By Jane Fullerton Lemons and Erin Pittman | Photo by Rob Jinks
When it comes to successful marketing in an internet-savvy world of information overload, Patrick King has
learned how to help businesses break through the clutter—by showing their work has a greater purpose than the bottom line.
“The approach can be part of an overall content marketing strategy,” explained King, the founder and CEO of Imagine, a digital marketing and advertising agency with offices in Manassas and Washington, D.C.
But instead of following a typical advertising formula, purpose-driven content marketing shifts the focus to what a business can do for others. It’s taking the essence of what John F. Kennedy once said—“Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country,”—and using your business to put that spirit into action.
“With the right approach, cause marketing can be the number one driver of a business’s marketing plan,” he said. “You get access to audiences that were once more difficult to reach, and you humanize the business by putting its values front and center, which is becoming more and more attractive to customers. All that, and it feels pretty good in the process.”
Start by Finding a Bigger Picture
The key to purpose-driven content marketing is developing content based on support for a worthy cause or taking a stand on an issue.
To achieve success with this type of marketing, a business needs to answer “yes” to these four questions:
1. Does my purpose logically align with my business?
2. Do my customers relate to my purpose?
3. Am I able to deliver content about my purpose in an authentic way that benefits everyone involved?
4. Does my purpose align with my long-term goals?
Marketing Community Support
Once a business identifies those core values and principles, it can begin to implement a plan aimed at fulfilling a larger goal.
Since its founding in 2004, Imagine has regularly focused on community support issues, typically involving children and the underprivileged. The company has at least one pro bono project underway at any given time, such as the annual Tamponathon, which collects feminine hygiene products for nonprofit shelters,
homeless outreach programs and supply pantries in Prince William County.
That work has racked up some impressive numbers for the company’s “Imagine Better” program. Employees have committed 7,488 hours toward work with 39 charities on 291 pro bono projects.
Those assignments have given the company a chance to do what it does best — take charge of branding and advertising campaigns that help raise funds for local nonprofits. And that’s allowed Imagine to reach new audiences.
“I don’t think we considered our charity work to become a large part of how we’re known, so it wasn’t really a marketing tool in the beginning,” King said. “However, there are now people that hear about Imagine’s nonprofit work first, before they even know about our paying clients.”
Cultivating a Modern Form of Customer Loyalty
Nearly 8 in 10 Americans say they are more loyal to purpose-driven brands according to a 2018 study from Cone/Porter Novelli. The study also shows that 68 percent of responders are more willing to share content from purpose-driven brands.
That’s exactly what King has found in his work with businesses in the Prince William County area. “With each passing generation, traditional advertising is dying a slow and painful death,” he said. “Audiences want a deeper understanding of where they spend their money, so businesses need to be more transparent — and more human. More attention will be given to a story of a business serving its community than a business talking about itself.”
To achieve that, Imagine helps its clients partner with nonprofits that match their vision. For example, Loveless Porter Architects of Manassas teamed with Semper K9, a veteran-owned nonprofit that trains dogs to assist military veterans living with physical or emotional injuries. The firm is donating consulting and design services for the buildings at Camp Semper K9 near Marine Corps Base Quantico.
Ultimately, it’s a win-win situation. “By offering time to Semper K9,” King explained, “Loveless Porter gained larger market visibility and positive sentiment in the community.”
Find a Purpose that Fits the Business and Its Customers
So how does a business tap into the power of purpose-driven content marketing? Follow these steps:
1. Begin by defining your purpose or the positive impact you intend to have on the world. (This should not reference your profits!) Your purpose speaks to the difference you want to make. If you’re unsure of your purpose, look at other businesses in your industry. If you’re a baker, perhaps you want your baked goods to feed everyone, including the homeless. Ride-service company Lyft partnered with voting advocate organizations to encourage voting. They gave out fliers and information to riders and offered free rides to the polls in low-income communities. What fits naturally with your business? Many small businesses choose to support an existing charity or movement, while larger companies may start their own organizations.
2. Once you determine your purpose, you need to put it to the test. Will your customers relate to it? Will they be on board and interested? Content must always be audience-centric, so it’s essential your customers feel connected to your purpose.
3. Determine how to deliver your content in an authentic way. Your purpose and your content marketing must always be genuine, never forced. Take REI, for example. In 2015 they launched their #OptOutside campaign with the mission of getting people outside. To show they are just like their
customers, they closed all stores on Black Friday and paid their employees to get outside in nature. They practiced what they preached and naturally fit their purpose into their company culture and content marketing, resonating with their target market and employees.
4. Make your purpose evergreen. Your purpose should withstand the test of time and make it through the long haul. Use your founding story if it fits. Share goals for the long term in your content marketing. Tell inspiring stories and stir emotions in your audience. Talk about how your purpose impacts the world around you, your audience and your employees. And be sure to do so with a multimedia approach — videos, social media posts, blogs, live events and more. Build trust with your target market, and help them feel like you are in this together.
Show Them What You Stand For
When it comes to breaking through the clutter to establish a brand, businesses can’t just sell a product these days. Potential customers want to know who you are as a company and what you contribute to the community.
Purpose-driven content marketing provides businesses the opportunity to creatively answer those questions.
King already has his next project lined up, this time working with the Dumfries-based nonprofit Action in Community Through Service–known as ACTS–to address the issue of food insecurity in Prince William County.
“We’re in the process of launching Prince William Food Rescue, a partnership with ACTS to empower the community to move food around the county via a mobile app and scheduling platform,” King said. “The tagline of Prince William Food Rescue is ‘Imagine Ending Hunger,’ which is what I hope we accomplish.”
Imagine is located at 9415 West Street in Manassas. Learn more at imaginedc.net.
Jane Fullerton Lemons (jlemons@princewilliamliving.com) is a freelance writer and journalist. A longtime resident of Prince William County, she holds an MFA from Goucher College. Follow her work at janefullertonlemons.com and on Instagram.
Erin Pittman (epittman@princewilliamliving.com) is Lead Content Marketing Developer for Prince William Living.
