Black Americans make up approximately 13% of the U.S. population, and yet projections state a staggering $300 billion annually remains untapped by companies. Furthermore, data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, and other sources project the buying power for African American, Asian American, and Native American consumers rose from $458 billion in 1990 to $3 trillion in 2020.

This increase can arguably represent the diversity in buying power and the diversity in the communities that make up America. But with the growing spending power of these communities, how can marketers make sure they’re matching their needs for inclusion and representation in the marketplace?

From listening to community topics to striving to be more sincere, here are five key things that retailers can integrate into their marketing efforts and, ultimately, their overall process for connecting with their BIPOC consumers.

1. Be intentional about staying connected with BIPOC community trends, conversations, and social issues.

Cultural conversations and issues matter when staying connected to your consumers. Whether it’s a celebration or a concern about social issues, prioritize knowing what’s happening for the BIPOC communities that patronize your business. Consider things locally that can impact your physical locations as well as the topics discussed on social media.

Remember, doing this isn’t so you can chime in. Your intent shouldn’t be to infuse yourself in the conversations but to know and learn what’s currently important within your community of consumers. The key to this isn’t to have your brand presence in the conversation. The goal is to be informed so you can pivot marketing campaigns if you need to remain culturally sensitive during a moment of pain. Additionally, this level of active listening could help your brand understand how your brand could show support to the communities overall through thoughtful, human-first marketing strategies.

2. Showcase representation in a sincere way.

It’s no secret or surprise to you that representation matters. However, brand intentionality varies significantly when we think of the visuals and graphics used in marketing campaigns intended to connect or resonate with your consumers. The usual image that reflects all ethnicities, all sharing the same smile and moment of laughter, looks nice, but does it truly reflect your brand and real life for your community?

Many stock imagery organizations, like Shutterstock, have created a vocal stance on the importance of diversity within marketing visuals by launching its educational hub on representing the Black community authentically in campaigns and stories. As companies lean into ensuring representation for all, many overlook that mere imagery of a diverse group of people won’t do the trick. Initiatives like Shutterstock’s educational hub help brands to lead visuals thoughtfully. Your goal is to always lean into what feels like a natural, human experience through your visual content, and your marketing content immediately follows the human-first user experience.

3. Allow real customers to inspire content and messaging.

Your advocates are the greatest supporters of your brand. They will speak up on your behalf to share their support and occasionally remind people why your brand is worth standing behind. Among your group of advocates, you will most likely have influencers that are a part of BIPOC communities. These individuals are the people who champion your brand and live the day-to-day experiences of identifying with their communities. They can speak better to their experience than your brand ever can display.

Through the data of your social media analytics and email campaigns, dive deeper into discovering who these individuals are as human beings. This would require you to bring your social media content to life and become engaging with your influential advocates. Invite your community to help cultivate the story and experience your brand through user-generated content. As fans become familiar with how they can receive brand recognition, reward their actions with incentives for loyalty.

4. Cultivate mindfulness in your messaging.

Remember that creating content and posting is half the battle. Be purposeful with your hashtags, follow the main hashtags on platforms like Instagram to see real-time conversations on your timeline, and engage with your community. Learn about their lives, how they cultivate communities and messaging on their channels, and show them appreciation when they show your brand love within their communities of influence. In addition to the hashtag content lanes that align with your brand, consider following hashtags like #ShoppingWhileBlack and others that reflect conversations in BIPOC communities.

For instance, according to The State of Racial Profiling in American Retail report (carried out by DealAid), over 90% of African Americans say that they have experienced racial profiling while shopping during their lifetime. Furthermore, an Ipsos Affluent Survey Barometer highlights that while slightly over one in ten white or Hispanic affluent Americans share this experience, three in five Black Americans have experienced racial discrimination while shopping. Although all alarming statistics, it’s indeed a reality.

Prioritize being aware of what is happening within the retail space, and take steps to show that you’re there for support and committed to the solutions. Or, when a major social story important to BIPOC communities makes headlines, incorporate features for your audience to pause marketing campaigns or text message alerts. Give them a chance to process the events (with or without your marketing reminders). Simple actions within your messaging show your concern and respect your consumer’s choice.

5. Live out your commitment throughout your entire user experience journey.

Trust isn’t automatically given, but with time, consistency, and an authentic approach to how you show up for your BIPOC audience, there can be a clear pathway to building trust and understanding. As you seek ways to proactively learn cultural differences and priorities within communities, allow your human side to lead your marketing efforts.

While mapping out your customer journey to ensure inclusivity, consider ways to shatter systemic biases by going beyond a campaign and infusing it into the very culture of your brand. For example, one brand making a total commitment to its brand and overall culture is IKEA (U.S.): “We believe that equity is a human right. Equity, diversity, and inclusion is a strategic imperative, makes good business sense, and is simply the right thing to do.”

From its messaging with the various marketing touch points to its commitment to ensuring diverse leadership representation and decision-making, IKEA is choosing diversity, inclusion, and representation for all — as it’s a core value for all it embodies. This approach not only cultivates an experience that reflects the diversity of its consumers but it creates a circle of trust from the brand to the communities they serve.

The path toward earning the trust of people who have been marginalized or underrepresented for years won’t be an easy one. Still, with sincerity, it can be one of the most rewarding journeys for your entire organization. A thoughtful, actionable plan toward these steps takes time, but remaining rooted in the fact we’re human first, marketers second, certainly ensures our path is in the right direction.

Five mantras to follow when striving for a better message

Being mindful is just the start. Whenever possible, try to send a better message — not just another message. So put yourself in the mindset and space of your customer. Here are five important mantras to consider whenever you’re crafting messaging for your brand. Follow the links to listen to curated inspirational talks for each:

• Show empathy. Feel with people and listen.
• Elevate language. Think about how you think.
• Energize design. Keep in mind what makes us human.
• Innovate experience. Practice, test, and learn.
• Inspire action. Start with why — always.

With Cordial, your brand can leverage real-time personalization at scale to send a better message to each of your customers — via email, MMS, SMS, push notifications, and mobile app messaging. Learn more from our team today.

The post Earning trust with BIPOC communities through inclusive marketing practices appeared first on Cordial.

Today, Black consumers now make up over 1 trillion dollars of consumer spending, yet they still feel a lack of representation and understanding in regard to product needs and marketing campaigns overall. And according to a recent research study compiled by McKinsey & Company, there is a rising demand for inclusivity on retail shelves by Gen Z consumers, currently influencing over $800 billion in retail each year. These issues are deeply rooted and have an impact on the Black community in all areas and industries.

So when creating campaigns in honor of Black History Month, consider these four ways to make genuine messaging that cultivates ongoing support during the month of February (and beyond) while building a sense of understanding and support with your African American and Black audience.

