Social marketing

Social marketing is the use of basic commercial marketing principles to influence change and inspire action.

You have to translate your ideas into a message everyone in the community can understand. Look at your ideas like they are sitting on the shelf in a supermarket. What is your product, its cost and its availability? Are you promoting it effectively to your target audience?

Product: clearly define your idea and what it does. Why does it make your community a healthier place?

Cost: This might be money, time or just old habits. Emphasize the value of your idea in relation to its cheap price.

Location: Advertise where your target audience is. Keep the product in an accessible place. If you are trying to promote composting, for instance, make sure people can easily pickup a composter on their way home from work.

Promotion: Create and sustain demand for your product with an imaginative campaign in touch with your community's desires and ambitions.

Social marketing at work
West Carleton
Seventh Generation Community Programs

Seventh Generation Community Programs (SGCP) facilitates sustainable development in the Township of West Carleton and surrounding areas. SGCP's goal is to model, network and share approaches to sustainability with other communities in order to protect the environment and promote health and well-being. They support environmental businesses, healthy lifestyles and community cooperation by hosting workshops and conferences, and by publishing an alternative newspaper.

SGCP held a series of "Water Protector" workshops and used social marketing techniques to encourage residents to commit to making positive lifestyle changes to protect water quality.

Why social marketing?

It maintains the high level of participation required for community development projects.

People often agree that something needs to be done about an issue but they are not always aware they may be the cause of the issue or how it affects their social, economic and environmental well being and that they can personally make a difference.

Other community members will discover that you share similar goals and new networks and opportunities for success will emerge.

Helpful Links

Social Marketing Network
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hppb/socialmarketing/
Health Canada social marketing resource centre.

Community Toolbox - Social Marketing
http://ctb.ku.edu/tools/implementsocialmarketing/index.jsp
Chapters from the toolbox dealing with social marketing.

Social Marketing Institute
http://www.social-marketing.org
Washington, DC based organization.