Mastering a Purpose-Driven Content Marketing Strategy

Your business’s purpose is at the core of everything you do. From finance to sales to admin to operations, an organization's purpose must be infused in every task and interaction. This way, there’s no confusion about why the work matters and your employees are driven to provide exceptional customer service.

Content marketing is an opportunity to showcase that purpose. Connecting with your target audience is only possible if they know what you stand for, why you care, and why it matters to them. 

For example, purpose-driven content may show a business’s commitment to social issues or environmental sustainability. In sharing these core values, your brand can foster greater customer loyalty and become a true industry leader, especially with younger buyers, as more than half of Gen Zers say they’ll pay more to work with brands that earn their trust and improve the world.

A successful marketing strategy should start with an eye to purpose-driven content. This guide explains why it’s so important to focus on purpose and how to get started.

What Is Purpose-Driven Content?                                        

Content that speaks to your brand’s purpose reflects your mission statement and values. It builds trust with your audiences because it’s authentically you and relevant to them. Purpose-driven content ensures you’re not just promoting your products mindlessly but starting conversations about meaningful topics. 

Here are a few characteristics of purpose-driven content:

• It focuses on your audiences and addresses their needs.
• It allows you to talk about the business’s bigger goals and mission.
• It avoids sales speak and instead reflects the business’s genuine commitments and values.
• It connects with your audiences on an emotional level and has a positive social impact.
• It reinforces your brand identity in the market.

This type of content is also of higher quality since authenticity and intention require careful attention to detail. Purposeful content is typically more profound than standard sales or marketing language.

Importance of Purpose-Driven Content                                            

Writing purpose-driven marketing content has a ripple effect on the business, your audience, and beyond. 

Consider these key impacts and why they matter:

• Builds audience trust and loyalty: When customers can see the mission and values behind a brand, they’re more likely to trust it. A Zeno Group report found that 94% of consumers say it’s important for companies they work with to have a strong purpose.
• Establishes your value proposition: Your business is unique — you just need your audience to see how. With purpose-driven content, you show them exactly who you are. It helps you emphasize everything you stand for instead of solely focusing on what you’re selling. That’s what people want to see.
• Attracts the right people: No brand is a perfect fit for everyone. The goal is to attract people who share your values, which is made easier when you share your purpose through your marketing content. Purpose-driven content leads to more meaningful, lasting partnerships with customers and collaborators.
• Ensures consistency: Nothing’s worse than confusing people with scattershot messaging about your brand. But if your purpose is writ large, your presence is consistent and reliable. And audiences trust reliability.
• Creates a better team environment: When internal teams are aligned on the same shared mission, they're more motivated to deliver on that purpose, enhancing the work environment for everyone. Like customers, employees want companies they align with to deliver on their values and purpose.
• Improves business performance: Harvard Business Review research found that trusted companies outperform other businesses by up to 400%, and customers who trust a brand are 88% more likely to make another purchase.

Put your purpose first when creating marketing messaging to establish stronger connections and drive better business results.

Key Aspects of Purpose-Driven Content

Because every brand’s vision is so different, there isn’t one magic formula that produces purposeful content. There are, however, several key factors that play into creating meaningful messaging that resonates with consumers. 

Start with these four trips to achieve your purpose-drive messaging:

1. Defining Your Brand Purpose

You won’t know the right message to send without knowing who/what your brand really is. What is the “why” behind the business? What mission is at its core? Why was the business created in the first place?

Answering these types of questions will help you define your purpose. Develop a clear definition of your purpose, which may include the company's overall vision and ongoing goals. This step will help you prepare to let that purpose guide everything you do and say.

2. Understanding Audience Interests and Causes

Of course, a significant part of any business’s purpose is its audience. Without the people you serve, you wouldn’t have a business. 

Determine who exactly your audience is. What are they interested in? What do they value more than anything else? What are they looking for? What are their demographics? How do the generations differ from one to the next?

Be as specific as you can. This way, there’s never doubt about who you’re talking to and how to connect with them meaningfully.

Consider Patagonia’s contentious ad, "Don’t Buy This Jacket." After the ad ran, the company said, “It’s time for us as a company to address the issue of consumerism and do it head on.” This is the perfect example of an engaging, provocative campaign that shows the brand knows its audience — people who care about the planet and value brands that speak out about sustainability.

3. Creating Authentic and Engaging Content

Unfortunately, many brands out there write inauthentic content that falls flat. You’ve seen messaging that is poorly written, overly salesy, or not relevant to you at all. This is what you want to avoid when talking about your purpose. That kind of content doesn’t communicate much about what the brand stands for.

Focus on authenticity. Make sure every statement you make is true and can be verified. Keeping your defined purpose and audience top of mind, craft content that showcases your values and vision while speaking directly to the right people. This ensures you engage your audience and inspire them with your purpose.