1. Begin by leading with your core values.

Humanity and inclusivity will always connect with your audience. As a company, assess how your brand shows up to your audience within every messaging touchpoint and examine if your audience is clear on your core values. Would the messaging on your website align with what and how you communicate to your audience through the various channels of communication? Would there be a disconnect? If not, brainstorm ways to close the gaps, ensuring consumers know what you sell and what your brand stands for in the world.

Your core values should guide everything you do and how you show up to your customers. Leaning into those values to express and celebrate diversity, inclusion, equity, and access can ensure your brand always communicates through matters of the heart first, then to the problem that your brand solves for your audience immediately following.

2. Actively listen to what’s happening in Black culture.

One of the most common mistakes that brands make involves attempting to make a cultural reference to things, and it’s either bad timing or off-putting to the Black community. Before approaching your audience with cultural mentions, take a moment to research what’s currently happening. Tactical techniques on platforms include:

• Review Twitter’s trending topics. The Black voice on Twitter is loud and impactful on the platform. Due to its vocal influence, it has been named “Black Twitter.” Taking time each day to review the trending topics will keep your brand in the know for relevant happenings within the Black community. Just remember that your trending list can change by city or country. You can make your search as micro (or macro) as you desire, but create a habit of staying current on recent trends.
• Follow hashtags that are relevant to the Black community. A great way to stay abreast of things discussed on Instagram that hold relevance on the platform and within the Black community is through hashtag usage. For example, these hashtags will include things like #BlackExcellence (for inspirational news that doesn’t make it to mainstream media), #BlackLivesMatter (for societal issues, not to be confused with the political movement), or #RetailWhileBlack / #ShoppingWhileBlack (for retail-related conversations).
• Create Google Alerts. Google Alerts are automated mainstream news updates that can come directly to your inbox based on your frequency preference. Utilize them to monitor what’s happening in mainstream media outlets. If you want to dive deeper into media outlets that matter to the Black community, outlets like The Breakfast Club, The Root, Blavity, Black Enterprise, and others similar to these publications will keep you connected to all things Black culture. (Be sure to follow these publications on social media.)
• Delve into your community. Sometimes, our best insight is right within our community of followers. Pay attention to how your community responds to your messaging, the sentiment of their commentary, and the things that matter to them. This tactical approach will keep your brand deeply connected with what matters most to your audience directly,

3. Shy away from humor, and steer toward celebratory messaging.

In addition to actively listening to your audience, the next step is taking action on your findings by crafting your messaging thoughtfully and intentionally. To create messaging that maintains a sincere approach to your audience during Black History Month, shy away from humor. Instead, focus on celebrating the voices of those making a difference in your industry or community of influence. Unless your brand is known for comedic relief, it’s wise to stay away from it altogether. Even brands that are known for societal satire receive backlash when they go too far, and the communities impacted are those that make the determination of what is deemed out of line. Stay positive and celebratory instead.

Target has done a phenomenal job at prioritizing Black creators, designers, and the community. Through their Black Beyond Measure campaign, they highlight Black brands and artists that are often unknown to mainstream media, and they stand behind their partnerships, even when people get upset about representation. For example, when The Honey Pot brand received backlash for its Target commercial, the brand refused to merely react and instead supported the founder of The Honey Pot through the backlash.

By doing so, they gained great respect within the Black community, and their February campaigns are things people look forward to, showing support to both the artists and the Target brand. Because of their intentional approach to supporting the Black community and standing behind that support, their campaigns have grown into micro-events that people celebrate throughout the year.

4. Celebrate the influencers connected to your brand.

Many times brands seek influential voices that are well-known. However, these influencers tend to be outside of their communities rather than having a connection and familiarity with your brand before influencer outreach. Before considering an influencer merely because of their reach, look into your audience to see what influencers are fans of your brand with little to no introduction. This approach to influencer marketing taps into advocacy and influence together.

Influencers that have a relationship with your brand’s values, products, and overall messaging will approach brand campaigns in a natural, authentic way. It, in turn, speaks to the hearts of their audience, and it becomes less of a brand partnership and more of a person with influence sharing how they love your brand (and not because you paid them). That combination creates a significantly powerful impact on your campaign and brand longevity with the influencer’s audience.

Bringing it all together

By approaching Black History Month with thoughtful intention, it becomes undeniable that Black history lives beyond one month, and your brand will begin to find ways to ensure the messaging remains consistent after February. Thoughtfulness creates the path to inclusive messaging for the Black voices that love and support your brand, and it reflects back to them as love and support for the things that matter within their communities.

The post Creating genuine campaigns during Black History Month appeared first on Cordial.

Think about iconic brands like Tiffany’s or even Apple. They create a love affair with customers that bring loyalty, comfort, and excitement. Valentine’s Day presents an opportunity to use real-time, thoughtful, customer-centric campaigns. Valentine’s Day marketing campaigns can help you connect with customers, increase engagement, and increase revenue.

Valentine’s day is one of the most commercialized holidays of the year and a big opportunity for marketers, but let’s not forget about the messages we want to send and the humans involved. It is supposed to be a romantic holiday after all. Here we will share some Valentine’s Day marketing tips and examples to get you started thinking about your upcoming campaigns.

First, we will look at some companies that are rocking thoughtful messaging with their Valentine’s Day marketing. Then we will move into some tips to help you as you start brainstorming your campaigns.

Lovely Valentine’s Day marketing campaigns

1.Be timely, like Booking.com.

For their 2021 Valentine’s day campaign, Booking.com knew a lot of people were still missing out on travel due to the pandemic. So they started Love Letters to America where travelers from all walks of life could write letters to their favorite cities. They created a special hashtag and encouraged writers to tag their social media channels. The campaign was on point for the brand, all about traveling and staying in cities across the world. They also encouraged writers to post a memory from the city they loved, increasing engagement and helping customers feel like part of a bigger community.

“So, on this Valentine’s Day, we just want to say – It was never goodbye, it’s see you later. We love you, America. All of us travelers, Booking.com #LoveLettersToAmerica”

2. Care for singles, like Cadbury 5 Star.

For those among your customers that would rather skip the holiday, you could give them an alibi like Cadbury 5 Star. They took over an Island, named it My Cousin’s Wedding, and allowed purchasers of a special candy bar to enter to win an escape. The campaign wasn’t for everyone but brought humor and fun to an audience that often feels neglected around Valentine’s.

The candy bar wrapper said, “Escape cheesy gifts.”“You’ve been saved from Valentine’s Day. Thank us later. #5StarVDayAlibi #MyCousinsWedding”

3. Support small businesses, like AWeber.

Being a B2B business, AWeber used Valentine’s as an opportunity to support their customers by creating ten email-optimized GIFs that their customers could send out to their own customers. This created something that saved customers time and showed their support of businesses. They showed their customers love by helping them show their subscribers love.

