Is business ethics important for public relations? Of course!
This article will show you how business ethics can help develop your brand's image, business reputation, and professional standing in the community.
We recently watched a video of our president making a joke about Obamacare and saying that his only regret is that he didn't pass it. We quickly took to Twitter to bring to the world what we saw as a gross lack of respect for women and the President of the United States.
We also see this lack of respect from many Americans who are so quick to use the word "dumb" to describe anything that's not the way they want it to be.
With his own employees calling him a buffoon on social media, with ratings for his political show plummeting to record lows, with many politicians who want nothing to do with him, he's in a state of crisis.
Many articles and blogs have been written about Trump's erratic behavior and comment toward women, racism, and his lack of respect for others. In fact, a recent NBC News poll showed that more Americans believe Trump is a racist than not.
What Trump is doing to bring about change is so bad that many of his own party has disowned him, and he's lost a massive amount of support from the Republican establishment.
But we also see Trump supporters stating that it's not about politics or policy. They want Trump to be who he is – a person who says what he means and means what he says.
What has happened is this: Trump became president by having the support of many Americans and by doing and saying things that worked for him. However, he had to change a few things to improve his image.
One of those things was to go after the "lying" media, which is another area where business ethics and values can play a role.
We've been trying to put a spin on this issue for years, and it's not easy. A few years ago, when all eyes were on the advertising industry and the huge gap between what people think they see and what actually happens in the business world, we felt we had to do something about it.
We started paying attention to other forms of advertising that are a lot more convincing and interesting than any billboards or television commercials. Take, for example, fake and/or paid reviews, viral marketing, and influencer marketing, viral videos, data manipulation, social media management, whitepapers, memes, "dumb" websites, and even vanity publishers.
We see these things all the time, but many of them escape the average consumer's notice. That's where business ethics comes into play.
When people see these questionable practices that companies engage in, it's almost like an itch that needs to be scratched, or a bad taste needs to be washed away. The human attention span is minimal, and businesses are trying to accomplish as much as possible with the least effort.
It's time for them to become more transparent. It's time for business ethics to start making a huge comeback, and it's time for it to be perceived as a marketing tool, not a ploy to cheat customers.
There are several different levels that the public can perceive ethics. For example, companies should be ethical in how they treat their customers and employees.
But businesses should also be ethical when they conduct business transactions and when they market themselves.
What's the difference? Transparency.
A company has to disclose all information relevant to the buyer and offer it in a format that is easily accessible, understandable, and understandable to the buyer.
There are several different ways that ethics can be used as a marketing tool. First, ethics can be used as a marketing tool in a social media setting, and it can be used through the press and public relations.
Consumers want to be informed and want to know who they're dealing with. They want to know that a company that they're dealing with has ethics.
The key to all of this is transparency. Don't obfuscate.
Always be transparent, and make sure that your ethical statements come from your top management. Most of all, avoid excessive legal jargon and make sure that your statements make sense to the person reading them.
As the ethics industry is getting stronger, businesses will understand that ethics can be a powerful weapon in their marketing arsenal. In many ways, they already do.
They've found that if they've worked hard to become ethical, their customers have reacted favorably.
There's no question that ethics can make or break a company. If you're a good company, the customers will support you and your products.
If you're not, people will boycott you. Some people argue that ethical brands are actually more popular, and they have greater sales and/or customer loyalty.
The people are on the side of ethics, even when it comes to sharing the products that they consume. When you share the products you love, they know that it's a lot better than watching them rot in a landfill somewhere.
Ethics has the potential to be a powerful marketing tool. If a company wants to promote itself or sell its products, the company first has to be ethical.
And just as important, the company must be able to convince the customer that it's ethical. And that's not an easy thing to do.
Ethical companies do everything in their power to make the information that they provide to the public and the press accessible and understandable. Businesses want the people who are buying their products and services to have the information they need in a format they're comfortable with, so they don't have to ask many questions.
If you're ethical and want to market yourself, first, you have to have ethics. Only then will the public feel comfortable that you're transparent about your products.
And that is the key to ethical marketing. It's essential.
And it's the best way to grow a healthy business and to build trust with your customers.
Do you work in the retail industry? Have you seen this impact your business or your customers?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
