Empowered Branding: How to Make an Impact with Your Business

What comes to mind when you think of the words impact and empowered in relation to business? Are there any particular brands or influential people that you think of? What do they do that creates impact and empowerment from your perspective?

Standing out as an impactful business in today's marketplace can be challenging. However, building an inclusive, empowered brand is one way to differentiate from the competition and create a lasting impression.

Impact and empowered (with every variation of these words) are undoubtedly popular buzzwords in business and entrepreneur culture. Applying them to your brand in a way that translates to meaningful conversations and valuable connections is where your focus should be. If you want to build an inclusive, empowered brand that truly makes an impact, your actions as the leader of your brand should reflect your core values. Here are six ways to do it.

1. Philanthropy

Philanthropy is often the first thing that comes to mind when people think about making an impact, and donating money is a common thought related to philanthropy, but there are multiple ways to give back.

If donating money is a stretch for you and your growing business, volunteering your time is a valuable way to give back. Think about causes that are important to you and seek out organizations that align with your values. When you have your list, find out where you can lend a hand. You can also take it a step further and consider your skill set and what you have to offer an organization. You may come up with the idea that could benefit them and help them grow that they hadn’t thought of. Don't get discouraged if the organization(s) you contact don’t need volunteers, you can always ask if there are similar organizations they can refer you to.

Whether you donate money or volunteer your time, helping out in areas where support is provided to communities in need is a great way to make an impact.

2. Community Building

Entrepreneurship can be lonely, and running a business is hard, no matter how easy and fabulous it may appear for some people. Having a community is essential for the health of your business, but it’s also a great way to make an impact while inspiring and empowering others.

Community building can look like joining (or even creating) an organization that has a social impact component; networking with other business leaders whose values you align with; participating in events that foster a sense of community, such as conferences and summits where connections are made, knowledge is shared, and new ideas are formed. Community building is where ripple effects begin to make an impact over time.

3. Sustainability

Sustainability has become a central focus for many brands in recent years. There are plenty of companies that have made it a part of their mission with the work they do, however, you don’t have to have a sustainability-focused business to make an impact with your brand.

Sustainability can be achieved through mindful efforts from things like incorporating reusable products to reduce waste, buying food from local farmers and vendors, or partnering with sustainable organizations like One Tree Planted to plant trees for every sale you make.

Sustainability is important to consider for the sake of future generations, and every effort you make is an opportunity to inspire others to take similar steps to help make an impact.

4. Advocacy & Activism

Advocacy and activism gained much attention in 2020, with Black Lives Matter being (rightfully) at the center of the conversation. During a pandemic year, where the world was forced to sit still and tune in, conversations that have been happening within (often silenced) communities for decades were being acknowledged and people were finally taking a stance and speaking out; including brands.

If 2020 taught us anything, it’s that advocacy and activism are necessary for society's progression. There are various causes to advocate for and you can choose more than one if you’re called to. The year opened up meaningful conversations around equality and human rights, mental health, and even domestic violence and sexual assault from the result of people being quarantined with abusive partners.

When you use your brand and platform to advocate for a cause you believe in, you’re letting your community know what you believe in. As a result, the people you attract from those conversations may feel empowered to advocate for their beliefs.

5. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging

Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging isn’t a new topic; however, like advocacy and activism, it became a prominent conversation among brands in 2020. Performative allyship became a concern as brands considered what they were sharing to be anti-racist and inclusive, and business leaders realized the true impact their platforms had on communities.

The narrative became clear to those who hadn't previously paid much attention: diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging is essential if you’re going to make an impact and build an empowered brand as a business leader, but it has to be genuine.

(If building an inclusive brand is something you’d like help with, we have 1-on-1 brand coaching, custom consulting, and group coaching options available to support you.)

6. Education & Empowerment

Education is empowering! Whether you’re seeking it to grow as a leader or providing it to help others on their journey, education is paramount in building an impactful, empowered brand, because when we know better, we do better. (Ideally anyway.)

If you have something you’re really good at that other people could benefit from, consider sharing it. You can share your knowledge and make money doing it in several ways. Before you balk and start thinking, ‘Why does it have to be about money?’ consider the fact that money is also empowering and if you can earn money by sharing something that comes naturally to you, that gives you the ability to do more of what you enjoy while creating financial flexibility to do things like volunteer, participate in community building, and advocate for what you believe in.

You can educate others through webinars, online courses, conferences, and summits, or even connect with other educators and business leaders to share your knowledge as a guest educator. Conversely, you can support other business leaders and educators when they host webinars, launch courses, or speak at conferences and summits. The best part about providing and supporting education is that it creates energy flow through knowledge and financial exchanges. What a great way to make an impact and build an empowered brand!

Are you seeking ways to incorporate social impact and empowerment into your brand but feel like you need guidance to ensure that what you do is streamlined with your brand? Let’s chat about what we can do for your brand! Check out Empowered Branding or connect with us to learn more about transformative ways to work together!