A.R. Marketing House

Nov

2019

It’s Eco Brands’ Time to Step up, Step out, and Educate

Eco eCommerce stores have been popping up since the early 2000s and have grown with the high demand for more environmentally conscious products. It’s easier than ever to source the items you need for a cleaner, greener lifestyle. Here are 5 of the Top Eco eCommerce stores that have created a loyal following, some of which might surprise you.

1. Tiny Yellow Bungalow

2. Wild Minimalist

3. Package Free Shop

4. Tesla

5. AltE Store

Products with harmful eco footprints that have been dominating the markets are finally seeing a dip in sales as consumers demand healthier, more sustainable products. People are starting to question if the items they buy are contributing to the harm of the planet. Product packaging is also under some well-deserved scrutiny, leaving the scientific world to examine the health and ecological footprint on our environment; see the CIEL Plastic & Health Report. However, while we wait for science, the collective sentiment on plastics in our environment is that we now assume they’re having unknown and damaging impacts on our health and ecosystems. Major brands are starting to pick up on this consumer dissatisfaction with the destruction of our planet because of wasteful packaging. This is why labeling and marketing products as green are on the rise. However, consumers are in the middle of deciphering, what is the truth and what is greenwashing.

The shift from big brand greenwashing to emerging green brand education

According to a 2017 consumer market study released by Unilever, ⅓ of consumers are taking charge to actively seek and purchase from brands based on their environmental and social impact, see more in the white paper 2020: The Future of Environmental Marketing. More governments are implementing policies to get rid of toxic products, as well as incentivizing companies, to comply with environmental standards and create healthier products. Brands that are creating and selling harmful and toxic products know they need to either (A) adjust their profit model to include externalities currently thrust on to the public (B) spend a lot of money on greenwashing. Unfortunately, many of these big brands are doing the latter. As new, genuinely sustainable solutions arise, and toxic brands see more failure in their greenwashing and toxic lobbying tactics, we will see a massive shift in people turning to green products. Emerging brands will realize the need to adopt a powerful educational green marketing strategy for their sustainable brand to become the norm, and for toxic products to disappear from our stores.

The buy less movement’s chance to leverage Black Friday and Cyber Monday

Black Friday and Cyber Monday used to be huge one-day-only sales events associated with big-box lines, crazed shoppers, with admittingly controversial beginnings. Black Friday and Cyber Monday have now become a week-long sale event where most people wait to get great deals. Like REI who encourages people to go outside for Black Friday, many eco brands know it’s time to step up the competition and grab market share from their greenwashed counterparts. A recent study by BlackFriday.com and Offers.com shows that consumers start holiday shopping as early as September. The same survey revealed that November is just as big of a shopping month, as December. This means eco-brands who are genuine about helping people switch habits, will be competing with the unsustainable brands, during the holiday months.

Since people start their holiday shopping up to three months before, nurturing your leads, as well as current and past customers, means educating them around your product and its environmental solutions. More studies are finding that consumers don’t want to be sold to, especially those who are interested in eco-products. People want to be educated and engaged in making a genuine difference. Especially for eco-brands, education is a huge opportunity to make people who follow you, the smartest people in the room. Show off your sustainability chops, and help people determine the genuine eco-claims. Providing content that educates consistently, and messages that start during the weeks leading up to Black Friday and Cyber Monday can set your end-of-year sales up for success, eh hem, and the planet.

Eco brands’ time to step up, step out, and educate

In a Nielson survey, 66% of people surveyed about new consumer expectations, said they would pay more for brands that commit positively to the environment. However, it doesn’t stop there; consumers are becoming more aware of the misleading claims many unsustainable brands are boasting about. Greenwashed and unsubstantiated environmental claims have led to a general sentiment of distrust in eco products. Once consumers are educated and shown proof, people quickly become loyal evangelists and promote their favorite eco-products proudly. And an excited, happy customer that believes in the same mission as you is marketing gold that most big brands can’t touch. In fact, 62% of consumers surveyed, said trust is the most significant factor for determining whether they click the ‘buy now’ button. This means that to gain trust and sales, brands will need more than just a label that says your product is “eco-friendly,” it needs facts and scientific proof.

“Consumers want greener goods from greener companies. This focus on sustainable values has superseded a focus on product, lifestyle, and many other previous marketing methods. Consumers buy green for a reason. Companies need to understand what motivates the consumers so they can align their operations and communications to emphasize these values. True success comes not just from using a green message, but from applying all of the wisdom from the marketing discipline.” – Duquesne University, 2014.

