Conscious consumerism is on the rise, and people are becoming more mindful of where their money goes and how it might impact the world. You’ve already proven your commitment to ethical and sustainable business practices as a certified B Corporation.
However, the internet is still filled with brands fighting over consumers’ attention—and it’s easy to get lost in the noise. That’s why it’s so important to advertise your B Corp status online.
Thankfully, there are many ways to integrate your values into your online advertising strategy. Keep reading to learn how.
First, Some B Corp Facts
Certified B Corporations®, aka B Corps, are for-profit companies verified by B Lab to meet the highest social and environmental performance standards, accountability, and transparency.
Aside from getting a high score in the B Impact Assessment, the B Lab also evaluates a company’s labor standards, supply chain, charitable giving policies, and more. They also require applicants to amend their bylaws to lock in socially responsible practices. The verification is hard to get and even harder to maintain. B Corps must get recertified every three years.
As of 2022, there are only 4,000+ B Corps in the world. Members come from all walks of life: From big firms like Ben & Jerry’s and The Body Shop to small businesses like Happy Valley Meat Co.
What’s even more amazing? Becoming a B Corp is entirely voluntary, so only the most committed companies earn the distinction.
Do Consumers Care About Your B Corp Status?
The short answer is yes — absolutely. People want to support purpose-driven brands that align with their values. But don’t take our word for it:
- 45% of shoppers will pay 25% more for sustainable products, with Gen Z consumers willing to pay 50% to 100% more.
- 1 in 3 consumers stopped buying from a brand because of sustainability or ethical concerns.
- Consumers are 4.5x more likely to support, trust and recommend a brand that’s vocal about its purpose.
- 77% of consumers prefer to purchase from companies trying to improve the world.
- Brand loyalty is down: 57% of consumers will switch brands if it improves their impact on the environment.
Clearly, consumers care about your B Corp status…if they know about it. That’s where online advertising comes into play.
5 Purpose-Driven Ways to Advertise Your B Corp Online
Your online ads also need to reflect your values as a B Corp. This means avoiding any exploitative or misleading tactics, including fake news and clickbait. Instead, use these 5 online ad tactics to reach more people while staying faithful to your B Corp philosophy:
1. Use LinkedIn Ads for Thought Leadership Marketing
If you are a certified B Corp, you already have a great reason to invest in thought leadership marketing: it’s in the name. You do business with a sense of social responsibility and purpose, which thought leadership marketing is all about.
It prioritizes delivering valuable content rather than marketing gimmicks. Along the way, you’re cultivating trust, connection, and authority among your audience. Why LinkedIn ads? Because no matter how compelling your thought leadership content is, it’s only effective if the right audience sees it.
LinkedIn ads are a great way to get your thought leadership pieces—blog posts, articles, video content, etc.—in front of the right audience. You can target users based on their location, industry, job title or role, what kind of content they usually interact with, and more—so finding the right audience is easier than ever.
Here are the tools that LinkedIn offers for advertisers.
2. Use Paid Social for Cause Marketing
Cause marketing is a great way to spread awareness about your B Corp and connect with customers on a deeper level. Because it uses effective storytelling methods, cause marketing can help you communicate the purpose behind your certified B Corp certification and inspire social change.
Paid social is especially effective for cause marketing because it can authentically target those who align with your company’s values and goals. For example, ad platforms like Facebook allow you to target by broad demographic, interest, or even behavior.
This strategy means that you can hone in on those who are interested in supporting your mission rather than wasting money on audiences who don’t care about what you stand for.
3. Share Meaningful Stories Through YouTube Ads
Certified B Corps need to tell stories. According to the Certified B Corp Handbook, companies must show their customers and communities the human side of their brand—show how you live your values, not just what they are.
YouTube ads are fantastic for this. They give your audience a chance to see and hear you (or your employees, clients, or partners) talk about what matters most to you.
The trick is to turn down the sales pitch and turn up the emotion – here are some awesome YouTube ads for inspiration.
4. Tap Socially Conscious Influencers for Your Paid Ads
Blending paid ads with influencer marketing is a great way to get your B Corp in front of an already engaged audience. In fact, consumers trust online influencers more than celebrities and traditional advertisements.
When you partner with influencers to create paid ads, you benefit from the social clout and loyalty that comes with their established following, but what turns paid influencer marketing into a cause-focused form of promotion?
It’s simple: make sure you’re picking the right one by digging into their background. Here are some tips:
- Check their content and the language they use across their online profiles.
- Check out which brands they’ve worked with in the past.
- Research their personal affiliations.
- Comb through their mentions online.
5. Sprinkle B Impact Branding in Your Paid Ad Copy
You don’t want to overdo it, but you should take advantage of the opportunity to include your B Corp branding in your paid ads. It’s a great way to get the word out about your newly certified business and convey to customers that you’re committed to making a difference.
Just make sure that when you add B Certified branding to your ads, you relate it back to your mission and purpose. This not only makes what you’re doing clear—it also helps it have more impact. Apply this to any paid ad platform you use, including Google AdWords and Facebook Ads.
As always, make sure you follow the B Corp branding guide when using any B Corp Certified logos and terminology in your ad copy.
Key Takeaway: Consumers aren’t Mindless
The age of mindless consumerism is over. Today’s shoppers prefer brands that care about the world, not just their bottom line. Therefore, B Corps should focus on delivering value when running paid ads online, not just selling their products and services. Authentic and ethical use of LinkedIn ads, YouTube ads, paid social, and Google ads can help B Corps advance your mission.