4. Create a visual story like, Fashion&Friends.

Video is a great way to draw customers in to make a purchase for Valentine’s Day. Fashion&Friends created a cute story of a couple sneaking around trying to get each other’s sizes to purchase a gift. It is a simple and short story but shows that the brand has gifts for him and her while also showing a little story of love.

Music and cinematic elements make it engaging.

5. Think outside the box, like Dunkin.

A Dunkin Donuts in New York offered couples a chance to enter to get married in their drive-through for their Valentine’s Day campaign. To enter New York state residents needed to submit an Instagram photo with the #DunkinIDoContest hashtag. Experimental marketing at its finest? It did get quite a bit of attention and two couples got married so the campaign was a success.

6. Show real people, like Pandora.

Pandora asked couples and friends what love and Valentine’s Day meant to them getting varied and authentic answers with people getting choked up. It made a relatable and endearing video. One couple shared their most memorable Valentine’s while another shared that the little things every day matter too.

7. Understand singles and couples, like Deliveroo.

In their third-wheel Kevin commercial, Deliveroo uses sarcasm to create a sense of humor for singles and couples. Deliveroo let their customers know that whether they are in a relationship or hanging out with friends there is a meal ready and waiting for them with love. Humor can take some of the pressure off a day that can be filled with too high of expectations.

8. Use a Valentine’s theme to share a message, like LinkedIn.

Professional network LinkedIn came out with a pre-Valentine’s day article, “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do: How to Leave a Job You Don’t Love & Find One Meant For You,” which was an on-brand way to bring in themes from the holiday. They mentioned love and Valentine’s day and Galentines, but then the subject turned to jobs and stats and insights, just what LinkedIn is great at. Good use of survey data.

9. Take it to the dogs, like Bodhi Restaurant Bar.

People love their pets and may just want to celebrate Valentine’s with them. Dog-friendly Bodhi Restaurant offered a special three-course Valentine’s meal on their Instagram leaving the info for reservations. They shared an adorable dalmatian with a heart nose to advertise the event showing their care for people, animals, and the planet. A special menu for a special day where diners could bring their furry friend.

10. Celebrate family, like Caratlane

The diamond jewelry brand Caratline used Valentine’s day to share the special bond between siblings. In the ad, one sister loves Valentine’s Day the other not so much but they love each other and exchange cookies and a special diamond bracelet. “Gifted on a special day. Made special every day.”

Valentine’s Day marketing tips that share a thoughtful message

Technology has allowed marketers to gather a lot of data to personalize the customer experience. But it is always a fine line to get the right amount of personalization without being creepy. No one wants stalker-like messages for Valentine’s Day. Gather the first-party data you have collected and think about how you can use it to personalize emails, SMS and MMS messages, and mobile notifications.

Some ideas:

• Offer a Valentine’s discount
• Offer a new package/combo or limited edition product
• Help your customer gift shop for the ones they love with a guide
• Encourage customers to give a gift to themselves too
• Offer an incentive like free shipping or fast delivery

Adjust your marketing to what has worked with your customers in the past, and what they are looking for, and make sure your messaging is on point.

Be more inclusive with your marketing message

This goes back to that human side. Data is so useful but the downside is that it can lead you to some assumptions about your audience that just may not be true. Every human needs love, so a bit of kindness and thought can go a long way in making your message more inclusive. One thing you can consider is allowing your audience to opt-out of holiday messages that just don’t fit them.

Here are some best practices:

• Think about families, singles, and friends
• Be mindful of age, gender, orientation, marital status, etc.
• Consider how you can encourage wellness and self-care
• Get your audience involved with a referral campaign and user-generated content
• Ask questions about what customers would like to see and do

Five mantras to follow when striving for a better — in any campaign

Whenever possible, try to send a better message — not just another message. So put yourself in the mindset and space of your customer. Here are five important mantras to consider whenever you’re crafting messaging for your brand. Follow the links to listen to curated inspirational talks for each:

• Show empathy. Feel with people and listen.
• Elevate language. Think about how you think.
• Energize design. Keep in mind what makes us human.
• Innovate experience. Practice, test, and learn.
• Inspire action. Start with why — always.

Are you feeling inspired to get a jump start with your Valentine’s Day marketing ideas? Let’s get you the right data for the right message to connect with customers across platforms.

The post How to make more thoughtful Valentine’s Day campaigns appeared first on Cordial.

But how many brands are actually committed to kindness beyond the claims of kindness? More than that, why is it so important to be perceived as a brand with a conscience?

Customers expect more of the brands they support

In 2020, New York-based Zeno Group commissioned a global study of 8,000 consumers to uncover the main reason for brand loyalty. After evaluating over 75 brands, it was discovered that “global consumers are four to six times more likely to trust, buy, champion and protect those companies with a strong purpose over those with a weaker one.”

In other words, consumers in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, China, India, Singapore, and Malaysia were all prepared to support and even defend companies they believed had what might be described as a higher purpose or a commitment to both commerce and giving back in some way. This would explain why so many brands are rushing to share their commitment to the planet or local charities. But are they all as good as they claim to be?

Your customers want you to be better

Your customers want to support your best efforts. And whether or not you realize it, they really can tell if your brand is just talking the talk with feel-good messaging.

Though we may not be able to define it, we know when something feels inauthentic or forced. And in a time when groups on social media ostracize individuals or brands with unpopular opinions, authentic kindness seems like a vanishing art. In fact, there’s even an expression for faux goodness — virtue signaling.

Merriam-Webster defines virtue signaling as “the act or practice of conspicuously displaying one’s awareness of and attentiveness to political issues, matters of social and racial justice, etc., especially instead of taking effective action.” And therein lies the rub: finding a way to reinforce the upbeat or positive messaging of your brand and prove its veracity.

Back in the day, proving your brand’s trustworthiness and dependability used to be the biggest challenge for any brand. But as brands became more accessible online and through social media, people came to find ways to interact with brands beyond a purchase. And with so many brands to choose from, savvy consumers also want to support companies committed to making the world a better place in some way. And so brands have to find ways to offer additional reasons to support them, their mission, and their products.

So, what are some ways for your brand and business to build your authenticity factor? In this case, smaller businesses might just have an edge over their mega-corporation competitors. “A big part of it is that there’s a huge difference when it’s a large company like Apple saying they’re doing something, versus a startup or any founder-led business,” said Marilyn Yang, Co-Founder and CEO of Fun-Gal Snacks, the parent company behind Popadelics , a crunchy mushroom snack.

As if illustrating her own point, Yang’s brand Popadelics seems like a (vegan superfood!) snack only a brash young company could produce. The bold packaging and slightly shocking copy let you know this isn’t another huge company produced product. Or as Yang said “With a large company, there’s this connotation that it’s a committee of people choosing to do something, and they could have ulterior motives, but certain things just seem more genuine when you know they’re coming from the founder him or herself.”