Educational content is the golden ticket, especially for eco-companies. An ongoing study at A.R. Marketing House proves that people make purchasing decisions based on if a product improves their environment or health, almost 77%.

Big brands are very aware of this and spend their marketing dollars on greenwashed content to highlight their charitable contributions and fluff stories to distract from their toxic products.

How eco eCommerce brands can execute intelligent marketing for the Holidays

Creating environmental educational content that leads up to Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the December holiday shopping season is the way eco-eCommerce sites can have a leg up this holiday season, and into 2020. It’s especially crucial for green businesses to educate all year round. If earnest environmental education isn’t currently a part of your marketing strategy, now is the time to jump ahead of the green educational content curve.

Educational, environmental content is the first step, and dissemination is step two. Where you share this informative content is vital. The 80/20 rule of creating amazing cornerstone content is spending 20% of the time creating different types of content and 80% of the time getting it to many audiences.

[su_pullquote align=”right”]”A $1 trillion market opportunity exists for companies that can successfully explain their sustainability efforts to consumers, according to a new study from Unilever.” – Baldino, 2017.[/su_pullquote]

Where to place and how to promote your educational content

There are many ways to start educating your audience. Starting with your website, you can create website content that is transparent and educates on things like our plastic crisis, solutions to climate change, and collective action your audience can take. The more you provide your audience with valuable, actionable content, the more they will trust your brand and be encouraged to share their new-found knowledge.

Creating a hierarchy of content where you develop one cornerstone piece, and multiple offshoots are helpful in the process of creating various pieces of educational content. These different types of content, i.e., videos, SlideShares, infographics, etc. can be tailored to all the platforms your audience is on.

Emails are a strong vehicle to deliver educational content that nurtures your list. It’s also a way to lead into Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Holiday sales, and your 2020 marketing strategy. As for the 2019 holiday season, it’s predicted that consumers will spend more than $12 billion, and 61% of shoppers will spend their money online. Leveraging your email list and creating content consistently will generate leads and nurture the people you have now, to shop with you.

When to start your Eco eCommerce holiday educational and sales campaign

The time to start building your holiday campaign was yesterday. The next best time to start is today. Most deadlines for a cohesive holiday campaign will need to begin by November 7th. The deadline is because Black Friday and Cyber Monday are no longer a one-day event, as most shoppers are too bombarded these days. You want lead-in and connection building content before offering up your sale.

Education done all year long creates educated consumers who are hooked on and align with your brand. The more we know about our customers, the more we can tailor education to their needs, and the more they will share that information creating brand loyalists.

Conclusion

Distinguishing between big-box greenwashing and emerging eco brands who are genuine is important to Millennials who are now the biggest and most educated of all U.S. generations. Millennials are not buying the greenwashed pitch anymore, no matter how hard companies swing an environmental angle for their campaigns. The more educational content eco-products create and disseminate, the harder it will be for the toxic brands to keep up with savvy consumers.

Email, website content, social media content, engagement campaigns, video content, and Green PR, are some of the best ways to incorporate education into a holiday strategy that you can carry into the new year. People are wary of brands with sustainable claims, tired of greenwashing and looking for real solutions. The new climate for green products and services requires brands to prove that they understand environmental issues, teach on those issues, and show that they are genuinely part of the solution. Consumers want to be taught to ensure they are making truly sustainable and healthy choices.

Knowing that consumers and their actions are changing is especially important information to take into the planning stages for holiday promotions. It’s no longer feasible to go into Black Friday and Cyber Monday with a one or two day sale if your brand wants to meet and surpass Q4 goals and sales, this is especially true for eco brands. The name of the game is building genuine relationships where your brand embodies your mission to improve the planet and help others along the way.

If you need a hand, our team can help get you started on your Holiday Strategy now. Hurry time is ticking. Contact the A.R. Team.

