We are all becoming more conscious of how our products are made and are demanding that companies adapt. Ethical brands are showing big corporations that the future lies in clean supply chains, fair and diverse labor practices and a purpose-driven ethos. How you run your business is important. And so does how you market it. In this article, you'll learn four non-manipulative marketing strategies that attract and nurture today's customers.

Why ethical marketing is important

Traditional marketing is a catalyst for environmental destruction, animal cruelty and psychological and financial problems such as shopping addiction and debt. This is what gives marketing a bad reputation. And rightly so.

To be fair, it is not the marketing itself that is evil. It's just been abused because of human greed. Times are changing (literally) as awareness rises. The current crisis of a pandemic, climate change and social unrest is inspiring people to permanently change their lifestyles, rethink their purchasing choices and seek out and support ethical brands.

Climate change, for example, is inspiring people to reuse, upcycle, repair, make their own products or stop buying them altogether. Still, we need new things from time to time and when a purchase is necessary, consumers do their research first to make sure the company and products align with their values.

This paradigm shift in purchasing mentality gives you the opportunity to evaluate and optimize your own business processes so that you can continue to grow and thrive in this changing world.

Your customers don't want to be manipulated or lied to and you don't want to have to manage a crisis management team.

As consumers become more aware of social issues and harmful production processes, they are also becoming more sensitive to manipulation in marketing. Some companies are forced to withdraw disrespectful advertising campaigns due to woke-washing, while others are taken to court for greenwashing.

• Woke-washing is when a company or person exploits a social issue for their own benefit. Usually in the form of advertising. It is risky and is criticized when said cause is not anchored in its core values, making it blind to the implications.

• Greenwashing means claiming to be environmentally friendly when you are not. Unfortunately, this has now become a standard marketing practice.

To be on the safe side, you should use a non-manipulative marketing strategy that is more in line with human nature.

What is ethical marketing?

To simplify it: traditional marketing persuades consumers to buy something. No matter what.

Ethical marketing helps consumers to make a conscious decision - through transparency, authenticity and mindfulness. As a business owner, you need to sell your products or services. Which marketing approach you choose is a reflection on how you run your business.

Where there is gratitude, there is also support and loyalty.

If you take an ethical, non-manipulative approach, your customers will be grateful because they will feel respected and understood. 

The non-manipulative marketing approach

Implement these four practices in your marketing strategy:

1. Use round prices
2. Be transparent
3. Encourage abundance and patience
4. Adopt a healthy competitive attitude

These suggestions are just that: ideas that you can take away and make your own.

I also encourage you to listen to your intuition when working on your next marketing activity and watch for signs in external marketing campaigns. If something doesn't feel right, it usually means it's not right.

Do what feels right for you, your brand and your customers.

#1: Use rounded prices

Manipulation tactic: round up prices: 2.99, 347, 997.

Created over a century ago, charm prices make us see a smaller number on the left and make us feel like we're getting a bargain. These prices are used everywhere and are so ingrained in our brains that we don't even think about them.

I am not suggesting that you are being manipulative when you use them in your pricing strategy. I'm suggesting that you think about your intent when you use them. Is it just because everyone else is doing it?

When we use charm prices out of habit, it sets the tone that it's not worth our time to change them. Why bother changing a running system?

I could also ask myself: "Why should I go to the trouble of making my own products to avoid plastic waste - plastic will still be produced and bought? True. But do I want to support more plastic in this world when I can easily avoid it? No.

After I wrote about charm prices in a large business group on Facebook, a few people commented, "It's just a number. We're not stupid, we know what we're paying." Also true, it's just a number. And this number works. Just like the other manipulation tactics.

Give your products the price they deserve.

And then there is this perspective. When we see a price tag with .99 at the bottom, we automatically put this product in the cheap, inferior category. We think it's on sale. If your products are cheap and low quality, charm prices may work better for you and your customers, but if not, think about what you're doing to the reputation of your products and your business.

In a 2015 study published by Oxford University Press, there was evidence that emotions determine our price perception. They concluded that, unlike charm prices, rounded prices are easier to read and understand and therefore more likely to be based on feelings. Buying decisions are often emotional and those who are emotionally attached to a product are more likely to trust a round price.

If a charm price tag is stuck on a high-quality product, this could arouse suspicion. You may wonder if the product is really of high quality. When you use rounded numbers, you are telling your customers that your products deserve the price they have. 

