The Key Principles of Ethical Marketing

​There was a time when you could put any catchy-sounding sales copy on top of a brightly colored image and it would pass for good marketing. The modern-day consumer is now much savvier, so businesses have to make more of an effort to create successful marketing campaigns.
 
One of the most effective ways of creating an effective marketing strategy, one that will both boost sales and increase brand trust and loyalty is to use the key principles of ethical marketing. Implementing at least a few key principles of ethical marketing will help you to ensure you are running an honest, fair and socially conscious marketing campaign.

Be Transparent

Transparency is much more than a trendy business buzzword; it is an important principle that should be guiding all of your marketing efforts. You should be fully transparent with your customers at all times, whether they are talking directly to your customer service teams or using your website. One of the areas in which transparency has gained most attention recently is with the use of customer data.

Commit to Sustainability

As Eleven Marketing understands, consumers are actively seeking out businesses that are sustainability-minded, so prioritizing sustainability should be a top priority for all businesses operating today. Prioritizing environmentally friendly ingredients and conscious practices will enable you to market your businesses as a sustainability-minded organization.
 
It is important to remember that sustainability is not only about your environmental impact. You will be seen as inauthentic if you commit to sustainability without prioritizing other essential causes like human rights in your business practices. Remember that you are not only responsible for what you do, but the actions and behavior of all of your suppliers and partners, too.

Respond to Customers with Care

​The quality of your customer service can have a big impact on the effect of your marketing campaign. Therefore, to run an ethical marketing campaign, it is vital that you make the effort to always respond to your customers in a meaningful, transparent and authentic manner.

Hold Yourself Accountable

​Another key ethical marketing principle is to only make claims that you know that you can verify. This value will help you to ensure you are staying truthful and honest throughout your marketing campaign.

​Avoid Exploiting Consumer Emotions

​It is common for marketing to try to elicit a certain emotion from the target audience. After all, if studies are right, and 97% of purchasing decisions are based on unconscious factors, creating a certain emotion in a viewer is one of the easiest ways to drive sales. While this tactic might lead to one-off sales, it does not successfully drive long-lasting, loyal customer relationships.
 
Companies looking to involve principles of ethical marketing should avoid creating overly emotional copy as this practice can prove to be exploitative.

Don’t Compare Without Solid Facts

​It is a very common marketing tactic to compare your company with its biggest competitor - just look at the history between Nintendo and Sega. While comparisons are not in themselves unethical, making false comparisons does not fulfill the necessary criteria for ethical marketing.