About A.R. Marketing House

The first and only green content marketing company to raise the integrity of “marketing”
We actively solve the challenges that environmental companies face
Offer new and different approaches to marketing as environmental companies have: different pain points in sales journey; up against greenwashing; new ways to approach Public Relations, educational approach to marketing strategies
Educational forms of content marketing strategies

Resources:

https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Plastic-and-Health-The-Hidden-Costs-of-a-Plastic-Planet-February-2019.pdf

https://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/report/2015/the-sustainability-imperative-2/#

https://www.nielsen.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2019/04/global-sustainability-report-oct-2015.pdf

https://www.outboundengine.com/blog/content-marketing-and-email-marketing/

https://www.bigcommerce.com/blog/black-friday-ecommerce/#why-black-friday-is-a-big-deal-for-businesses

https://blackfriday.com/news/holiday-shopping-survey-data

https://www.thebalance.com/what-is-black-friday-3305710

https://nrf.com/media-center/press-releases/consumers-will-spend-41-percent-more-last-year-during-winter-holidays

https://sustainablebrands.com/read/behavior-change/the-new-black-how-new-breed-of-consumers-will-spend-money-energy-this-friday

https://www.mww.com/corpsumer

https://www.inc.com/dakota-shane/96-percent-of-consumers-dont-trust-ads-heres-how-to-sell-your-product-without-coming-off-sleazy.html

https://armarketinghouse.com/1-trillion-market-share-for-companies-who-educate-on-sustainability/

https://armarketinghouse.com/do-consumers-really-care-about-the-environment-survey-says-100-yes/

Oct

2019

Do Consumers REALLY Care about the Environment?

These 3 survey results tell us consumers genuinely care about sustainability

In 2018, we started an ongoing study to look at the sustainable purchasing habits and beliefs of average consumers. We wanted to understand if people care about their purchases in an environmental and health context, and if so, what percentage. The survey addresses the ways in which people prefer to be educated on environmental issues by the products that claim to solve them.

The survey is online and available for anyone to take. We will be releasing an extended version exploring all 30+ survey questions in the coming year.

First, however, we wanted to give a sneak peek of three questions in our survey that provide some insight into the power that people feel about their sustainable purchases. Here are three survey results that answer the question, Do consumers REALLY care about the environment?

Survey question #1 – How important is it for you to minimize your impact on the environment?

10 – Extremely Important (55.2%)
9 – Highly Important (17.2%)
8 – Very Important (13.8%)
7 – Important (6.9%)
6 – Slightly Important (6.9%)
0-5 – neutral or unimportant (0%)

Why do consumers care about their impact on the environment?

The results show that people ultimately value products and services that are safe for the environment. More than half of survey respondents shared that they care about minimizing their impact on air, land, water, food, and the overall planet.

While people care significantly about their impact on the planet, they are often unsure what to believe when a brand vaguely says they are “environmentally-friendly.” These very same people want truth and facts that are measurable, not greenwashed, because they actually care about the impact being made, not just about feeling good. The sentiment of “actually caring” means people want to see proof and participate with environmentally-focused brands who are influencing environmental policy, and not just promoting the same old greenwashed products with unsubstantiated sustainability claims. The quality of education, the amount of information, and transparency also impacts the level of involvement people will or won’t have in a brand’s mission. For businesses to actually reach and connect with this consumer group who values their environmental impact, education and transparency are required.

PATHWATER: the power of education equals motivated consumers

As a mini case study, let’s look at PATHWATER. PATHWATER created the first bottled water designed for reusability that is as affordable as plastic bottled water and made from aluminum, a highly recyclable material. PATHWATER’s mission is to disrupt the Bottled Water Industry by replacing all plastic packaging with aluminum, reusable bottled water. The company has positioned itself to continue along on the sustainability spectrum by committing to locally sourced water in every location PATHWATER expands to. Another part of their mission is to ensure clean drinking water for everyone, as they believe water is a human right.

To spread their mission, PATHWATER educates on all of the environmental issues their product addresses like plastic pollution, single-use packaging, and access to safe, clean drinking water. The PATHWATER Student Ambassador (PSA) Program was created with this mission in mind, to help students address plastic waste and clean water access issues. By providing information and transparency, students have a great desire to get involved to help push the PATHWATER mission on their campuses. Why? Because many students have the same agenda as PATHWATER – to ban single-use plastic. Students are provided with helpful instructions and support to ban single-use plastic bottled water on campus, and with these collaborative efforts, the planet, people, and PATHWATER’s business model are all succeeding. This type of environmental education creates a level of involvement most companies can only dream of, and that money can never buy. Education on a deep and genuine level, can’t happen with greenwashed companies, it’s a key indicator of an environmental company’s intentions. People, and in this case, students, find it easy to get involved in PATHWATER’s mission and voluntarily participate in taking action.