If you want to change your prices, start a conversation and share your views on marketing manipulation. This will not only let your customers know that you are committed to keeping your marketing free from manipulation. It will also encourage engagement and anticipation of "what's next?", which you can incorporate into your content strategy. If you want to read more about this, check out my article specifically on price manipulation.

#2 Be transparent

Manipulation tactics: Dishonesty, greenwashing

Transparency means something different to everyone, just like the word sustainability.

For me, transparency means being open and honest, like you:

• run your business
• manufacture your products
• treat your employees, partners, customers, competitors 
• Plan for improvements
• Take responsibility for mistakes

Your customers may already know that you use green WordPress hosting for your website, but do they know anything about your supply chain from top to bottom, how you source your materials, who your partners are, who sews your clothes, where your coffee beans come from or whether your employees and partners are paid and treated equally and fairly?

Answer these types of questions before they are asked and your customers will feel confident in their decision-making process.

If you also show your customers that you are working on certain areas, you are telling them that they are important enough to you to make this investment. It also shows your vulnerability, which makes your brand more trustworthy. 

It is always better to answer questions before they are asked.

For example, if you use plastic in your packaging but are currently looking for a biodegradable solution, your customers will want to know what you are up to. By showing them the first steps you have taken and giving them a timeframe for when you can offer the better solution, you will gain trust. 

If you only write: "We are working on it" and nothing else, this could be seen as greenwashing. If you are on your way to becoming more environmentally friendly, congratulations! It takes work and it also takes time to present the information to your customers in the best possible way, but it's doable and worth it in the long run. Take advantage of this incredible opportunity to gain the trust of your customers by opening the door to your backend.

#3: Encourage patience and abundance

Manipulation tactics: Urgency and scarcity

Urgency and scarcity tactics inspire quick action and cause fear and FOMO - the fear of missing out.

Messages and technologies (e.g. countdown timers, limited offers) that are only used to drive a sale are considered urgency or scarcity tactics. There's a gray area here where I think some things are OK, while others are manipulative.

"Only 2 Spots Left - Enroll Now!" when you actually have 10 spots left is dishonest. "2 days left to enroll" is not, if you set a deadline for your non-evergreen launch.

However, if someone asks you if you will start the same program later in the year and you lie and say "no" just to get the sale now, be careful because that will likely turn against you later.

If you stay honest, you may not get the spot filled now, but you will gain the trust of your customer, who will be more motivated to participate later. They will also be more inclined to actively participate, complete your program and give you positive feedback.

If you awaken a feeling of abundance and patience in your customers, you will be respected and rewarded by both sides.

There is always enough for everyone and there are no emergencies in marketing.

#4: Embrace a healthy competitive mindset

Manipulation tactics: shaming the competition

Collaboration is the new competition. Or is it? I recently read the word "coopetition" from this source, which means "cooperation between business competitors in the hope of mutually beneficial outcomes". It was originally coined in 1913!

Even with over 100 years of experience in collaboration, the human fear of competition is real. So much time and energy is spent thinking about how to "beat the competition".

For one, this unhealthy mindset enables fear and urgent action, which often leads to using manipulative tactics to try to get more sales. It also leads to brand wars. Think Coke vs. Pepsi or Microsoft vs. Apple. These wars are still happening, even if no one enjoys their shenanigans.

This is not a race or a fight and remember that there is plenty of abundance. Think about how your customers will feel. They want to know that you are spending time and energy on their needs and not on another brand.

Do what's right for your customers and invest time and energy in them, not in beating your competition.

If your competitors are passionate about the same thing and you can help each other out, how exciting and effective would it be to work together?

There are many simple and profitable options, such as:

• Organize an event together, e.g. a fashion show. No one is loyal to just one fashion brand, so this is an easy way to attract new customers and create new designs by combining ideas. I personally have presented masterclasses at online summits together with my marketing colleagues to help our customers with different perspectives and experiences.
• Pool your resources to buy materials in bulk and create something together.
• Share office, production or distribution space instead of investing in everything yourself, or if you have extra space, give it away.
• Set up a mastermind to share ideas and experiences. This may not work for large companies, but it's very effective and valuable for small businesses. I set this up with 4 of my marketing friends over 3 years ago and we still meet 2x a month.

If you want to make sure your marketing is manipulation-free, read and take the ethical step pledge.