Your guide to successfully balancing impact and income to turn your ethical business into a profitable force for good in the world.
This 4-page guide will show you the pros and cons of different strategies you might be considering – including our favorite one that helps you become the brand everyone loves to buy from.
Reading time: 8 minutes
Here’s what we’re discussing on this page:
It isn’t easy being an ethical business owner.
We’re constantly walking a tightrope between what’s best for people and what’s best for our profits.
We sell products and services that can change people’s lives and make the world a better place. So of course we want to sell as many as possible.
But when it’s time to write the sales page, the promotional emails, and the social media content, we’re back on that tightrope between manipulative marketing and empowering marketing.
We want every sale to feel like the best possible decision for our customers/clients and we want them to be excited to pull out their wallets.
But we also get frustrated when our conversion rates, open rates, and click-through rates aren’t hitting the expected benchmarks.
We want results that beat the industry standards without tricking people into buying stuff they don’t need.
We want to change the world, but we need bigger margins in order to boost our impact and influence.
You’re out here working your butt off for every few thousand dollars/euros/pounds/yen/etc. Your profit margins are EVERYTHING because without them, your business stops making a difference in the world; your offers stop helping people and the planet.
It’s not just about the money, it’s what the money helps you do. The donations you can make, the risks you can take, and the opportunities you can create for your community.
And so, I think it’s fair to say that being an ethical business owner has always felt like a disadvantage in a world of bro-marketing, pushy sales tactics, and revenue-as-proof-of-success.
As an activist marketer, I’m here to show you how to tip the scales so you can make change the world money without compromising your values.
And I’m not asking for anything in return (except your attention.)
You don’t have to sign up for anything or buy anything. I’m going to spell it out right here in this 4-page article we’re calling the Ethical Business Guide To “Change The World Money.” (You’re currently on page 1. Welcome to the party! 👋)
My mission: to replace the Bezos and Musks of the world with business owners who give back, who make a difference, and who actually care about people and the planet. We’re here to show you how to outperform the greedy corporations that have been wrecking society for far too long.
Can I get a HELL YES!!
Becoming The Brand Everyone Loves To Buy From
Alright, let’s start with the 2 things your business needs to ethically grow and scale:
- a brand that people get excited about and want to support
- bigger profit margins with lower expenses so you can grow your impact and influence, donate more, and change the world
You already have the first one (whether or not you’re seeing evidence of it in your own customer base yet.)
Put simply, if your customers (or clients) buy your products/services to help them support the causes they care about, they’ll want to help you grow your business.
Numerous studies have shown that 80% of customers prefer buying from brands who actively share their beliefs and values (and a whopping 90% are willing to pay more to an ethical business!)1
Now is the best time to be vocal about your values and become the brand they want to buy from!
Examples of ethical brands with a passionate customer base
3 out of 4 of the following examples are products but this works equally well for service-based businesses, coaches, thought-leaders, infopreneurs, and ANY brand that is activist, ethical, conscious, green, and/or impact-driven. We’ll look at examples from other industries later in this series.
If your products are strictly plastic-free, your customers will buy from you because you’re helping them eliminate plastic pollution which is a cause they feel strongly about.
They’ll want to get as many of their friends, family, and peers hooked on your products because it will help them support a cause they’re passionate about.
Example: Ethique, and ethical business with 146k followers, 40k 5-star reviews, and an active following of loyal customers who want to eliminate plastic pollution in the world.
(Click on any image to see the full size version.)
If your brand actively and vocally supports LGBTQIA2s+ people, your customers will gladly introduce new buyers to your brand because they also want LGBTQIA2s+ people to thrive.
Customers have selfish reasons for helping you too ~ they love your products/services and want to be able to keep buying them for many years!
Example: Thread Beauty with 33k followers, a beauty product that supports all pronouns, that’s successful enough to be carried by a huge chain store.
If your company raises awareness about climate change and the destruction of wild spaces while ensuring that every part of their supply chain, shipping, manufacturing, and employees are being treated fairly and paid a great wage, then your planet-conscious customers will actively help with your marketing.
Example: Patagonia, an outdoor clothing brand with over 5 MILLION followers that encourages repairing their products before replacing them, runs numerous ads about causes instead of their products, and enjoys an active customer community who comment on ads and posts about how much they love the products while tagging friends. Patagonia easily charges a premium for their goods and their customers continue to buy from them again and again.
Supporting Patagonia protects the planet so of course their customers want them to outperform the sweatshops, the Amazon-dot-coms, and the planet wreckers.
If your online business uses green technology, donates 5% of revenue, plants trees, and actively supports diversity, inclusion, and safety within your team, customer communities, and programs, then your clients will LOVE telling others about your services and will choose you over the competition every time.
When someone asks for a recommendation, your supporters will flood the comments, raving about the results they got from your offers in an attempt to drown out any other suggestions. Because they know that every sale makes the world a better place. Your brand becomes synonymous with changing the world.
Example: Fern CX, an activist-group-turned-marketing-agency that evolved into a for-benefit customer experience agency. Our communities and KPI’s wildly outperform industry benchmarks with 83% retention rates, 80% repeat sales (from a $27 offer to a $1000 offer), and 50% referral rates. Not bad for a brand that prioritizes impact:
And yes, ALL of this translates to SALES. Your happy customers/clients will help you reach new people that are primed and excited to buy from you.
You might be feeling like your brand isn’t really all that. (If so, click on this paragraph for some real talk.)
Maybe you built your business around your desire to do good in the world, but you’re not boldly leading the change-makers like the examples above.