Survey question #2 – How important is it for you to minimize your exposure to chemicals deemed toxic or suspected toxic?

10 – Extremely Important (67.7.2%)
9 – Highly Important (16.7%)
8 – Very Important (10%)
7 – Important (3.3%)
6 – Slightly Important (3.3%)
0-5 – neutral or unimportant (0%)

These survey results show that people believe it’s essential to minimize their exposure to harmful chemicals

Minimizing exposure to toxic chemicals is directly linked to a concern for environmental pollution because of how pesticides, air pollution, and water pollution directly affect the quality of our health. When people care about environmental health issues, it’s essential to educate them on these topics and help them solve problems around chemical exposure as well as other environmental issues that align with your green brand’s mission and unique set of solutions.

For instance, people are concerned about health issues related to plastic and plastic waste. Plastic concerns are incredibly daunting right now, and people are keeping a close watch on matters related to plastic with genuine worry. Unfortunately, regurgitated information is being spread on every media channel and social platform; leaving people with half information and half-truths that are more damaging in the long run. Meanwhile, in-depth studies are being conducted, updated, expanded on, and some journalists are missing the basic environmental science around these studies. They seem to be cherry-picking the statistics that seem to be the most newsworthy or shocking and missing vital details that would actually inform people and give them new information. This aiming low and delivering the same news as competing media sources is diminishing the efficacy of education and missing the green solutions available to solve these environmental problems. A resurgence in intellectualism in research and writing is imperative, as this is the only way to provide meaningful, transparent information to consumers. Here’s an example of an article which busts myths around plastic being framed as truly recyclable, a solution, and a part of a circular economy – Plastic Vs. Aluminum: People Are Debating Whether Plastic Can Be Part of a Circular Economy.

Here’s another article Is it Safe to Drink from Aluminum Bottles? This article answers some of the mythical concerns around aluminum, the unfounded health scares, and the origins of widespread aluminum myths. All environmental issues are health issues at the end of the day, and when businesses deliver ecological education to people looking to buy in their market, trust is naturally built, competitors are dealt with in a fact-based manner, and profits become an automatic tertiary outcome.

Survey question #3 – Have you ever changed a purchasing habit based on an environmental or health reason?

Yes – 76.8%

Not sure – 19.2%

No – 3.9%

This survey question is significant proof that there’s a wide-open market for green businesses to help consumers who are ready to make better purchases. People care about environmental and health issues; however, they lack the knowledge to make informed decisions. So most people stand on the sidelines waiting for clear education which has created the $1 trillion missed market opportunity.

Our research is proving that people are willing to make a shift to better choices, given the right information. 61% of Millennials are willing to pay more for eco-friendly products, according to GlobalWebindex. This is additional confirmation that a growing group of consumers are open to being highly involved in green solutions; however, this requires proper education. This market is too large to miss. People are here and ready to make better choices once they are provided with the proof they need.

Conveying truth to people who demand genuine environmental solutions

There’s a need for green companies to focus on full-scope environmental efforts which include fulfilling the educational gap and lack of trust consumers are feeling. Consumers are now in the driver’s seat; therefore, brands that wish to succeed in this new market opportunity must adhere to the truth in the ways they choose to address environmental issues and environmental justice. While 30% of consumers actively seek out sustainable brands, there’s another 30% waiting on the sidelines to connect with brands transparently inform on the claims made beyond branding and messaging. It’s time for all great brands executing impactful environmental solutions to take consumers by the hand and elevate the world, together.

Conclusion

At A.R. Marketing House, we are always researching and collecting data to create focused educational content that aims to illuminate humanity on environmental issues and fuel movements. We’ve realized this education-based approach to marketing takes a perfect balance of intellect, critical thinking, creativity, and knowledge of topics like business, environmental marketing, journalism, politics, environmental science, and design. The bottom line is that people want to feel good about the products they’re putting their money behind. But feeling good isn’t enough, not for people, not for the planet. What everyone needs on this sustainable journey is help over the steep learning curve of environmental science.

Our survey proves that people care, now it’s our job to teach consumers how to sniff out feel-good greenwashing vs. real solutions so we can make some headway. We can’t just promise consumers they’re making the best choices, we ourselves have to actively create, promote, and educate on genuine environmental and health solutions that elevate how we operate.