Some current challenges for brands:  

• Creating and maintaining a strong brand ethos that resonates with customers
• Finding ways to convey not only the superiority of products or services but the authenticity of your claims.
• Monitoring your messaging, reach, and demographics’ likes or dislikes

Why is it important to send a better message in the year ahead?

A new year brings with it all kinds of opportunities. If you’ve delighted and amazed your customers in the past year, great! Kudos to you. But now you have to build on that.

And if you missed opportunities or had some bad moments, a great way to repair your relationship with your best buyers is to remind them of the best parts of your business. The things that set you apart and elevates you from the corporate crowd. The ways that you’re not only better than the competition but are committed to doing better as well.

Everyone talks about being more kind — and some brands like Kind Healthy Snacks actually made it their brand name and message — but how many brands or people live up to that claim?

We’d like to think that as a company with the brand name Cordial, we live up to the hype as well. But in the true spirit of kindness, we’d also like to highlight some brands we think are inspirational in terms of excellent messaging and service.

Beyond only good vibes

Before you craft your own messaging for the new year, have a read through these incredibly inspirational brands. You might just find some inspiration for your own positive messaging and initiatives.

• Use your powers for good: The International Association of Plumbing & Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) produces research that contributes to safe plumbing codes and product testing. Not that glamorous, but they are inspirational. The IAPMO foundation tackles water and sanitation issues globally, as well as here in the U.S. They also create solutions for areas without plumbing systems like handwashing stations for the Navajo Nation, and fix long-standing wastewater disposal issues in Alabama. They do extensive advocacy around environmental equity working with the EPA and other NGOs. IAPMO found a way to use their research for the good of others on a daily basis.
• Share whenever possible: Learning Resources is a company that creates fun educational toys for kids of all ages and their tagline is “Give the gift of learning.” And they really do. The company has a great BOGO (Buy One, Give One) campaign. For every toy purchased an educational toy is donated to a family in need. As of the writing of this article, they will have donated more than $1 million in educational toys throughout 2022 to help instill a love of learning in children around the world.
• Live by your mission: Goddess Garden Organics is focused on two guiding principles: helping the planet and helping people safely enjoy the great outdoors. Goddess Garden CEO Nova Covington and husband Paul Halter developed safe skincare solutions after their baby daughter was allergic to the chemicals found in traditional bath and cosmetic products. They currently create effective reef-safe products that utilize sustainably sourced materials. Covington also recently started a nonprofit ocean preservation foundation, Protect Our Mother, to preserve oceans and restore habitat.
• Help where it matters most: While some brands prefer to give back locally, others find ways to make their gifts matter even more. GlassesUSA partnered with the National School Boards Association (NSBA), the leading advocate for public education, to provide free prescription eyeglasses to children in need across America. The program kicked off in Saint Mary’s, Alaska, which is one of the most remote cities in the country and has no eye doctor in the community. In a cute twist, the company partnered with the Miss America Organization, and a trio of glasses-wearing beauty queens including Emma Broyles, Miss America 2022/Miss Alaska 2021 and Jessica Reisinger, Miss Alaska 2022, helped the children choose new glasses.

How to make your own brand message stand out:

• Be genuine. Your customers know when you’re faking it.
• Be visible. It’s difficult to trust or connect with a brand that feels murky or mysterious.
• Practice what you preach. And while you’re at it, make sure to align your brand with spokespeople or celebrities who live your mission as well.
• Be fun. It’s okay not to try to change the world. Having a product or message that makes people happy is something to be proud of!

Five mantras to follow when striving for better

Whenever possible, try to send a better message — not just another message. So put yourself in the mindset and space of your customer. Here are five important mantras to consider whenever you’re crafting messaging for your brand. Follow the links to listen to curated inspirational talks for each:

• Show empathy. Feel with people and listen.
• Elevate language. Think about how you think.
• Energize design. Keep in mind what makes us human.
• Innovate experience. Practice, test, and learn.
• Inspire action. Start with why — always.

And find more inspiration for the new year on Cordial

1. 10 Clio Award-winning brands winning with a better message — See how Clio Award-winning brands send an authentic message through empathy, language, design, experience, and action.
2. How brands win awards, hearts, and change with customer data — We share 10 examples of brands achieving outstanding campaigns and change by tapping into their customers’ data and interactions.
3. How to embrace kindness in your brand messaging — Get tips on kinder marketing with brand examples of kindness in messaging and best practice for building kindness in your process.
4. How to evolve relationship marketing and better customer retention — Level up your relationship marketing and customer retention to increase revenue, with top stats and examples from leading brands.
5. 5 trends that will impact the future of mobile apps for brands — Prepare your messaging for the future of mobile by tapping into the biggest trends that will impact all marketers in the coming decade.
6. Intro to growth marketing in the age of personalization — Ditch growth hacking and turn your focus to tried-and-true methods, top stats, and 30 of the most effective campaign types to accelerate engagement and revenue.
7. How to personalize your lifecycle marketing — Get tips on targeting each stage of the customer lifecycle with personalized messages designed to draw customers through their journey.
8. How to align consumer messaging with your brand vision — Knowing your brand’s vision and mission statement is critical to creating an effective messaging strategy across all marketing channels. Here’s how to get started.
9. Empathy for the holidays: why personalization matters — No matter the time of year, learn how to benefit from letting customers opt-out of certain holiday promotions — in ways that actually increase engagement and customer retention.
10. How to improve your cross-channel marketing strategy in 2023 — Consider the best steps to improve your cross-channel marketing strategy and connect with customers more seamlessly — whenever, wherever.

Elevate your message with personalization

You brand’s message may start with your intent, but delivering on your promise requires getting to know each of your customers and following through with a better, more personal experience. With Cordial, your brand can leverage real-time personalization at scale to send a better message to each of your customers via multiple channels. Learn more from our team today.

The post How to send a better message in the new year appeared first on Cordial.

At the center of it all is your customer: a living, breathing, thinking, and feeling being whose power of choice can congest, if not fully cancel, the most advanced attempts to create a brand convert. Their strategy, though perhaps a bit time-consuming, comes down to a few simple actions, with “unsubscribe” and “opt-out” among the most powerful.

That’s because, for all of the technical sophistication that brands have at their disposal, it’s easy to get lost in the data — the touch points, the segmentation, the testing, and optimization — losing sight of the human represented by myriad data points. That seemingly simple (and perhaps obvious) fact — that there’s a human on the other end of those messages — is an especially important consideration as you ramp up your holiday marketing strategies, as well as marketing for other milestone life events.

Whether Mother’s Day, Veteran’s Day, a wedding, or a funeral, how might brands show more empathy to those who might be unintentionally triggered by messaging sent to recognize an upcoming holiday or acknowledge a life event? How can you use the power of data and personalization to show more empathy during the holidays — or in any season of life — in ways that matter? How do you hit the right tone? And what brands are doing it right?

