IG Live: Public Empathy in Business
Some will argue that speaking your truth and showing the heart behind your brand is not a good idea. If you feel you need to be everyone’s brand, that’s probably right.
I don’t feel that way. And, in many ways— I’d argue that the growth and influence of my company has accelerated because I share messages besides “buy my pretty flowers.”
What do I mean? Well- from the very beginning I decided to try at least once a year to use my business platform to talk about issues that I think are important to our industry and to the survival of the local flowers and small farm movement.
Outside of that I determined that as people started to take note of what was happening here, I also wanted to use my voice to try and help the world grow in ways I’d be proud of. In a way, I think I was looking for a higher purpose than “just flowers.”
And I also committed to supporting at least one non-profit organization per year. The organizations I choose are close to my heart and they each need extra help/attention when I’m working to support them - for whatever the reason. Sales always boom when I offer to include my customers in a special fundraising effort. This was the first way that I started to “speak my truth.”
GIVING:
One thing that has been very important to me is exactly how much money goes to the cause I’m supporting. For me, it needs to be 100% of the sale (not just the profit). My reasoning is that if a person comes to me with $20 to spend, I just can’t in good conscience take a portion of that even to cover my costs. So I design my sales with my own giving in mind as well. I make sure that I can afford to participate. Otherwise, I prefer to encourage people to donate that full $20 to the cause directly.
If I’m working with a re-seller who is interested in participating with me, I encourage them to give their portion away, too.
Sharing a cause:
We’ve supported a lot of different causes over the years. Ranging from local efforts to address racism in our community to environmental disaster relief far overseas. Each cause pulled at my heartstrings and made me feel the need to take action in some way. —
Sometimes— that action is writing and sharing information.
I’ve done this with environmental and sustainability issues in floristry, especially. My aim was with pieces that I’ve written about the use of floral foam, painting and dying flowers.
These pieces were in part sharing my disappointment with the current state of affairs, but also intended to educate our customers here.
Here is one case study:
Having the courage to press “publish” on a couple of blog posts led to:
unanticipated widespread sharing of them,
some people “leaving” but many more “coming on board"
Catching the attention of people who otherwise wouldn’t take interest in my little operation here in northern NY state.
the establishment of “thought leadership” in the area of floristry and education and sustainability
an invitation to to serve on a board alongside people who I viewed as “heroes” myself. The organization is The Sustainable Floristry Network www.sustainablefloristry.org — check it out if you haven’t already— very neat organization with a goal of providing low cost online education in sustainable floristry for florists all over the world.
Another example:
When the war broke out in Ukraine,
I began sharing how horrified I was with what was happening there on Instagram.
A fellow flower farmer there reached out to simply say “thank you” and that turned into a relationship that became much bigger for both of us.
We decided to use a crop that was late to bloom here to do what we could to support her.
The fundraising effort grew even bigger— a few different projects and donors that came on.
Ultimately— news of our project got around and we were called by our regional NPR station to do a spot on the radio.
That led to widespread sharing of our story and further growth of our reach in customers.
That NPR station shared the story with other stations and we quickly heard from people all over the northeast who wanted to support the project, but also our company and products to help us keep going.
Addition by Attrition:
By losing some customers that may not be aligned with my journey, I’ve gained more that want to support my business for the reasons that drive me AND I have more time to focus on those customers. I’m also creating a record of caring for my business. To me - it’s part of my growing responsibility. I’d rather leave this world one day knowing that I tried to do good with the resources available to me, instead of being silent. And if people remember me for anything, I hope it is generosity and love.
Sharing Objective Information:
In sharing my views publicly, there are a few things that I try to focus on: concrete data, numbers, or other facts or comparisons that show my feelings without calling others out or name calling. I generally speak my truth by leaning into the work of others who specialize in it. I look for the scientists, doctors, scholars, journalists on the ground in a particular situation, etc. I usually take some time to do a little research, too. Sometimes I try to think of a way to put numbers or data into terms that are relatable.
Does it get Spicy?
Occasionally I get into a little bit of a spicy convo with someone who just needs to dig a little more into whatever I’ve shared (I’m a political science major and spent most of my college days trying to prove positions with evidence, so I kind of can’t resist!). Occasionally, I have to remind people that they have the choice to buy my stuff and I have the choice to spend my money where I’d like. My choices have gained me favor in my community, leadership roles, speaking gigs, and VIP clients. And - what’s even better - they’re people and organizations that fill my cup. And that’s an amazing feeling.
If you want clients who share your convictions, you have to share those convictions publicly in some way.
Otherwise— how will you find them and how will they find you?
Some ways you might share your company’s beliefs:
Share a statement on your website. This might be a diversity statement and/or an environmental statement, or something similar.
Commit to making certain choices in your daily practices or in staffing. Share a pledge to work in a sustainable manner, to use only local flowers, to disclose flower provenance if you buy in goods, etc. Add a clause to your employment form that welcomes and encourages all walks of life.
Stand up for what you believe on your social media platforms.
Show your products in the hands of the kinds of customers you want to serve. Hoping to serve a more diverse body of wedding clients? You should consider doing a photoshoot and putting some photos in your gallery that show that.
Questions? Thoughts? Let me know in the comments below. Best wishes to you and your loved ones this holiday season.