We are an agency far ahead of the curve because we understand that the gap which needs to be bridged is an all around WIN solution. Genuine environmental solutions require mass adoption. Mass adoption requires environmental education. Environmental education must be presented in the context of marketing. Education bridges the gap between our crusade for cleaning up the planet and a massive wealth transfer. Wealth meaning health, money, clean food, clean air, clean water and a good quality of life. Wealth transfer meaning, from the planet polluting companies whom we subsidize with our money only to get in return pollution and hospital bills, TO environmentally-focused companies who help clean up the planet and thus improve our overall health and quality of life in the process. And of course, this wealth transfer requires a solid, steadfast commitment to take our fellow human by the hand and educate. Ferociously, without apology, without hesitation and with the most empathetic action-oriented plan, we all must tackle the mission to educate.

Where does this education start? It starts where people are looking for it online. Environmental education may begin with your website or any place your community finds you. This is where you have the ability to genuinely answer questions, cover all of the myths, educate, and often, reeducate. You’ve created a business that solves an environmental problem in the world, and consumers want ecological and health problems solved. The only thing keeping 80% of them from adopting your solution is education.

Unilever says there is a 1 trillion dollar market share for sustainable brands that educate, but when all factors are calculated, we presume the value for everyone is monumentally greater.

Resources

https://www.unilever.com/news/press-releases/2017/report-shows-a-third-of-consumers-prefer-sustainable-brands.html

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/03/01/millennials-overtake-baby-boomers/

https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popproj/data/datasets.html

https://blog.globalwebindex.com/chart-of-the-week/green-consumerism/

Nov

2017

Marketing: For the Discouraged Social Entrepreneur

You’ve come up with countless ideas, created brilliant products, useful services, and are eager to elevate your company and community to levels far beyond what you’ve ever seen.

The thing is, you’re not alone.

So many business owners like yourself have wanted to do the same, but lack the knowledge, the time, and the strategy.

At A.R. Marketing House, we have noticed a consistent pattern amongst the socially conscious clients we have worked with as well as businesses we have come across. That is, when it comes to developing and implementing a marketing strategy, many business owners struggle because they either 1) lack a strategy with objectives and subjective goals 2) don’t have a strategy that aligns with their personality +brand 3) don’t have a strategy that aligns with their long-term marketing budget 4) do not stick to their plan long enough to see expected results.

But we see your success, we support your amazing ideas, and we want to help you launch your potential to new heights and bring your dreams into reality. So, we’ve come up with this little cheat sheet for you to wash away your discouragement and get back on the marketing horse. Here are 6 ways to amplify your business and bring to life those brilliant ideas toward making a positive impact while achieving great long-term success.

Imagine the Greatest End-Goal First, THEN reverse engineer it

One trait we see often is leaders seeing an end result without really taking the time to understand the methods of getting there. It is so important to set goals, work on a strategy, come up with clear objectives, and understand what tactics you need to take to ensure you are reaching these milestones. You need a plan, a CLEAR plan with measurable results. But sometimes this is easier done in REVERSE. Yes, seeing the end result and working your way back from that vision has proven to be the method that some of the most successful entrepreneurs and change makers actively use.

What do you need to get there? Visualize the end, then close your eyes and walk backward from that goal to narrow down the steps it took to get you there. You might find that you need to do some additional research. Have others achieved similar results to those you hope to achieve? How can you be different? Greater? More creative? Help others? More than just wanting to get to that point of success, you need to plan for it strategically and cleverly. Understand the possible repercussions of steps that can go awry and mitigate your risks by having options within your plan, like a roadmap with alternative routes.

Strategize and Re-strategize

Often times, it is easy to get discouraged when you don’t see immediate results. The important thing to understand is immediate success rarely means long-term success. Sure, maybe some businesses start off with a bang, but this is not the norm, especially if you are in a field that is either not widely understood or is shrouded with miseducation. Sometimes your brilliant ideas will have to be introduced and reintroduced many times over before even the brainiest of people begin to grasp what you are truly trying to do. Whether you are introducing a politically controversial product or educating on a spiritually profound message, you will not only need to give yourself some time to find your voice within your message, you will also have to give your audience some time to become educated, by you, of course. However, after about a year of solidly sticking to your plan, assess what worked best and look to see what new methods are currently out, then…re-strategize! Trust your analytics and your instincts, then move forward with the knowledge you have gained. In what ways did your strategy lack? Did your audience grow? Were you able to convert leads into sales? You already have a plan in place, just look for gaps and focus on what can be done to improve going forward. It won’t happen overnight. If you don’t believe us, check out how long these “overnight successes” ACTUALLY took. *Hint: It definitely wasn’t overnight. Of course these are larger companies but the reasoning and logic also applies to small and midsize businesses.