Empathy: more than a buzzword

Here’s how Oxford Languages defines empathy: “[Empathy is] the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.” Look beyond that definition and you’ll find that empathy is key to developing emotional intelligence and practicing active listening — so-called soft skills that are essential to communicating effectively.

In product design, empathy is the first among the five phases of the design thinking framework. According to the Interaction Design Foundation, “Empathy is crucial to a human-centered design process such as design thinking because it allows you to set aside your own assumptions about the world and gain real insight into users and their needs.”

And then there’s empathy-based marketing, which the Marketing Insider Group says, “involves seeing through the eyes of your customers.”

With the power of the tools you use to craft and disseminate your messaging strategies at your fingertips comes a responsibility to your audience to ensure that your approach to empathy is genuine and customer-centric.

That means if your work influences things like seasonal email and other messaging touch points, you should ensure that those touch points are sensitive to the individual needs of those who receive them while considering — and avoiding — the potential harm that messaging can cause the recipient.

The personalization paradox: How personal is too personal?

Let’s return to Oxford Languages again, this time for a definition of personalization: “[Personalization is] the action of designing or producing something to meet someone’s individual requirements.”

From a product and design standpoint, the Oxford Language definition is pretty close to one included in an online glossary maintained by Chisel, an online app that provides tools for product managers: “Personalizing is the act of creating individualized experiences for your customers.”

And similarly, from a marketing standpoint, there’s this definition of personalization from Instapage: “Marketing personalization… is the practice of using data to deliver brand messages targeted to an individual prospect.”

Just as with empathy-based marketing, having access to robust datasets and knowing how to analyze that data to create customer-centric (a.k.a. personalized) experiences presents marketers with the challenge of doing so in a way that finds a balance between tailored messaging that converts and invasive messaging that’s potentially upsetting.

Empathy and personalization: better together

Approaching the powerful combination of data and personalization with empathy asks you to consider how such an approach can put the ‘personal’ back into personalization. That’s because oftentimes, data alone doesn’t tell the entire story.

Here’s an example: Data collected and analyzed by a healthcare brand might identify recently married individuals of a certain age as appropriate targets for family planning or maternity messaging. But if that couple has learned they’re unable to conceive children — or worse, recently lost a child — chances are they’d rather not receive messaging of this nature.

In other words, using data to personalize experiences with empathy can help you avoid unintended consequences that end up alienating customers and causing them to opt-out of all messaging, especially during the holidays, and when acknowledging other life events.

As you embark on the journey of empathetic marketing and personalization, there is one other important thing to consider when developing your approach: sincerity and genuineness. This quote from the Harvard Business Review says it best: “Being truly empathetic means being genuine… [a]uthentic empathy begets authentic connections between brands and customers.”

More on Cordial:

• Article: How to embrace kindness in your brand messaging
• Article: How to overcome top challenges for customer-centric personalization
• Article + videos: Inspirational talks on how to send a better message

Emulating empathy in marketing: some case studies on holiday opt-outs

Capterra, a website that offers reviews to help companies compare software options, recently conducted a survey of 839 consumers to gather information about the impact of opting out of holiday emails. In summarizing survey findings, Capterra writes, “In the world of email marketing, consent matters. Offering an easy unsubscribe option allows consumers to remove themselves from email lists and take control of the messages they want or don’t want.”

Here are a few examples of companies and brands that have implemented holiday opt-out messaging strategies:

1. Nimble: tech for good

Nimble offers “thoughtful technology, made from sustainable materials.” Their products include portable chargers, phone cases, charging cases, and more.

Today, Nimble products are available at major retailers that include Target, T-mobile, and Verizon. But when the company was founded (2018), you may have come across the brand’s ads on social media sites offering a coupon towards a future purchase if you shared your email address. As a marketer and a consumer, you know what happened next: the inbox influx of messaging designed to encourage clicks and conversions.

Now, imagine it’s late spring and you’re about to launch seasonal content to encourage shopping for “dads and grads” — a perfect demographic for Nimble products. But before you launch your perfectly crafted campaign, you first send out an email message with the following subject line: “In Advance of Father’s Day Emails.”

As it turns out, a Nimble employee shared that receiving a deluge of marketing emails around Father’s Day was both difficult and triggering and wondered how similarly themed emails might impact customers. What could the brand do to avoid causing pain, while maintaining a healthy database of current and potential customers?

Rather than offer an all-or-nothing opt-out, the company took a different approach: In just a few words, they sent an email acknowledging that Father’s Day might be a sensitive time for some and offered a way to opt-out of receiving Father’s Day-specific emails — something that they offered for Mother’s Day messaging as well.

This approach empowered Nimble’s consumers by giving them options in the first place, and by allowing them to engage with the company in ways that were meaningful and not harmful.

2. Etsy

On its About page, Etsy, the popular online marketplace for those in search of unique one-of-a-kind items and vintage wares, you’ll find the words “Keep Commerce Human.” As it turns out, those words are more than just an empty promise. According to the site: “In a time of increasing automation, it’s our mission to keep human connection at the heart of commerce.”

The promise of “keeping human connection at the heart of commerce” might seem like a lofty goal. However, in 2021, the company took that promise to heart. According to the news website Axios, “Etsy lets people opt out of Valentine’s Day emails and offers as well as marketing around Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.”

Ryan Scott, Etsy’s chief marketing officer, provided this insight into the company’s decision to the Wall Street Journal: “For those who are potentially grieving a loved one, struggling with mental health or have strained family relations, seeing constant reminders can make it even more difficult.”

Again, offering consumers to opt-out of potentially triggering messaging helps brands read the virtual room and avoid alienating customers, empowering them to choose what types of messaging they want, and which types they want to avoid.

3. The Thoughtful Marketing community

Bloom & Wild, a popular UK-based online florist, joined the holiday opt-out movement back in 2019 and offered customers the option to skip emails related to that country’s Mothering Sunday, a centuries-old celebration rooted in honoring a church where one was baptized that later evolved into a celebration of moms.

The company’s opt-out email garnered the attention of the press, and eventually led to the creation of the Thoughtful Marketing community, a cohort of some 150 brands who have pledged to make marketing “a little more thoughtful.”

To join, brands agree to take the following three steps:

1. Set up opt-out emails.
2. Talk to their opted-out audience.
3. Sign up to commit to an opt-out campaign.

Obviously, each of those steps requires additional work to fully implement. Yet internationally known brands like Calm, Naked Wines, Papier, and many others have taken the pledge and implemented steps to avoid sending holiday messaging that could be upsetting to their customers.

When it comes to empathy in marketing, the proof is in the data.