For instance, you might be a coach that helps people overcome past trauma, get back into the dating scene, or start a business. Maybe you sell digital printouts on Etsy or chainmail or goth jewelry and you don’t think it translates to changing the world.
That’s OK.
Any business can become a sustainable, do-good brand by using green energy, working with diverse contractors and team members, prioritizing an ethical supply chain, and things like that.
Your chainmail business might be empowering women to express their strength and wild femininity while your team is 75% non-white men, your website is running on sustainable energy with green hosting, and your chainmail is made from recycled and repurposed metals. You can ship your pieces in compostable packaging and purchase carbon credits to offset the shipping. You can use your platform to raise awareness about social issues and support BIPOC and LGBTQIA2s+ brands who sell something that works well with your chainmail designs. There are so many ways to make your business an agent for good.
This is your sign to become the brand you’d be proud to talk about on Oprah’s stage, to be more vocal about the causes that are dear to your heart, and start implementing small changes that make a difference.
Because “change the world money” is only possible if you have an ethical business that people can get excited about and be proud to tell others about.
If you feel like your brand isn’t quite there yet, but you want it to be, keep reading. Some of the tactics you’ll learn in this article will help you become the brand everyone loves to buy from.
And if you feel like your ehical business is already doing good in the world and ready for bigger impact, influence, and income, you’re definitely in the right place!
How To Increase Revenue And Reduce Expenses For Bigger Impact, Income, & Influence
Your integrity and ethical way of doing business might’ve felt like a disadvantage these past 10+ years, but it’s a competitive advantage in today’s marketplace.
People are increasingly seeking out brands that make them feel good about where their money is going. Many customers will gladly pay more for products and services that are ethical, transparent, and good for the planet and people.
And it’s easy to gush about ethical businesses because you know everyone you introduce to that brand will fall in love with them, just like you did. Recommending Amazon doesn’t hit the same as recommending the mom and pop shop that sends out emails with photos and stories about the people who made each of the products you purchased. The one who makes every customer feel like family instead of just another chair on some billionaire’s yacht.
Being an ethical business gives you an edge that big box brands can’t compete with. And you can use this edge to increase your revenue and reduce expenses as you grow your impact, income, and influence.
The KPI’s That Produce Bigger Profits & Lower Expenses
We’ll go into more detail in a moment, but for now, let’s look at an overview of exactly what kinds of profit-generating and expense-saving KPI’s we’re talking about:
- Reduced ad spend and a bigger return on ad spend (ROAS)
- Increased organic traffic and sales
- A steady stream of 5-star reviews and testimonials
- Successful customers/clients leaving comments on your ads about their results and how much they recommend your offer
- User-generated content (on autopilot) that you don’t have to pay for
- Happy customers/clients who buy everything you sell and refer everyone they know
- An active and engaged customer base (commenting, sharing, tagging, participating) that reduces your social media marketing costs
- Higher retention rates and reduced churn (aka repeat sales)
- Higher completion rates and success rates (which means more of your existing customers ready to buy the next thing)
- A movement of loyal fans who rally together under your brand to change the world (turning your business into a force for good)
You could literally pick any 2 off the above list and it would show up in your data as bigger income (and impact) without increasing your budget ~ aka higher profit margins.
💰 You’d save a fortune on ad spend if you had bigger ROAS, customers commenting on your ads, higher retention rates, and lower churn rates.
💰 You’d save a fortune on social media marketing, ads, and lead gen if your existing customers were sending you a steady stream of referrals, organic traffic, and engaging with your content.
💵 And your income would increase (without shady tactics) if you had more repeat sales, referrals, and ad conversions.
💞 So if we’re being honest, the fastest way to boost revenue and reduce expenses is to create happy customers who buy everything you sell and help you reach new leads.
And there’s tons of data to back this up!
Studies show that 84% of companies that improved their customer experience systems (the umbrella that all of this falls under) saw an increase in revenue, while 79% reported saving money on costs.2
So, let’s spend the next few moments looking at where to find these customers/clients who want to continue buying from you while spreading the word to help you connect with new customers.
TO RECAP:
The 2 things your ethical business needs to grow and scale:
a brand that people get excited about and want to support
You sell something that makes the world a better place and your customers (can learn to) see your offers as a way to support the causes they’re already passionate about such as reducing plastic pollution, creating equity, supporting diversity, protecting the planet, fair trade, fair wages, sustainable manufacturing, green energy, healing, empowering, or any other cause that’s near and dear to your heart.
higher revenue with lower expenses so you can grow your impact and influence, donate more, and change the world
You’re interested in ethical ways to increase income and ROAS with tactics that also lower your marketing costs. Things like: boosting your organic traffic/sales, positive reviews, social proof, happy customers commenting on your ads, referrals, UGC, retention rates, repeat sales, and more.
✅ As an ethical business, you already have the first one (even if it isn’t being used for maximum success yet) and an advantage over big-name brands with big ad budgets.
➡️ On the next page, we’ll look at where to find your happy customers and leverage them to check off that list of KPI’s that lowers expenses and boosts revenue (so you can outperform deceitful brands with deep pockets.)
Click to continue:
- There have been so many studies that talk about customers voting with their purchase decisions. Here’s one that talks about climate change and wanting to support ethical businesses. ↩︎
- The “uncomfortable truth” in this report is that most companies feel their customer experience processes are lacking and admit they haven’t invested in improving them, despite data that shows an increase in revenue and decrease in costs for those businesses who do. ↩︎
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