When I started Wholeheart Agency in 2020, my vision was clear: to build a marketing agency that helped purpose-driven brands amplify their positive impact.
What do I mean by purpose-driven? Brands that have a greater purpose beyond just making money– some kind of positive social or environmental impact.
Some people call this a brand’s “why” (a-la-Simon-Sinek). Others say socially conscious or sustainable company. Or maybe a social enterprise. The jargon shifts depending on the era and industry.
Despite the nuances, it essentially means the same thing: Brands that are looking to make a positive impact through business.Our Replica Omega watches bring you the high standards of quality and excellence at an affordable price. Check the catalog for the best replica Omega watches.Wholesale replica watches at affordable prices in our online store. You can use our coupons when you wholesale replica Rolex watches.Japanwatches.co.uk website sells the best Swiss replica watches uk worldwide, and you can get top quality fake watches at a cheaper price.
Moving into year 4 of running Wholeheart, I’ve taken a few lessons to heart (pun intended). If you’re enthused by the idea of using business as a force for good, I hope you find these lessons informative and inspiring.
1. Purpose alone isn’t enough.
I know this one will get me some eye rolls. To my credit, I did go into this fully aware that our USP had to make sense from a business perspective first.
After all, I launched with 10 years of experience in marketing, 8 of which were self-employed. (Gave that whole “job” thing a try before returning to the real world.) I’m no stranger to having to sell skeptics on, and consistently demonstrate, the ROI of my skills and services.
And yet, our first year I did perhaps lean too heavily into positive impact as our core differentiator.
I thought our purpose-driven messaging– combined with our own impact initiatives like donations and pro bono work– would be sufficient in becoming the overnight darlings of the socially conscious startup and small business landscape.
Our purpose-first messaging was enough to elicit a follow or lead magnet download. But it wasn’t until we better balanced our content marketing efforts with case studies and content that demonstrated our technical expertise that we began converting more of those followers into leads and clients.
I was also (pleasantly) surprised to discover…
2. People “get” the ROI of positive impact.
I studied sustainability in undergrad– as part of UF’s first graduating class of its Sustainability program in 2012– and have been increasingly sold on its benefits ever since.
To me, the practical applications and economic incentives of “doing good” is just common sense. I never found it to be a very radical idea that people would rather support companies that are making the world a better place, rather than playing an active role in degrading it.
I launched Wholeheart assuming I’d have to do a lot of educating on the power of positive impact in driving business results– and that is a core content pillar.
When I talk to business owners, however, whether on a sales call or more serendipitous encounters, I find I get more head nods than furrowed brows.
I would like to say this is due to my impeccable communication skills (she says sarcastically), but an even more encouraging possibility is that the concept is no longer all that radical.
People are warming up to the idea– and not just those of us who wear TOMS and would be embarrassed to join the grocery checkout line without a reusable tote.
It’s gaining traction with the less-expected demographics, whether due to the reluctant recognition of a shifting market or a genuine desire to make the world a better place (or at least, not directly worsen it).
And yet…
3. Not enough businesses are doing it (despite wanting to or knowing they should).
Call it confirmation bias, but most business leaders I interact with, across industries and demographics, recognize that purpose-driven brands have an advantage in today’s market.
However, just as knowing we should eat healthy and exercise doesn’t mean we’ll actually do it, this growing awareness doesn’t necessarily translate into having the time, motivation, or resources to take steps toward that vision.
When I started Wholeheart, my goal was to serve brands that already had that positive impact piece. Like the company making bracelets from ocean plastic, or the pizza shop helping to feed the homeless. And hey, I still would still pour everything I’ve got into supporting brands like these.
But year after year, I’ve found myself interacting more with business owners that like the idea of giving back, but have other, more pressing, challenges to deal with.
The good news is, brands and their leaders don’t have to choose. “Doing good” doesn’t need to be some idealistic (or entirely selfless) far-off hope for the future.
With the right strategy, brands can pursue positive impact in a way that helps support business goals, solve marketing challenges, and drive measurable results.
How we’re putting these lessons into practice
Based on these learnings, we’re making a few changes to our offerings in 2024.
We’re expanding our target audience to include brands that want to have a positive impact, but first need help overcoming common marketing challenges like getting more customers, standing out from competitors, creating quality content, and measuring the ROI of their marketing efforts.
We’ll help brands:
- Build impact into their business in a way that aligns with their industry and audience
- Get a “purpose-driven makeover” – from branding fundamentals to multichannel marketing materials – to welcome in their new era
- Launch a campaign to celebrate their evolution, drum up support and engagement, and drive some “quick wins” for their next phase in business.
I’m extremely giddy about this shift. But I’m also being cautious. I feel strongly about not taking money for something until I’m confident we can deliver ROI and measurable results.
So before this offer is available to the public, we’ll be running…
The Grand “Positive Impact” Experiment
Think of it as a beta run. We’re working with a forward-thinking business owner who we approached to be our “guinea pig” for this grand experiment.
We’ll be working with him over the next 3 months to deliver this new service, allowing us to iron out the kinks, fine-tune the process, and build a credible case study through which we can confidently promote the program upon launch.
And here’s the fun (and mildly terrifying) part. We’ll be sharing project updates and campaign results in real time throughout the beta run. Eeeeek.
My hope is that bringing you behind-the-scenes will:
- Spread awareness and drive interest in the program
- Demonstrate the power of positive impact in business
- Inspire you to build “doing good” into your business (with or without us!)
- Provide actionable ideas and tactics for you to put to use– plus insights on lessons learned and performance results
I look forward to sharing the evolution of this program– and the many lessons it’s sure to bring– here on Linkedin with you.
Follow along with our experiment!
If your interest is piqued and you would like to keep up with the progression of the Positive Impact Experience, sign up for the waitlist for the program launch– anticipated Spring 2024.
You’ll get twice-monthly email updates on the experiment, and 10% off the program upon launch if you decide to embark. (No pressure, though.)
I’ll be sharing updates here on LinkedIn, too, so follow me if you’re not already 😉
And if you’d like to nerd out or pick my brain on anything purpose-driven or impact related, message me! Really. I’m here to connect with like-minded people who believe in the power of positive impact through business.
Wish me luck!