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Purpose-Driven Marketing Tips

Considerations Before Hiring a Marketing Specialist

When it comes to the purpose-driven space, marketing efforts not only include standard marketing goals but also serve to inspire action, communicate impact, attract the attention of like-minded audiences, and help the organization face greater degrees of scrutiny and expectation than brands outside the space. 

A lot of purpose-driven organizations search for a talented marketing specialist who can help achieve these goals by checking every possible box. But finding someone with the right combination of skills, innovative thinking, and expertise is no simple task. So, what should you look for when you want to hire a marketing specialist? 
Here’s what a marketing specialist should do, what they shouldn’t do, and what are the alternatives for a full-stack solution at a comparable cost.

What Marketing Specialists Should Do 

According to Glassdoor, marketing specialists “develop, execute, and monitor marketing programs across a variety of channels.” While the scope of a marketing specialist will vary on the budget, needs, and size of the organization, their focus should be on, you guessed it, marketing. 

A marketing specialist’s role should primarily consist of:

  • Understanding key business initiatives and implementing the marketing plan/strategy;
  • Supporting, project managing, and coordinating tasks for the execution of marketing campaigns;
  • Tracking marketing initiatives to adjust if necessary;
  • Conducting research on key areas, including competitors, customers, and trends, to identify opportunities for marketing;  
  • Working with the creative team (i.e. copywriter and graphic designer) to develop marketing collateral.

What Marketing Specialists Shouldn’t Do  

Finding a jack-of-all-trades marketing specialist, equipped with an entire team’s worth of skill sets, is like finding a unicorn. Even if someone has all the desired skills, the sheer volume of work they are expected to handle tends to reduce their bandwidth and increase the chances of burnout and human error. 

A marketing specialist should not be expected to:

  • Work independently, expecting them to be an expert in and cover all areas of marketing;
  • Create professional-level brand and marketing material (i.e. copy, design, video, etc.);
  • Carry out duties that should be assigned to a marketing manager, such as setting budgets, developing the marketing strategy, or reporting to executives; 
  • Perform IT and HR tasks.

Finding the Right Solution

While an in-house marketing specialist may be the right choice for your organization, outsourcing your marketing may be a better solution depending on your needs. If you are interested in a full-stack marketing solution, agencies and vendors like Sparx are an excellent alternative to consider.

Marketing agencies fill knowledge gaps with specialized expertise, creating professional marketing strategies and campaigns. As a team of experts, they provide top-quality talent across multiple channels, from analytics and web design to branding and advertising. 

Having a dedicated team of experts who already know how to work together, consistently work to stay current on the latest trends and best practices in the space and can assist your in-house marketing professional means your existing staff won’t have to deprioritize other tasks, and you don’t have to worry about the hiring and training process.

Not only that, but marketing agencies tend to use sophisticated tools and technologies, such as pricier software for design or analytics, that may not be accessible to in-house teams because of budget constraints. This leads to new levels of efficiency and effectiveness and opens up new avenues of innovation.

Working with marketing vendors and agencies also presents a lot of flexibility. You can scale up or down based on your needs, enabling you to find the ideal solution for your marketing budget.

Sparx is a Mission-Aligned Alternative

Looking for a full-stack, purpose-driven marketing solution? Contact the experts at Sparx for a free consultation. We’d love to help make your impact story shine.

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Purpose-Driven Marketing Tips

Why and How to Add More Diversity Into Your Marketing Efforts

Following the heightened activity during the COVID-19 lockdowns of ongoing ground-breaking movements like Black Lives Matter and Stop Asian Hate calling attention to systemic issues in society, more people are taking a stand against the hidden and not-so-hidden injustices in the world – and companies are no exception.

There has been a groundswell of corporate engagement on issues that affect marginalized folks, and with it, a push for more diversity and inclusion in marketing campaigns, such as ones done by Coca-Cola, Google, and more.

Diversity goes beyond race and gender; it includes age, socio-economic class, sexual orientation, ability, and a variety of other factors. There are many reasons to consider these groups in your marketing efforts, and beyond. However, it’s important to avoid “woke-washing,” performative efforts to jump on the bandwagon of a movement – often to cash in – while not actually working to address a systemic issue.

Fear not: we’ve come up with a guide to help you add more diversity to your marketing efforts in an authentic, actionable way to truly make the world better.