Timing is Everything

Marketing is more than just posting on social media here and there. You need to be strategic. Create a calendar. Know when you should be posting your original content, how frequently, and know why this all relates back to your overall marketing goal. More than just posting on social media, you need to create conversation on more than just one platform. Start a blog, newsletter, social media strategy, and more than that, focus on collaborations with influencers.

Digital technology allows numerous avenues to educate based on your business or practice. But it’s key to narrow down the focus on how each platform leverages your strategy best. When do you want to reach your goal? Is this plan going to do anything for you in the short-term? If not, is it worth what it will do for your goals in the long-term? Now, I know this sounds like a lot of work, but creating a marketing calendar will greatly help you along the way. Creating a calendar will allow you to improve your time management and ensure you are relaying a consistent message across various platforms to the right people.

Remember WHY you started and tell people

When you first decided you wanted to start this business, you knew what you wanted to accomplish. You knew your skill, gift, or wonderful product was worth a formal delivery to the world. Keep this in mind as you continue on this rollercoaster to success. It won’t be easy. If it was easy, everyone would do it. The important thing is to remember why you did this and why you want to continue to do it. Constantly remind yourself of the WHY and work on achieving small milestones that will set you up for long-term success. Add the WHY into your messaging, make sure that you are storytelling and capture your audience with your true motivations, they will appreciate and relate to you more for it. What’s more, you will hit some emotional health markers with your vulnerability, see Brene Brown.

SMARKET yourself

It is so easy to put your marketing strategy on the back-burner when you don’t see results right away. But doing this before you’ve accessed the intelligence of your content and the strategy of your delivery, is not fair. When you find yourself on the slippery slope of doing nothing and re-sharing other people’s content, STOP and focus on the various ways you can contribute to your own smart content creation. With smart content creation, your success is dependent on following an educational purpose, an audience generating data collection format, utilizing various and specific avenues for delivery, consistent implementation, tracking, adjusting based on analytics, patience, and spiritual alignment. Actually, you might want to start with the latter.

You can’t expect your audience will show up without knowing who you are and why you’re special. By creating smart content, you are allowing your readers, followers, and clients the chance not only to get to know you but to develop and understand and be educated by you; a relationship built on trust developed by you.

The modern marketing plan, or as we call it, smart content creation, is more than just posting ads online or in the local paper, but more about nurturing a relationship and moving from tangential to tangible continuing past the sell, into the long-term.

In the digital arena, smart content creation relies heavily on making yourself known and leveraging yourself to your best-suited audience, then demonstrating leadership with your unique expertise.

6. Hire a Pro.

If you’ve made it to this point of the blog you’re either struggling pretty hard or you’re eager to apply the best tactics to your marketing strategy. Under both circumstances, tip 6 can easily get you where you want to be. There are professional marketers whose job is to put you and your business out there. They already know how to discover the intricacies and the methods that would work best for your goals and are dedicated to meeting your needs while you are out there perfecting your craft, improving your product, and working on sustaining your business. At A.R. Marketing House our goal is to learn the ins and outs of what it is you offer so we can reach the right people with the right message to get them to invest in what you have to offer. We have done this for a variety of industry leaders and are eager to elevate you to unsurpassed levels.

With these tips, we are confident that your business will flourish! Whether you’ve just decided to market your business or have been working at this for some time, but need a little help, we are eager to help you and encourage you to seek help from pro’s, like the A.R. team.

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May

2017

Social Justice: How to Fuel Your Purpose and Practice with Educational Niche Marketing

Focusing on a niche in your field is beneficial to the long-term growth of your business and career. The problem with today’s job market is the over-saturation of people in numerous job fields reaching for the same generalized group. General practitioners easily spread themselves too thin, resulting in working on cases and jobs that don’t interest them, and even worse, aren’t cases they ACTUALLY have experience working with.

But when your purpose in life and your professional career collide to make a magical combination, this is the stuff that fuels change in the world. It may seem odd that a combination so great might need P.R. or “marketing” but these efforts can fuel the fire needed in this world’s current state. We are battling some forces that need a push back. Marketing your niche is the corporate term and excuse to promote good in the world and push pro-people agendas as well as re-education.