 If you’re still wondering if empathy-based marketing and personalization is an effective strategy worth implementing as part of your holiday messaging strategies, consider these metrics from a recent Capterra survey:

• 91% of consumers said they feel “very” or “somewhat positive” about holiday email opt-outs and give those brands high marks for empathy.
• 81% said they are “extremely”or “somewhat” likely to purchase from a brand that offers them opt-out options.
• 71% said they would be more likely to read and pay attention to a brand’s holiday opt-out message if it’s personally relevant.

So what do you need to do next? Harvard Business Review recommends the following:

• Keeping your ear to the ground by constantly tracking and understanding your customer’s “wants, needs, and pain points.”
• Give customers the power to choose how they interact with your brand around any holidays or life events that may trigger sadness or pain.
• Set a tone of authenticity with visuals to avoid appearing “shallow or phony.”

Once you’ve followed these steps, be sure to track and collect data that will help you optimize your holiday opt-out messaging strategies in the coming seasons.

The post Empathy for the holidays: Why personalization matters in marketing appeared first on Cordial.

There are five important keys behind better messaging:

• Show empathy.
• Elevate language.
• Energize design.
• Innovate experience.
• Inspire action.

We will now explore each one with some inspiring professionals in the field doing the work.

Five mandates for sending a better brand message

1. Show empathy.

The ability to empathize — to understand what another is feeling — is taught in childhood. Although it might not come naturally, it is an important social skill that builds our emotional intelligence. Empathy can help your brand understand what customers’ true needs are.

How can a brand exercise empathy? By feeling with people and looking at what is beyond the surface level — and in essence embracing kindness in their messaging.

Feel with people.

Speaker and researcher Brené Brown talks about how empathy is different from sympathy. Sympathy says, “I feel sorry for you, but I’m not you.” So it separates. But empathy on the other hand says, “I am with you.” It brings together.

“Empathy is feeling with people.” — Brene Brown

Hear the talk: Brené Brown on Empathy

In personal relationships, empathy requires vulnerability. In brand messaging, empathy will require vulnerability, too. Show the humanness behind your brand in appropriate ways. Brands can learn to recognize the emotions behind the needs of their customers and work to meet those needs with kindness, not judgment.

Hear the thing underneath.

In a world where suspicions run high, a brand that can that listen can stand out and build customer loyalty. Futur Pro member Bob Bonniol shares how selling does not have to be dirty. We do not have to seek to take advantage of customers. With empathy, selling can be genuine and in the best interest of the target market.

“We have to figure out what do those people want. And to do that we have to put ourselves in their shoes.” — Bob Bonniol

Hear the talk: 4 Reasons Why You Need to Use Empathy In Business

Bonniol says that it is not always about selling a product. Sometimes it is about getting people to think differently. People want something when you resonate with them. Brands need to understand those deeper desires behind their customers’ wants and needs.

More ways brands can show empathy:

• Care about what the customer cares about even if not directly related to products and services.
• Donate a portion of sales to a relevant cause.
• Ask questions and engage. Listen and make any needed changes.
• Hear TED Talks on empathy

2. Elevate language.

The ability to express yourself through language is really remarkable, if you think about it. Words, whether spoken or written, are inventions that set humans apart from the animal kingdom. Language allows for the sharing of ideas and concepts.

In our digital world, brand messaging often needs to cross cultural lines, which can bring a range of challenges.

Think about how you think.

As cognitive scientist Lera Boroditsky explains, the order and way different things are focused on in different languages make different people from different cultures think differently.

“The language that you speak shapes the way you think. And that gives you the opportunity to ask: ‘Why do I think the way I do?’ and ‘How could I think differently?’” — Lera Boroditsky

Hear the TED Talk: How Language Shapes the Way We Think

When it comes to messaging, brands can elevate their language by not assuming but by exploring. This approach goes back to the idea that the message you think you are sharing may not be what your customers and target audience are receiving.

Now, brands can’t alter their message to meet the nuances of every language in the world, of course. But, brands can begin to explore how the language that is being used in their marketing is being perceived — and if it is sharing the right message.

Simplify your language and message.

Elevating your brand language does not mean making it more complicated. Brands may think they are being clear, but you have to think about your message as if you know nothing about it. You have a background and history with your products and services that your potential customers do not have. Don’t overwhelm them with too much information.

Donald Miller, author of ‘Building a StoryBrand’, says that the marketing message that works every time focuses on just two things: 1) What is the problem that you solve? 2) And how do you solve it?

“You don’t want to be cute or clever. You don’t want to be confusing. That’s not going to work. Clarity wins every single time.” — Donald Miller

Hear the talk: This Marketing Message Works Every Time

Too much information and your message is lost. People just cannot process it.

More ways to elevate your brand’s language:

• Remove the jargon that your customers don’t know.
• Work backward from products and services to the core message you want to express.
• Test to see what messages land with customers and the ones that don’t.

3. Energize design.

Design is not just about making things look sleek or pretty. Design is about purpose and function and solving problems. Designer Kevin Bethune says that design unlocks solutions to the problems we have. Brands need to look for the problems their customers face and find a solution — and then design everything around that from products and services to messaging.

Keep in mind what makes us human.

“The best designers keep in mind what makes us human.” — Kevin Bethune

Hear the TED Talk: The 4 Superpowers of Design

Using language well and listening well are important. But when it comes to design, you want to go beyond what people say and think they want and meet needs and desires that they don’t even know they have or don’t know how to express.

Start noticing again.

Our brains tend to block out what it considers unimportant information. There is so much happening around you that you will stop noticing many things. But great design requires that you start noticing again — that you do not look past the problems but look for them so you can solve them.

“Try to see the world the way it really is. Not the way we think it is.” — Tony Fadell

Hear the TED Talk: The First Secret of Great Design

In his TED Talk, Tony Fadell talks about being challenged when he worked for Apple to see the products through the eyes of new customers, with their fears and frustrations. The tiny details matter.

More ways for brand to energize design:

• Make great design a non-negotiable.
• Form a great design team and support them.
• Look for the invisible problems not just the obvious and solve them.

4. Innovate experience.

Innovation takes creativity. With so many things already available in our world, how can brands innovate to create a better customer experience? Innovation is about active discovery. Getting out of the office and paying attention to things, brainstorming, and coming up with new ideas.

Practice innovative patterns.

Hal Gregersen with Forbes says that innovative leaders talk to people who are not like them, people that think differently from them. Brands can learn from this by listening carefully to their customers who may have a very different perspective on things. Innovative people are also willing to try new things.

Business takes risk. Sometimes it pays off and sometimes it doesn’t, but that is how brands learn.