Why You Should Consider Adding More Diversity to Your Marketing

  • Enhance brand perception and loyalty. An Adobe survey found that 62% of adults say diversity in a company’s ads impacted the way they perceive a brand, and 38% say they’d be more likely to trust a brand with diversity in their advertising. It’s not a coincidence that a brand that focuses on diversity and inclusion makes people feel, well, included.

    On the flip side, lacking diversity can lead to unwanted consequences. Top Design Firms reported this finding: “If two brands offer the exact same product, one in three consumers (34%) would consider each brand’s commitment to diversity and inclusion when making their final purchasing decision.” By showcasing diversity in your marketing, you increase trust and loyalty with your customers.
  • Make customers feel represented. Think of your marketing like a high school cafeteria: if your marketing is mostly white, male, able-bodied, young, and affluent, there’s a big chunk of the population who would feel like they wouldn’t fit in at that table. Instead, these people would go to another spot in the cafeteria where not only would they fit in, but thrive with other similar people. Try to include all types of people in your marketing so everyone feels invited to take a seat.
  • Grow your audience. When your marketing represents more of the population, more people come to your table. Therefore, not only do people feel good about being included, but you grow your audience of people to market to, which continues to build as they share your company with their audiences. It’s really a win/win.
  • Increase your profits. About two-thirds of consumers consider making a purchase immediately after seeing an ad they consider to be diverse, and two-thirds of consumers also consider making a second purchase from a brand they believe is committed to diversity and inclusion, according to a Top Design Firms report. On top of that, by growing your audience, you have a bigger pool of potential customers to market to, and therefore, potentially sell your products or services to. 

How to Add More Diversity to Your Marketing 

  • Think beyond imagery. While it’s important to showcase diversity in your images, it’s important to take it a step further and put in the work behind the scenes. 
    • You’ll want to understand your target audience, including their demographics, values, opinions, and more. This will help you be authentic and thoughtful in your messaging to them. 
    • It’s also recommended to have diverse voices and points of view within your internal team so you’re truly practicing what you preach. This can also help avoid things like inadvertent cultural appropriation, or accidentally coming across as insulting or condescending to any audience segment. 
    • You may also want to audit your internal and external systems to gauge user experience. This is especially important in the case of ability, as you may be unintentionally excluding members of the population with certain disabilities if they’re unable to use your systems due to accessibility challenges. 
    • As well, it’s recommended to continually educate your team on politically-correct terms and allyship practices, historical contexts of certain groups, and current events that affect these groups today. For example, you can acknowledge the Indigenous land your company resides on somewhere on your website or social media profiles, and add the pronouns of your public-facing staff to show support to gender non-comforming and trans folks by helping normalize gender discussions.
  • Be strategic about your marketing. Choose your words and imagery carefully in your content, but know that a single ad or post isn’t going to please all people at all times. Try your best to be inclusive, politically-correct, and authentic, but if something is brought to your attention that wasn’t quite right, use it as a learning opportunity to do better next time. Acknowledge the shortcoming, and apply that knowledge to your next campaign. You can also look to your audience and directly ask what matters to them to ensure they feel seen and heard in your marketing. 

Get Expert Marketing Support with Sparx  

At Sparx, our mission is to create content to make the world better.
If you want to create inclusive marketing campaigns but aren’t sure where to start, the experts at Sparx Publishing Group are always available to chat. We help purpose driven organizations secure their website, create great content, build experiences to delight their customers, and help grow their business. You can reach us here.

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Purpose-Driven Marketing Tips Work Life & Culture

8 Benefits of Working from Home That Can Help Make the World Better

In early 2021, 32% of working-age Canadian employees worked mostly from home, compared to only 4% in 2016. As we enter a post-lockdown reality, many employees are considering working remotely on a permanent basis.

But is remote work worth it for the long haul? Surely employees will miss their water cooler buddies, cubicles, and ergonomic office chairs, right? Well, turns out, this may not always be the case. In fact, working from home can positively impact the environment, both inside and outside your home. 

At Sparx, we’ve embraced remote work, a decision that aligns with our mission to make the world better. Here’s our list of 8 benefits of working from home.

Benefits of Remote Work for the Environment

1. Reduced Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions contribute to climate change through a warming effect in the Earth’s atmosphere. In a 29-year time span from 1990-2019, this warming effect from GHG added by humans increased by 45%. 