4. Leveraging Storytelling

One of the most effective ways to connect with people is through storytelling. An engaging story helps people relate to an experience, making concepts more realistic. Stories also trigger emotions in audiences, leading them to feel something and make a stronger connection with your brand. 

Consider including client success stories or other real-world examples of what you’re promoting. If you’re talking about your commitment to sustainability, include proof of how you’re actively pursuing that goal. 

Crafting a narrative instead of sales copy inspires your audiences to trust you and shows them that you have seen real results in the past.

Navigating the New Era of Buyer Behavior                                       

Buying today looks very different from a few years ago. A new generation is in charge, so your content must cater to their changing preferences and interests.

One obvious factor behind this change is technology, which can shift in an instant. For example, current AI tools allow customers to shop virtually and access super-personalized recommendations. AI chatbots can also provide 24/7 customer support. Buyers newer to the market now expect these kinds of interactions when considering their purchasing options.

Today’s consumers also care tremendously about which brands they support with their dollars. They want to know if a brand is easy to work with — for example, is its website, portal, or e-commerce platform straightforward and seamless or clunky and outdated? They also care about issues like social responsibility.

So, purpose-driven content should:

• Be ready and waiting for people who have problems to solve. Search engine optimization (SEO) is key here.
• Emphasize thought leadership and trust, showing consumers that your company is the expert and understands their pain points.
• Focus on buyer enablement — content that educates and guides buyers through the purchasing process with research and tools they need to understand their options and address their needs.
• Avoid gated content and allow people to see a demo or try a product before they buy. Otherwise, today’s buyers may look elsewhere.

Attracting younger buyers requires removing barriers, quickly embracing technology, practicing what you preach, and clearly showing how you can solve their problems.

The Essential Partnership Between Sales and Marketing                                      

Your sales and marketing teams drive your business's growth. Instead of these two teams sitting in silos, they need to form strong partnerships, rely on each other, and provide consistent messaging and support to customers.

Sales and marketing teams must be firmly aligned on the characteristics of their marketing qualified leads (MQLs). For instance, is a new podcast listener likely to be an MQL? What about a new social media follower, someone who opened an email, or a visitor who engaged with a chatbot? 

Not everyone on that list will be an MQL, but sales and marketing must be on the same page to collaborate successfully. When your marketing team assumes that any action constitutes an MQL, they can quickly damage relationships with the sales team.

Instead, focus on intent. Which actions show the intent of the potential customer? For instance, someone who added a product or service to their cart is typically more serious about a purchase than someone who just clicked on a link from an email. Examine historical data to carefully define your MQLs.

The good news is that purpose-driven content marketing helps you connect to that intent and engage people with your content. This will motivate them to take more meaningful actions, making them more likely to be true MQLs. So, sales and marketing should discuss the company’s purpose and how to infuse that into customer interactions.

When it comes to purpose-driven content and interactions, sales and marketing should remember this mantra: trust wins over desperation. Customers are looking for transparent and genuine brands rather than overly persuasive ones that are clearly just trying to make a sale.

Measuring the Impact of Purpose-Driven Content

Focusing more on purpose than persuasion likely means tracking different metrics than those you've focused on in the past. More traditional content typically requires monitoring click-through rates, while purpose-driven content may require evaluating "deeper-dive" metrics like:

• Social shares: Are people sharing your content with their networks and friends? This can show more meaningful engagement with each piece of content.
• The content of comments: What do the comments tell you about how people perceive the content? Are they engaging in the conversation you’ve started? Are you making a positive impact?
• Qualitative feedback: Feedback sources like reviews and testimonials can be invaluable in measuring your purpose-driven marketing impact. These formats allow audiences to provide their opinions when they feel strongly about an interaction or purchase.
• Customer retention: This metric is vital for assessing the long-term impacts of brand content and customer experiences. It helps you determine whether your dedication to purposeful content is driving the changes you want to see.

User-generated content also helps you measure your impact. From reviews to social posts to community Q&As, this is where people will provide social proof and share their honest opinions. 

Consider what metrics and feedback mechanisms will help you understand the depth of connections with your audiences and how people interpret your marketing strategy.

Purpose-Driven Content Marketing: Where We Go From Here

With ever-evolving technology and shifting buyer preferences, keeping your marketing strategies up to speed can be challenging. However, aligning content around your business’s true purpose and working closely with sales will ensure you build trust with the right audiences, enable consistency across your channels, and improve business performance. 

It all starts with being intentional about your content. At Compose.ly, our experts are here to help you establish your brand as a thought leader with purpose-driven marketing content. 

On our podcast, Content Matters, we recently chatted about building buyer trust with purpose-driven content. Check out the episode with Valtech's Kerry Penny to discover more key insights as you craft your strategy.

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