“If I’ve got someone sitting in their office just coming up with creative ideas versus someone who gets out of their office and does this active discovery work — they’re out there observing and talking and trying and experimenting — and they come up with an idea, that second person’s idea is just better and less risky than the first person’s.” — Hal Gregersen, Forbes

Hear the talk: The Four Behaviors Of Innovative Leaders | Forbes

To innovate experience:

• Make use of your creative team and don’t force them to be the executors.
• Diversify your team, especially at the top level.
• Get out of the office and into the world. Explore. Ask questions.

Learn to innovate.

What if you don’t have some brilliant mind and famous innovator on your team? Can you learn to be more innovative? Alex Bruton suggests that you have what he calls “innovation literacy” as a child, but it begins to get evaluated away by other things as you grow.

“We need to innovate innovation education.” — Alex Bruton

Hear the Tedx Talk: Why we need to innovate how we learn to innovate | Alex Bruton | TEDxNormal

Adults also tend to block out things because we think we already know. Innovation can be learned, but it does take work. It requires different parts of the brain. The truth is that most ideas will not be successful, and that’s ok. Keep working and some great ideas will come.

More ways for brands to innovate experience:

• Do not get stuck on the first idea. Keep working.
• Change the odds in your favor by coming up with more ideas.
• Focus not just on feasibility but also on impact.

5.  Inspire action.

You can have a great product or service, but if your brand messaging does not inspire action you will not get anywhere. In his famous TED Talk, Simon Sinek introduced the golden circle. Starting at the outside is the what, then it moves into the how, and then at the center is the why. The why is what has the power to inspire action in your team and your customers.

As Simon says, people don’t buy what you do but why you do it. Your reason for being is what makes your brand stand out from another, even if you are producing the same products and services.

Start with why.

“It’s those who start with ‘why’ that have the ability to inspire those around them.” — Simon Sinek

Hear the TED Talk: How Great Leaders Inspire Action

Messaging is about sharing what you believe — your why — in a way that inspires action. Then people feel like they want to be a part of whatever it is that you are doing,  building a sense of community.

Be customer-centric.

When you care about customers and put them first, you can inspire them to share your products and services, to get involved, and to be part of a community. It sounds nice to be customer-centric. But what does having a great customer experience mean?

Organizational researcher Vusi Thembekwayo says that there are four components to a great customer experience: Be relevant, reliable, responsive, and convenient.

“Consistency is where cultures and systems connect.” — Vusi Thembekwayo

Hear the talk: The Formula For Great Customer Experience

If you have great products, services, technology, etc., but your company culture and the experience you present to customers are not consistent with that, you are going to fail your audience.

More ways for brands to inspire action:

• Create a great customer experience. Not sure how? Ask customers.
• Figure out your why and put it into an inspiring message.
• Listen to understand and act and thus creating something useful.

At Cordial, we work to help brands like yours create a great customer experience every day, with real-time personalized messaging across your marketing channels. Join us and let’s serve your customers. Learn more from our team today.

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This week is World Kindness Week — with World Kindness Day this Sunday, November 13 — and it’s a timely, socially relevant reminder to lead your messaging efforts with kindness.

In a world filled with massive goals, chaotic lives, and unexpected circumstances that make headlines daily, brands must strive for intentionality by cultivating kindness within their brand. If you’re wondering how a brand can be “kind,” it all begins with remembering that we’re all human first and marketers (and customers) second.

But what would that look like for a brand? Although the brand itself isn’t a human, it’s fully operating because of the humans behind it. Bringing this reality to the forefront with conscious marketing efforts can develop an impact that lives beyond revenue goals.

How can brands show kindness in their messaging?

1. Lead with mindfulness.

If you’re not examining your marketing content from the lens of considering the mindset of your audience, you could be missing the mark tremendously. Guide your marketing efforts with mindfulness, which challenges your initial thoughts by reflecting on how it could resonate with others who may not be or think like you. Filtering your content through the lens of consideration creates a more mindful approach toward your audience.

2. Spark care among your audience.

Kindness is a beautiful domino effect. When you remind others to be kind, they return the favor with more kindness. It reminds others to care for the good of the people and environment around them. A spark of care within your community of customers could be as simple as using a call-to-action that encourages tags or shares to loved ones that may need a word of encouragement or as grand as building an entire holiday campaign centered around paying it forward with intention.

3. Encourage community support.

When a brand prioritizes living out its values, it no longer carries the burden of living them out alone. As your brand embarks on an ascended level of community management where the customers engage with the brand and with one another with the brand’s involvement, you can build a strong community that connects people, viewing the brand as their “connector.”

4. Be transparent.

We’re all human, and a part of the human experience means embracing all sides of you, including the good, the bad, the quirky, and the unpopular. As all brands are managed by humans, things that may not go as planned or expected will happen. When they occur, don’t hide from them. Own up to it. Share the learning experience with your audience, which in turn humanizes the brand to increase relatability among fans.

5. Craft messaging that’s human-first.

In Cordial’s recent study, we found 78% of consumers get frustrated when brands send them generic messages, implying the information they receive often can seem disjointed from what resonates with them. To combat the disconnect, lead your messaging as genuine human beings first and marketers second. Conversion happens naturally when relationships are well-established with your ideal customers, so focus on the relationship and connectivity.

Brand examples of kindness in action

1. Exercise empathy, like Pandora.

Mother’s Day can be joyous for many and painful for others. The brand’s responsibility is to practice mindfulness during the holiday season. For example, Pandora’s opt-out option for Mother’s Day demonstrates clear intentionality to the mixed feelings and actions of others while providing a space that can help mitigate the reminders of sadness or grief.

2. Partner with purpose, like Petco.

Individually, brands can encourage good deeds. However, partnerships that complement your brand’s core values can create a more profound impact within both communities, cultivating a powerful brand experience for the brand partners. When brand partnerships for the good of others are a priority, the act of intentionality for good deeds attracts those that align with the mission and desire to support. Consider Cordial client Petco Love and their partnership with BOBS from Skechers to help more than one million shelter dogs and cats as a prime example.

 3. Stand tall with your values, like Lush Cosmetics.

The powerful statement that “if you do not stand for something, you will fall for anything” also applies to brands. Brand values give your company and audience clarity on what matters most to the company. Lush Cosmetics exemplifies its values in all they do, including how they talk about the brand with the customers they serve and, ultimately, the world. No matter how you feel, you know their position on human rights and kindness for humankind.

4. Encourage kindness through your digital experience, like Tic Tac.

Sparking the flame of kindness within your community doesn’t have to be one-dimensional. Tic Tac recently discovered an interactive way to encourage empathy among its fans, fueling an augmented reality experience through its Tic Tac Messenger, where they ask customers to “share a little joy” with a “gentle message” to make others smile. With Web 3.0 becoming more of a conversation, it’s a great time to test AR and digital interactive experiences with your customers while demonstrating kindness in the process.

