Corporate social responsibility is a topic that becomes increasingly important as your company begins to grow. Essentially, corporate responsibility refers to a system of actions, policies, and stances that collectively illustrate the character and authority of your company in a social setting. It could be anything from a diverse hiring initiative to charitable involvement.
The extensive reach of social media platforms is changing the nature and utility of corporate social responsibility, and in order to make the most of your social media marketing campaign, you’ll need to understand how.
Elements of Corporate Social Responsibility
First, you’ll need to understand corporate social responsibility in terms of its most basic elements. Yes, it is better to do good for the sake of doing good than to preserve an image, but it’s important to understand these fundamental branches of corporate social responsibility:
· Reducing or eliminating environmental harm
· Valuing human resources with reasonable pay and conditions
· Contributing to a community through volunteer work or donations
· Encouraging others (companies and people) to do better, or do more in their space
· Commit to quality, and commit to shareholders and customers
Corporate social responsibility can take many other forms, but these are key components you’ll need to keep in mind no matter what kind of business you run.
Avoiding the “Brag”
If you make a positive contribution to the community or want to show something off, your first instinct is to post it right away on at least one social media platform. This isn’t necessarily a bad strategy, but you have to make sure and craft your message so you don’t seem self-indulgent. People love to see companies doing good, but hate to see companies doing good and never shutting up about it. Just remember, subtlety is your friend.
Take note of your philanthropic or responsible endeavors, and make sure people hear about it. The only thing worse than bragging is never mentioning it to begin with. Whenever possible, encourage people to take part in your efforts or mirror your efforts with their own initiatives. Not only is it going to give you positive reception, it will also be beneficial for your community as a whole.
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