While GHG can be emitted from a variety of sources, transportation accounts for a significant portion. In Canada alone, GHG emissions from passenger vehicles increased 21% from 2000 to 2018. By working from home, you’ll cut out your drive or transit ride to work, which helps to reduce GHG emissions.  

2. Improved Air Quality

While there are many factors that affect air quality, the two most common sources are ground-level ozone and particulate matter (i.e. smoke, soot, dust, etc.). Gasoline vehicles are guilty of contributing to both of these sources, as they burn fuel, which creates nitrous oxides and volatile organic compounds that combine to create ground-level ozone. Industrial sources are bigger culprits of pollution, but any way to decrease your individual impact helps. 

3. Decreased Carbon Footprint 

Did you know that buildings generate nearly 40% of annual global greenhouse gas emissions? Bigger office buildings require more energy to heat and cool, which means they have a higher carbon footprint. 

Whether or not a building implements greener practices, such as renewable energy, is often left up to the building management and not you as an employee. However, when you work from home, you’re able to better control your carbon footprint by turning off lights, minimizing your water usage, and controlling your heating and cooling. 

4. Reduced Waste

The average office worker uses 10,000 sheets of paper and 156 plastic water bottles annually.  On top of that, there are often huge amounts of food waste from unfinished lunches and expired items in the office fridge. Of course, some waste is unavoidable in certain workplaces, and some workplaces do a better job than others at waste reduction overall. 

However, by working from home, you not only save paper by shifting to online documents, but you can better control your overall waste by recycling, composting, and using your own kitchenware instead of coffee cups and takeout containers.

5. Decreased Water Waste and Microplastics

Did you know that ditching the office dress code can have a positive impact on the environment? The fashion industry is responsible for 20% of global water waste, and is a major source of microplastics in the world’s oceans.
Typically, remote workers have more leeway when it comes to apparel. As long as you look professional from the waist up for video calls, you’re fine! By not needing to purchase an additional work wardrobe to conform to a specific dress code, you can help reduce the consumption and waste associated with “fast fashion.”

Benefits of Remote Work for Your Personal Environment

6. Improved Work-Life Balance

You can’t make the world better if you’re not taking care of yourself. Remote work allows for a better work-life balance because you can spend more time with loved ones and enjoy more time for rest and relaxation that may otherwise have been spent commuting. 

Your employer may also offer the flexibility to schedule appointments, provide caregiving, and complete courses during the typical 9-5 that you would not otherwise be able to do. Just look at Finland; it’s no coincidence the happiest country in the world also leads the way in flexible work.

7. Increased Range of Job Opportunities

Working from home lets you spread your skills and expertise around the globe by providing a broader range of jobs that aren’t limited to your geographic location. 

Remote work also promotes inclusivity, as jobs aren’t filtering out prospective employees based on socioeconomic status, especially if an office is located in an expensive area that’s hard to find accommodation in. As well, it allows for greater accessibility and job opportunities for individuals with disabilities and the aging population.  

8. Decreased Commute-Related Stress

According to Stats Canada, over 12 million Canadians commuted by car in 2016, with an average commute time of 24 minutes. Those commuting by car, especially with long commutes, are at a greater risk for a variety of health problems. Studies have found that people who commute by car, especially those with long commutes, are at greater risk of health problems, including increased blood sugar, higher cholesterol, blood pressure spikes, back aches, and stress and anxiety that can lead to long-term health problems. 

By working from home, not only do you eliminate the pesky commute, you can prioritize your mental and physical health by getting more sleep, spending time with family, working out, and cooking healthier foods at home.  

Whether you’ve been working remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic, reevaluating your career path, or re-entering the workforce, you may want to consider embracing remote work. Not only can it improve your environmental impact, it can make you happier and healthier. Plus, you may even save money while you’re at it!

Work with Sparx

Sparx Publishing Group is a digital marketing agency that creates content to make the world better. We’ve embraced remote work, and we’re always looking for enthusiastic, ambitious, and value-driven people to work (virtually) with us. Our roles cover publishing, marketing, design, copywriting, project management, and coding. If this sounds like you, keep an eye on our Careers page for the latest job openings. 

If you’re an organization seeking marketing support, you can reach out to us via our Contact page.