Do you have a Social Impact Brand?

Because you’re reading this article, I am going to assume you’re interested in a couple of things:

Growing your business + Making a positive impact.

The great news is that these do not need to be mutually exclusive, in fact studies suggest quite the opposite to be true: you can make a positive impact and thrive as a business.

But we need to do it right. And I believe that building a Social Impact Brand is the way to do this.

But what is a Social Impact Brand?

Let’s begin by exploring a few definitions. The term Social Impact Brand is a term I coined that describes something that a business (or founder/entrepreneur) with an ESG goal must have. I arrived at this name after a decade in the creative design and marketing industry, and focussing my efforts on helping those achieve their social and environmental goals with their brand. It consists of three important words, three pieces of the puzzle that make up the whole picture. It’s the blueprint for change: Social, Impact, and Brand.

Because things aren’t always straightforward, let’s explore these three words in reverse order.

3. Brand.

So, what really is a brand and why do we need one? A brand can mean many things to different people, and building and crafting a brand can be complex because there are so many elements to it.

I like to describe a brand in three ways; the internal brand, the external brand and the ethereal brand.

• The Internal Brand - the foundational values that hold the business and the team together, and gives direction to the operations. This is typically drawn from the founding/leadership team and outlines the “way of being” for the organisation.

• The External Brand - the outward expression of the brand values and all the marketing that tell the world who you are. This is typically the marketing, comms, and visual identity of the organisation to quickly tell your audience what you’re all about.

• The Ethereal Brand - the perception of your brand in the hearts and minds of your audience. Bear with me on this one, but this is where the magic happens. This is typically the feeling that is evoked in your audience when they see/hear/engage with your company or see a piece or marketing collateral. Vitally, it is also the moment when your audience (or future customer) encounters a problem and thinks of you and your brand in that moment as a potential solution. Frustratingly, this ethereal brand is the most out of our control, as well as the most powerful. But there are things we can do to shape the perceptions and positively position your brand to be top of mind when it’s needed most.

2. Impact.

The term impact, alone, implies an influence or effect on any given thing. It is the immediate and longer term effects of an action or activity, the cause-and-effect, or the resulting tangible and intangible change we see.

Businesses make an impact all the time, to their customers, their staff, and to the general public and wider society. However, as will be explained below, social impact concentrates on the direct positive outcomes and impacts that your business and brand can have.

We all want to be high impact in what we do. I assume you do too. Because you started a business to make a difference - to change your life and to make an impact in the world. There is no point going through the rollercoaster of founding a business, taking the risks, enduring the sleepless night and all the stress to simply be a blip on the radar.

We all want to do something good with our limited time on this planet, to be remembered, to right a wrong, or to have some kind of social impact.

1. Social.

So why Social Impact when we talk about making an impact with our businesses and our brand?

Well, the definition of social impact means “any substantial or positive changes that solve, or attempt to solve, social injustices and challenges”. And given the myriad challenges that humanity is facing right now; climate breakdown, social injustice, race and gender inequalities, and so on… there has never been a better time to calibrate your business around tackling any one of these important issues.

And the beauty of developing a Social Impact Brand is that it doesn’t matter what kind of organisation you are. Whether you’re a solopreneur, a registered charity or nonprofit, a social enterprise team, or a large private company.

A powerful and purposeful brand can be the key to cutting through the noise and making a change in the world.

And with a Social Impact Brand, you can be purposeful and profitable so as you scale your business, your impact scales with you.

Build your brand.

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