Non-Profit Marketing

Behind every piece of good marketing is a good cause. Even the most profitable companies in the world wrap their products in a “cause” that helps their customers. 

Nike helps people find self-confidence. 

Apple helps people become creative innovators. 

Coca-Cola helps people achieve refreshment. 

When you start looking, you’ll notice how rarely major companies promote the superiority of their products. Certainly there’s a time to do this, and each of these companies have adjacent campaigns to explain their products. But when you think of Nike, Apple, and Coca-Cola, you’re not thinking of the technical reasons why these brands edge out the competition. You’re thinking about how they help you become someone you want to be. 

Recently, I’ve been working with a company called Mindhoney, which creates mushroom-based supplements to help people optimize their focus. A question I keep asking everyone in meetings it this: If Mindhoney was a non-profit, and our only goal was to help people optimize their cognitive function, what kind of content would we create? This has helped us be less focused on technical specs and industry jargon, and more focused on helping people achieve their goals. 

If you really didn’t care about turning a profit, and instead were only focused on education, inspiration, and action, what kind of content would you create? Marketing in this ethos will help you turn your biggest profit yet.