What is ethical marketing?
You might think ethical marketing is a buzzword, a fad or perhaps just a given? But it’s something I believe in, stand by and use daily in my work. In this blog, I will explain what it means to me and touch on the framework I use to help guide me in my writing for myself and my clients.
These opinions are my own. They have formed through my ten years in the marketing industry, my experience as a counsellor, and the generous sharing of knowledge, insights and resources from many marketers, copywriters and coaches in this space that have helped open my eyes and allowed me to really investigate this subject.
Ethical marketing to me means being truly conscious of how we sell, the impact of our words, using psychology for good and ultimately choosing feelings over formulas to ensure that we treat everyone with dignity. I’ve broken this down to explain further.
Ethical marketing is treating a person with dignity
When we communicate with our customers or potential customers, the underlying aim is usually to sell. Even if we provide educational content, the end-end aim is to persuade the reader to buy our product or service. That’s okay.
What’s important is putting your customer’s best interests first, ahead of your own (making a sale).
I inherently believe people know what is best for them, and everyone deserves to be spoken to in a way that is inclusive and respectful. We treat people with dignity when we use persuasive language that still enables them to make an informed and rational choice.
Ethical marketing is not making someone feel bad about themselves
Guilt, fear and shame; the trifecta of the marketing world since the industrial revolution. But it’s gotten progressively worse as social media means we can compare ourselves to others 24/7. We never get a break from the underlying messages that we just aren’t good enough as we are.
It’s more than possible to market to people in a way that makes them feel empowered, inspired, challenged, prompted or encouraged.
We can use language that still emotionally moves our reader but isn’t focused on their human attributes. We don’t need to keep pressing on pain points that make them feel less-than so we can swoop in with our product or service to alleviate their angst.
Ethical marketing is using psychology for good
Persuasive language is the best friend of any salesperson (or copywriter). There is nothing necessarily wrong with that. However, if you understand sales psychology, it's your responsibility to only use that knowledge for good. In our case, good is putting our customers best interest first, ahead of our own (making a sale).
It also means providing your potential customer with adequate space to make the right decision for them.
This is relative to the potential harm it may cause. For example, cheekily asking someone to sign up to your mailing list is low-harm. It is easy to unsubscribe if they regret it later. Using emotionally-charged pressurised tactics on a sales page for a $$$$ course is high-harm as the monetary risk to your customer is greater.
Ethical marketing is sharing the full truth
Typically, marketing has relied on smoke and mirrors to sell. We are told people want aspiration, not reality. I say leave that to Hollywood movies. When people spend their hard-earned dollars on your products or services, they deserve to know more than just the highlights.
This means sharing typical results, truthful testimonials and realistic benefits.
Most of us believe lying is wrong, but we may be less sure when it comes to omitting parts of the truth or sharing things out of context to persuade our potential customers. For example, influencers saying they earned 6 or 7 figures without disclosing their outgoings. Or giving a perception that they did it alone when in fact, they have a team of people working for them.
Ethical marketing is transparent pricing
When we share our pricing and payment plans, we treat our customers with respect and allow them to make informed decisions about working with us. Even if a service doesn't fall neatly into a package that can be easily priced, we can get around this by including a starting from price or hourly rate.
Including pricing early on allows people to triage themselves and make a rational decision upfront.
They will know whether they can afford your product or service before you’ve started your ethical persuasion. Sometimes we are worried about scaring people away ahead of demonstrating our value. If someone clicks away straight after seeing your transparent pricing, they either aren’t an ideal client, and it wasn’t meant to be, or they are not in a position to purchase at this point.
Ethical marketing is unlearning and relearning
I worked in marketing for over a decade, and there are many tools in the kit, including bro-marketing tactics that I now understand aren't ethical. They are exclusionary, disrespectful and rankist. They disempower your customer or potential customer with the intent of manipulating them into a purchase. I’ve done things before that I will no longer do either in my marketing or my clients’, including using false scarcity or urgency, FOMO and lack of mindset marketing.
I constantly question what I've been taught over the years and ask if there is a better, more humanistic way to do it.
There are always alternatives. Just because we’ve read about or seen others use and abuse the like, know and trust factor or rely on reciprocity as a way to get more followers, purchases or likes, doesn’t mean you need to follow suit. Find a way that feels good to you. Ask, ‘would I sell this to my grandmother, and in this way?’ If it’s a no to either, change tack.
The ethical marketing framework I use
Thanks to Going Ultra Violet via The Content Witches Ethics & Community Commitment Writing Intensive, I discovered the TARES Test. Created by Sherry Baker and David L. Martinson in 2001, it’s simply five questions to ask when creating any marketing material, content or copy.
Helpfully, it’s an acronym that stands for:
T: Truthfulness of the message
We are stating factually correct and wholly accurate information that isn’t deceiving. We aren’t withholding information that would result in your customer questioning your honesty.
A: Authenticity of the persuader
We present our genuine selves, take full responsibility for our actions, have true concern for others, and wholeheartedly believe in what we are selling.
R: Respect for the person you are persuading
We treat people as human beings and put their needs before our own (to make a sale). We believe they know what is right and best for them when making decisions.
E: Equity of the appeal
Our persuasive claims are fair and presented within context to our customers or potential customers. We are not unfairly targeting or manipulating vulnerable audiences.
S: Social responsibility for the common good
We recognise we have a greater responsibility to our community in how we market. What we have created will have a positive impact, and we are putting people over profits.
I’ll soon be sharing on the blog a more in-depth look at TARES and some examples to make it easier to know if you are marketing ethically.
If you’re now looking at some of your content and rethinking it, don’t stress. Bringing ethical changes into how you market takes time. We’re all unlearning and relearning, and I certainly don’t have it all figured out. But taking a quote from Going Ultra Violet, we can do better and be better together.
Sources:
Sherry Baker & David L. Martinson (2001) The TARES Test: Five Principles for Ethical Persuasion, Journal of Mass Media Ethics, 16:2-3, 148-175, DOI: 10.1080/08900523.2001.9679610
https://www.goingultraviolet.com/blog/meet-the-tares-test-my-favorite-ethical-evaluation-tool
Anti-rankism and dignitarian work by Robert W. Fuller and Pamela A. Gerloff.
Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash