In short, very nicely. In fact, the answer is right there, in the title. What unites social media and sustainable marketing is their focus on humans. Let me count just three ways social media and sustainable marketing align:
- Relationships and community. Social media and sustainability are not only great equalizers (see 3Ds), they both focus on people as individuals. They also both put a premium on cultivating long-term relationships based on value and trust as well as on building networks and community.
- 3Ds: Democracy, Decentralization, Diversity. Everyone has a voice and every voice counts. Every voice is its own. Every voice is unique.
- Return on investment. The social media ROI debate rages on. Social sustainability is equally challenging to measure. While measuring ROI remains a challenge, the fact that ROI exists is not in dispute. Both social media and sustainability are still in their infancy as measurable concepts, possibly because they’re both so new and untested that way.
- Triple bottom line business. Social media also offers brilliant ways for sustainable businesses to demonstrate and apply their transparency, and to better connect with their stakeholders (see Relationships and community).
A number of blog(gers) have explored the alignment between social media and sustainability. Max Gladwell outlined his thinking on the premise that both change the world for the better. Richard Matthews and Park Howell devote consistent attention to it. I first outlined my understanding of the connection between sustainable marketing and social media in my contribution to Connect! Marketing in the Social Media Era and on the Business Leader Northwest blog.
How are you using social media to implement your social sustainability program? How are you using sustainable practices for your social media engagement?
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