Lancashire businesses encouraged to make the world a better place

According to the latest social trends report for 2021 by Hootsuite, 53% of customers want to see businesses proactively make the world a better place.

Claire Benson founder of The Marketing Power Hour is leading the charge, launching the county's first purpose-led marketing and communications partnership. Claire's focus is to empower businesses to build brands which can be impact-driven while increasing their profits.

"Customers want organisations to walk the talk," says marketing and communications strategist and coach, Claire Benson. "While corporate social responsibility has been a feature of the business landscape for some time in Cumbria, in 2021 customers want to see the businesses they engage with, regardless of size, really live up to their values and reflected through their supply chains, customer and employee experiences."

With less than a decade to reach the UN's sustainable development goals, Claire believes businesses and marketers must work together and influence change.

"In times of economic hardship and uncertainty, marketing and communication budgets are the first to be cut, but following the sea-change of 2020, I think businesses need to be brave, creative and innovative and look for new ways to build trust and grow their businesses," says Claire.

In Deloitte's 2020 annual survey of millennials and Gen Z, 60% of respondents said they plan on buying more products and services from businesses that have taken care of their workforces and positively affected society during the pandemic.

"Marketing and Communication leads can drive this change, starting with influencing the board and senior leadership teams. 2020 saw numerous social issues rise to the fore. While commendable in many senses, social media managers reacted somewhat disastrously, without a comprehensive strategy being implemented throughout the entire organisation."

Working with directors and managers of SMEs, Claire acknowledges that implementing a purpose-led strategy can be difficult for micro and smaller businesses.

"One of my aims, when I conceptualised The Marketing Power Hour, was to ensure that the services the partnership offers are affordable. I believe every organisation should be able to access expert branding, marketing and communications advice and coaching, which is grounded in sound business strategy."

Claire was elected as a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing in August 2020.

About The Marketing Power Hour

The Marketing Power Hour is an independent marketing and communications strategy and coaching partner and can be found at www.themarketingpowerhour.co.uk

Claire is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and a Member of the Chartered Institute of PR, and works with associates and freelancers who are also committed to ethical marketing and communication practices and CPD.

The Marketing Power Hour offers three services to empower businesses:

Director-level, Power Hour strategy sessions, Power Workshops to show businesses how to brand, market and communicate effectively and with purpose,

Power Projects, to design and help implement marketing and communication strategies and embed organisation-wide purpose.