Finding your niche isn’t always easy, but some leaders do an amazing job at using their niche to fuel their passion and stand out as leaders, advocates, and philanthropists!

If there is a lesson to be learned, these leaders are teaching it. Here is what we learned from some of our favorite social justice stars!

Leader 1, Lesson 1:

Talila Lewis advocates for people with disabilities, specializing in deaf, deafblind, deafdisabled and hard of hearing cases. Lewis is one of very few lawyers around the world working to defend deaf wrongful conviction cases. Besides being an avid educator to congress, attorneys, and law enforcement, Lewis is also the creator of the only national deaf prisoner database. Lewis works tirelessly to defend those who have not been able to defend themselves. Lewis is the Founder and Director of Helping to Educate and Advance the Rights of Deaf Communities (HEARD), which is an all-volunteer nonprofit that works to assist and advocate for the deaf, disabled, abused and wrongfully convicted.

Lewis stands out for hard work, dedication, being knowledgeable, and vocal in order to defend those who need specialized advocacy. Education is big for Lewis, as it provides a truly valuable resource to those who need it most. Recognized as a White House “Champion of Change” and was named one of the “Top 30 Thinkers Under 30” by Pacific Standard Magazine, Talila Lewis shows us that serving as a defender and resource allows for unparalleled success. Lewis’ focus is specific, which helps in truly understanding and helping clients, followers, and community members far beyond lawyers in this field of practice.

A big reason we believe niche marketing is the way to go is because of leaders like Lewis who leverage their purpose to serve as field specialists for those who need them the most. Thanks for your brilliance, heart, and dedication, Talila!

Leader 2, Lesson 2:

Andrea Ritchie is black lesbian police misconduct attorney, researcher, writer, and advocate for criminalization surrounding women, girls, and LGBT people of color. Ritchie also helped found and coordinate Streetwise & Safe (SAS), which serves as a leadership development initiative that focuses on sharing “know your rights” information along with strategies and visions for change among people facing the issues she seeks to represent. Ritchie now also serves as the SAS Senior Policy Counsel.

Ritchie is also a co-author of:

Like our previous social justice star, Ritchie is also quite active in education, pushing forth her vision, her views, and her experiences with groups that need the most advocacy in our society.

We love Ritchie because her work spans further than her federal litigation to her commitment to educating and speaking out for the civil rights that many others are too fearful to speak up for. A visit to Ritchie’s site gives access to her blog, videos, publications, and access to her business services.

Because police misconduct is still a huge problem, Ritchie’s specialty is still broad enough to handle a wide array of cases, but small enough to allow her to quickly assess an issue and come up with the best possible solution for that case. Richie has gained enormous trust amongst her clients and with her community, not just because of the number of similar cases she has handled but also because of her respect, education, and advocacy for a very particular group of people who need her, and more advocates like her.

Leader 3, Lesson 3:

Photo Credit: Norm Betts/Bloomberg News

The NoVo Foundation, a Warren Buffett family foundation run by Buffet’s children, is a leader in providing girls all over the world with opportunities for advancement. This organization focuses on supporting the development of capacities in individuals and as a whole to create a balanced and caring world that women can thrive in. The NoVo Foundation is also donating $90 million dollars over 7 years to help girls of color fulfill their mission.

Buffett is known as one of the most successful investors of all time. His families philanthropic work, although different than our last two, demonstrate a strong commitment to using your voice, your name, your privilege, and your finances to support a meaningful cause. The NoVo Foundation gives hope, inspires change, and advocates globally for the women who need it the most.

At the end of the day, specializing in a specific niche allows you to ENJOY the work you do. If you specialize in a field that interests you, then it won’t even be a job, but more of a commitment to fueling your passion. Like Buffett, Ritchie, and Lewis, if your passion is to help others overcome societal & natural-born obstacles to live a fulfilling life, you can specify where it is that you best fit into this field and tackle it whole-heartedly!

At A.R. Marketing House, we focus on helping you use your voice, your knowledge, and your skill set to become the leader that your field needs. We believe in the power of education and using what you know to provide the information that others are seeking.

Marketing comes down to more than just selling, getting your name out there, and making money. It is an opportunity to do good by those who are seeking your service and an opportunity to gain recognition by providing meaningful content, services, and information.
Need help becoming the leader your clients need? Contact us today!

“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” – John C. Maxwell

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