5. Give intentionally, like Thrive Causemetics.

It’s no secret that when you give, it inspires others to join in on the fun! It’s the pay-it-forward effect that Cordial client Thrive Causemetics has rooted in its branding effortlessly. As a brand that helps women look and feel beautiful, they have a genuine mission to support the equality, safety, wellness, and voices of all women. From breast cancer awareness to scholarships for the next generation of leaders, they make giving a part of their kindness strategy.

How can your brand build kindness into its process?

1. Lead your messaging with heart.

It may sound abstract, but remember that you’re communicating to humans first and your customers second. If you want sales growth, but you’re experiencing less-than-desirable results, consider the quality of your relationships with your customers. When you prioritize your sales strategy with relationships leading the way, the impact is often long-term.

2. Be intentional with diversity.

There is no denying the significance of diversity; however, genuine diversity in your brand’s presence and messaging is the key. It’s fairly easy to spot bland stock photos that appear diverse yet are unrealistic. It presents a disconnect between your brand and your consumer’s real life. If you want to showcase diversity in your visual images, consider the actual diversity of the team creating the content. There is no easy workaround to making this happen. Invest in being intentional with your creative visuals, especially when you want authenticity to shine through.

3. Prioritize inclusion.

Although it can be confused with diversity, inclusion takes diversity to the next level within your brand. While committing to diversity within your brand is essential, it is also imperative to ensure the inclusion of those diverse voices. Outcomes are better when the table is diverse, and it’s better to ensure everyone represented has a voice in the decision-making process.

4. Actively listen to your customers.

There is a difference between speaking to your customers and engaging with them. Actively listening to your audience invites them into your marketing efforts. It creates an open, ever-evolving communication flow that leads to higher engagement, and customers who feel heard are more likely to speak up and engage.

5. Celebrate kindness.

The kindness happening around your brand deserves recognition. Consider highlighting customer testimonials and user-generated content on social media within your emails, SMS, and MMS strategies, and be open to showcasing the dialogue for others to respond. When doing this, remember it’s okay to have different opinions, so the key is honoring the voices of your community and creating respect for the diversity of humankind.

Incorporating kindness into your brand messaging doesn’t have to be an unending challenge but requires empathy and mindfulness. By considering your audience and your process, your brand’s human side can appear with kindness leading the way.

Five mantras to follow when striving for a better message

Being kind is just the start. Whenever possible, try to send a better message — not just another message. So put yourself in the mindset and space of your customer. Here are five important mantras to consider whenever you’re crafting messaging for your brand. Follow the links to listen to curated inspirational talks for each:

• Show empathy. Feel with people and listen.
• Elevate language. Think about how you think.
• Energize design. Keep in mind what makes us human.
• Innovate experience. Practice, test, and learn.
• Inspire action. Start with why — always.

Elevate kindness with personalized messaging

Kindness may start with your intent, but delivering on your promise requires getting to know each of your customers and following through with a kinder, more personal experience. With Cordial, your brand can leverage real-time personalization at scale to send a better message to each of your customers — via email, MMS, SMS, push notifications, and mobile app messaging. Learn more from our team today.

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For a few years now, we’ve been fortunate to have a program to channel our philanthropic efforts and give back to our communities, Cordial Cares. We’ve helped thousands of people in many communities around the globe, and we’re so proud of the difference we have made. 

As time went on, we began to recognize that philanthropy is not all we care about. We also care about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). We care about our people and their well-being. And we care about the communities that our dispersed teams live and work in. 

So we reimagined what Cordial Cares could be. We expanded the initiative from a volunteer-run philanthropy program to a company-wide Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) program. Throughout the year, our team creates ways to focus on one of the Cordial Cares pillars (Community, DEI, Our People, and Well-Being), through employee-led Slack groups that encourage deeper conversations, exchange of ideas, and action—and company-sponsored People and Culture initiatives to make Cordial the absolute best place to work.

Cordial Cares about community, providing tailored philanthropic opportunities, as well as ways for Cordial to contribute to a thriving community in all of the places where Cordial employees reside. Since our living situations all look different, we feel it’s important for each team member to give back to whatever community they call home.

• At our annual Team Kick Off in San Diego, Team Cordial came together in person to support the San Diego Rescue Mission. We wrote encouragement cards for women and children staying at Nueva Vida Haven, an emergency shelter in San Diego),  assembled hygiene kits from essential items, and created no-sew fleece blankets that were distributed to those in the local community who needed them most.
• On Random Acts of Kindness Day, the Cordial team got creative in showing their thoughtfulness and cordiality. From bringing treats to first responders and teachers, to leaving extra generous tips, to donating meals to those in dire need, the Cordial team contributed to our communities at large from San Diego to Ukraine. 

Cordial Cares about diversity, equity, and inclusion, which celebrates our differences and creates an inclusive workplace. Our team of volunteers (the “DEI Champs”) organize quarterly training sessions that feature external speakers and coaches, in addition to facilitating company-wide discussions on topics centered around diversity, equity, and inclusion.

• Our shift to a remote work model created an opportunity to reach a more diverse range of job applicants outside our San Diego headquarters, and our growth continues.
• This month, we gathered on Zoom to discuss 3 ways to be a better ally in the workplace, and to hold space for the mentally and emotionally taxing current events in the United States. 
• In June, for Pride Month, we’re honoring the LGBTQIA+ community by showing our support on social media, and celebrating our team with inclusive Cordial Cares swag. 

Cordial Cares about our people. We put our people at the center of our culture. From competitive compensation to employee rewards to continuing education and childcare reimbursement, we know our strengths lie within tenacious humans that make Cordial, cordial. 

• We recently rolled out Blueboard, a way for managers to reward employees with curated and meaningful experiences, wherever they live. Our employees work hard and we want to ensure that they play (or rest, spa days are popular) hard too! 
• We want to be absolutely clear about where our employees’ careers can go so we use a leveling framework to create a roadmap should employees want to move as far ahead as possible. We are a growing industry leader and want our employees to grow with us. 

Cordial Cares about well-being. Healthcare benefits, a flexible work environment, wellness allowances, and challenges, making mental health a priority—this ever-expanding list of benefits and initiatives anchors employee well-being as a core part of our Cordial Cares program.

• In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month (May), we focused our efforts on supporting the mental, physical, and emotional health of our dispersed team. We took a company-wide day off on May 13, and encouraged Team Cordial to do something in support of their well-being. 
• During our Team Kick Off earlier this year, we partnered with Diversio to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on team engagement, to examine how mental health stigma is perpetuated in workplace culture and policies, and to look at mental health through an intersectional lens.

We’re proud of the progress we’re making, but there are endless causes and topics to care about. We hope that by focusing on giving back our communities, improving our diversity and inclusiveness, supporting our people, and promoting our collective well-being, that we’ll create a positive impact for those within the Cordial network, and inspire others to #becordial too.

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