It's Not Just a Marketing Phrase: 3 Ways to Deliver on Being a "Purpose-Driven Brand"

The era of purpose is upon us.

70% of employees think it's important to work for a business that has a purpose.

Our most recent State of Consumer Trends Report shows how a solid purpose or mission can help you stand out against your competitors.

The last two and a half years have focused on what it means to be a purpose driven company. Supply chains were disrupted due to the global Pandemic. The Great Resignation/Reflection proved that employees are looking for value and purpose at work.

Driving value for stakeholders, society, and the planet is important. We will see more companies weaving purpose into their business in the future.

A purpose is more than just a word. The core reason for existence for winning companies is declared by purpose. Companies connect people with their purpose. Building that requires a lot of work.

As a company grows, leaders change and evolve with it. Our purpose of building a company that future generations would be proud of serves as our road map to help determine which ESG initiatives we to make an impact on.

I believe that authenticity, engagement, and influence are important for companies to deliver on purpose.

How to Run (& Market) Your Brand With Purpose

1. Embed purpose in a way that’s authentic to your organization

In the Black Friday edition of The New York Times, Patagonia ran a full-page ad telling customers not to buy their jackets. The factors that were listed were the amount of water the jacket needed, the amount of carbon dioxide it emitted, and the amount of waste it produced.

The New York Times is the source of this information.

It isn't just about saying that you have a purpose. Companies that are authentic in everything they do are called authentic purpose-driven companies. It was a powerful message without sacrificing their purpose of being in business to save our home planet that made the campaign so popular.

Purpose must be authentic to drive change. A lack of authenticity leads to confusion and distrust.

We walk the walk before we talk the talk. Everything from our business decisions, our action plan around Black Lives Matter, and where we're falling short is communicated to our employees before it's shared outside. Ensuring their purpose reflects the company's core values, reinforcing how employees are contributing to purpose, and committing real action to deliver on that purpose are some of the ways companies can lead with authenticity.

2. Engage employees to activate their purpose

You'll want to make sure that your marketing is in line with the work you do.

According to Mckinsey & Company, 70% of employees feel that their sense of purpose in life is determined by their work, which indicates that an organization's purpose can be a strong influence on an individual's sense of worth.

It's important to reinforce how and why employees can contribute to making an impact at a time when people are looking to derive meaning from their work

Communication of the company's actions and what employees can do to get involved is one way to engage employees.

Members of our Eco@Hubspot employee interest resource group took part in the Growing Greener Challenge, where they received one easy action each day to help invest in our planet.

The Global Greengrants Fund received a donation from HubSpot. Buying local foods with a low carbon footprint, unplugging appliances not in use and repurposing items that would normally be thrown away were some of the 1,306 actions taken by HubSpotters.

Setting the tone at the top and creating an environment where employees feel comfortable living their purpose at work are two important things. All employees are asked to share how they prioritize diversity, inclusion, and belonging in their work as part of a performance review.

Every company meeting we take time to recognize HubSpotters who embody an aspect of our core values which helps to inspire a sense of purpose across the business.

3. Consider your influencing role in purpose.

Part of being a responsible, purpose-driven company is not only creating value for your own company, but for others within your largerecosystem. This can also include your customers.

Suppliers will be expected to do more than just deliver product as pressure builds for companies to meet regulatory demands. They will be asked about the meaning of being a responsible business.

I have been talking to our customers about how we may be able to work together. They want to join us on our journey because they want more transparency into what we are doing. It would be irresponsible to ignore the tremendous potential we have for impact with over 135,000 customers. It's important to understand and invest in the multipliers effect.

As we gear up for a new year, we want to know how our ESG efforts connect with the core values of the company. We have made good progress but still have a long way to go and more to learn so we will continue to make progress on our authentic purpose to build a company that future generations can be proud of.

What's Your Purpose?

It's not just something you can say in a campaign.

Your purpose is a promise that you are making to your audience. It should be intentional and thoughtful.

It's time for you to decide what your brand purpose will be after learning how to embrace it.

Check out the State of Consumer Trends Report to learn more about mission and purpose.