Organisations must always practise social responsibility to uphold a positive image and avoid legal trouble. They must also observe ethical marketing, prioritising values over profits to protect their stakeholders’ interests. 

Unfortunately, some companies prioritise making money over principles. For this reason, everyone must watch out for unethical marketing, such as making false claims about rivals and pressuring customers. 

This article will define ethical marketing and why we need it more than ever this 2023. We’ll also discuss the four universal principles and two effective, responsible marketing strategies.

What Is Ethical Marketing?

This digital marketing technique is a set of principles a company must adhere to when promoting its services or products. These values are universal regardless of a company’s industry, product, or service type. 

Every responsible company owner must build their business on a set of beliefs and principles that they think are crucial to them. While broadcasting them to the world may be unnecessary, these values will shape their operations and decisions. 

Moreover, businesses must also remember not to preach a set of values without practising them because it could mislead customers into believing they’ll get a certain level of service or product. 

Why Do We Need Social Responsibility? 

Creating a solid set of company values requires effort and effort. It’s not something you can copy and paste from an existing website; it’s a crucial part of digital marketing that needs careful consideration and planning to represent your company’s stances on different issues.

Moreover, ethical marketing helps establish credibility, gives you a competitive edge over those who don’t have a concrete plan and can improve your company’s content strategy.

4 Universal Principles of Ethical Marketing 

Being a socially responsible business means always doing what is right and living by the values you’ve set for your company. This section will enumerate four universal principles of ethical marketing. 

1. Fairness 

This principle means you value your customers and employees and won’t exploit them to make more money. You aim to offer reasonable prices and pay your workers fairly. Fairness also means treating all your customers respectfully. 

2. Responsibility 

It’s lovely to see well-established companies return to their humble beginnings. For this reason, your business must always practise responsibility. 

You can show that your organisation cares about the locals by investing in local causes and sponsoring charities. Investing your time and money into a trustworthy and reliable cause is crucial. On the other hand, those companies who only care about making a quick profit are usually opposed to doing the right thing. 

3. Transparency

Your stakeholders have the right to know what you do, what your business stands for, and why you make each decision. For this reason, it’s always crucial to ensure company transparency. 

This principle helps you establish trust with your customers and ultimately build better confidence with them. For instance, you can create a webpage about your company’s well-being programme and carbon emissions policy. 

4. Truthfulness 

You should explain the facts of your product or service to your customers so they can make informed decisions. 

2 Effective Ethical Marketing Strategies

Here are two ethical yet effective marketing strategies all organisations must observe. 

1. Advertise Your Values on Your Website

You can demonstrate your commitment to ethical marketing by advertising your values on your website, promoting the charities you support, and how you empower your employees’ mental health. 

2. Create a Socially Responsible Online Feed

You can use your social media feed to be socially responsible by writing about the causes you support. You can also show what actions you’re taking to uphold them.

Final Thoughts

Being a responsible business owner means going beyond growing your company; it also means exercising ethical marketing strategies. Preaching and practising your organisation’s values and working with a reliable digital marketing agency can help you uphold a positive image and stay competitive. 

If you need help with digital marketing on the Sunshine Coast, let us help. Flip Marketing has a team of professionals committed to dramatically growing your business. Work with us now to see guaranteed results!