Ethical Marketing: What It Is and Why It's Important
Marketing has gotten a bad rap over the years. From pushy sales tactics to downright manipulation, the industry has gotten a pretty bad reputation.
Those tactics have definitely been used in the past. But that was then.
Nowadays, ethical marketing is taking the main stage. And conscious copywriting is becoming the norm.
I’m a professional copywriter now. But if you told me ten years ago that I’d be a marketer, I would have laughed in your face.
Then, I saw selling as dirty and marketing as manipulation. As a bright-eyed environmental studies student, I was sure marketers were destroying our planet and selling us stuff we didn’t need.
And while that is very much a reality in some cases, those aren’t the cases I care about.
There are ethical brands out there that are providing real value and solving real problems — even environmental problems. Those are the cases I care about and those are the brands I work with.
The work of ethical brands, like yours, matters. And ethical marketing helps your work do the heavy lifting it was intended to do.
So, what is ethical marketing? And how can you ensure you’re marketing presence is an ethical one?
Let’s dig in.
What Is Ethical Marketing?
Ethical marketing refers to the practice of promoting products or services in a manner that is honest, transparent, and fair to all parties involved, including the customers, the company, and the wider society. It involves adhering to moral standards and avoiding manipulative tactics.
You're not trying to trick your audience. You're not manipulating their decision-making.
Instead, you’re thinking about your audience the whole time through. You’re considering their beliefs, needs, and wants.
You’re building a sales argument based on the truth of your product or service. And you’re writing your copy to connect to your audience’s real needs and wants — in the most transparent and compelling way possible.
Why Does Ethical Marketing Matter?
It’s no longer enough to be a brand that sells cool stuff.
Instead, consumers care whether you’re doing good things for our world. According to a 2023 report by NielsenIQ, 95% of consumers try to take some action to live sustainably.
And while ethical and sustainable aren’t always synonymous, stats like these are just the beginning.
Your consumers want to know that you operate with high ethical standards. And once they know, they’ll show their support a hundred times over.
Since consumers are savvy to old sales techniques, it’s not likely you can dupe them.
Nowadays, consumers want to do business with brands that they trust and respect. And with brands that trust and respect them, too.
How do you show that you know and respect your audience? With ethical marketing.
Let’s look at its principles.
Principles of Ethical Marketing and Conscious Copywriting
When ethical marketing brings a product that you really need or love into your world, you barely even notice the selling process.
This is because the messaging feels like it’s speaking directly to you. You know that the brand understands your struggles. And you feel that the product or service they offered you could help you achieve something you want or need.
And once you bought the product or service? You don’t regret it. Because it lives up to your expectations. In some way, it actually does make your life better.
This is ethical marketing at work.
This type of marketing follows a few standard principles. They are:
Ethical selling — Gone are the days of the used car salesman who’ll say anything to get you into a new ride. Instead, speak to your audience with empathy. Always tell the truth. Meet them where they are. And show them how you can take them to where they want to be.
Amplifies deserving voices — All products need good copy. That’s because good copy is what communicates to your audience that your gadgets are worth their time, money, and attention. Without it, you’ve got a great gadget that no one knows about or understands the value of. Ethical marketing is the practice of amplifying the voices of brands that have quality gadgets and strong values.
Written from a place of empathy — Old marketing techniques capitalize on fear and other intense (and often negative) emotions. Ethical marketing on the other hand uses empowerment. By putting your audience first and treating their current situation with deep respect, you connect with them through empathy. Validate their feelings often and lead with genuine intent to help them.
Ethical urgency — Urgency is a potent sales tool. And in ethical marketing, it’s not something you take lightly. There are plenty of genuine reasons for urgency when selling a product or service. Maybe it’s a seasonal offer. Or maybe you’re selling your course that has an official start date. There could be a limited capacity to the offer. In some businesses, urgency can help streamline their offers. So, always be genuine and transparent when using urgency.
Ethical scarcity — Scarcity is another tactic that has caused consumers to be skeptical about the selling process. The FOMO you get when you’re told that you’re about to miss out on something really cool is intense. And the betrayal you feel when you realize that there was plenty to go around is real. Instead, scarcity is used in ethical marketing when there is actually a limited supply of the gadget or gizmo. It’s never used to increase sales if there’s an abundance.
What this all means is conscious copywriting is based on respect. Tell your audience the truth, lead with a genuine intent to help them, and connect with them through empathy and validating emotions.
This is what allows me to be a marketer today. I do this because I know that there are amazing brands out there. And those brands have products and services that add real value to people’s lives and solve their problems.
Conscious copywriting is the art of using copy techniques to bring those products and services to the people who will appreciate them the most.
Do All Copywriters Practice Ethical Marketing?
The short answer is no. There are plenty of copywriters and marketers who would prefer to use fear-mongering, manipulation, and false claims to get consumers to buy.
But more and more, industry professionals are realizing that doing good business is a necessity. And ethical marketing is an essential part of good business.
Crafting compelling copy isn’t as simple as stringing words together.
It takes skill, expertise, and experience to write something that your audience will see themselves in.
And to do it ethically? That’s an art form.
An ethical marketer makes it seamless for you and your audience.
And as an ethical marketer, I take pride in the work I craft for my clients. And I’m so proud of the work my clients have brought into our world.
The first step to working with me is a free strategy session. To get the deets, follow this link.
