there’s no denying that there are a few bad apples in marketing today. By practicing conscious marketing, we can do away with at least some of the ethical concerns we’re seeing today.
Is conscious marketing the same as socially conscious marketing?
Conscious marketing is not the same as socially conscious marketing. While they do share some of the same principles and are, therefore, easy to confuse, socially conscious marketing takes an explicit stand on political and cultural issues that conscious marketing doesn’t necessarily get involved in. However, both practices show promise and are worth considering. For more information on this topic or any other questions that you might have in terms of marketing for your moving business, feel free to reach out to our team. We are always happy to consult and steer you in the direction that is best for your brand!
