Welcome to our next method profile! Our previous entry focused on using niche description in social enterprise. In operating any venture, everything flows from your approach, and identifying a proper method helps you effectively fulfill your team’s initiative.
Together, we’ll be profiling interesting social enterprises to discuss an anchor method in their strive for social good. The term “anchor method” is to express the intentional and grounded nature of the approaches propelling a social enterprise forward.
This post is an outside observation of a company for inspiration in social enterprise initiative improvements.
In today’s post, we’ll look into hunger fighting initiative Copia leveraging gold aim marketing. To end hunger, this initiative is connecting the dots between logistics, food waste, and food insecurity.
Knowing the Company
Copia is taking on what they refer to as the “world’s dumbest problem”: Hunger. To minimize hunger, Copia connects business with surplus food to the outlets and people needing that resource. Once realizing the ratio from food wasted to food needed, the initiative couldn’t let this unnecessary situation continue. Copia dedicates a page to explaining the “problem”. They inform the reader that “Americans waste 3X more food than there are hungry mouths to feed.”
The company constantly improves their technology to increase impact. Alongside people in need, Copia is helping businesses increase their bottom line. More business-minded incentives are mentioned around their official website. This particular line is mentioned multiple times:
“Copia’s technology allows businesses to safely donate their excess food, access enhanced tax deductions, and receive powerful data to inform food purchasing decisions.”
This phrase alone is important in understanding the anchor method Copia applies.
In archery, the center of the target is called “gold”. The “gold aim marketing” anchor method holds a double meaning. This method refers to an initiative knowing the exact key player (center target with high value, called “gold”) to push marketing towards, and the use of persuasion (gold, the material) to win over (hit) the central figure.
Centering the Key Player Narrative
Copia does a great job at bringing a heavy focus to the perspective of the business partners. A significant amount of the marketing copy talks more so about benefits built or the companies.
On their homepage, Copia outlines the steps the business will go through in their partnership. Expectations are given a certain clarity. Incentives are presented in their best light.
Copia’s homepage, which is most likely the first line of contact, is an all-in attempt at an extremely persuasive first impression. In a world of quick “judgement” and shortening attention spans, persuasion works as a deciding factor. Under the sleek web design, and beyond the charismatically smart copywriting, Copia seems to have a clear goal of enticing their target partners.
Copia shows great stealth in re-centering the business as the central perspective. Here is copy written for the “Why partner with Copia?” section on the homepage:
“The cost of food waste is no joke. Americans discard more than $160 billion in food each year. Here’s the good news: For every $1 a company invests in food waste reduction, they can expect a $14 return on investment.”
Wording shown above starts with addressing facts around the mission. Then, the focus switches back to the benefit for the business. The copy starts with the core topic “money wasted”, and connects this to a persuasive reason in the perspective of a business. What you are reading includes more or less of the following underline narrative: (*this narrative is the sarcastic exaggeration of a sales-centered voice)
“Such a shame. Money being wasted. You know who doesn’t need to waste money? You! Join us and you can save money, which you probably think a lot about as a business.”
Copia is much more eloquent in the way they communicate. To talk to the businesses without directly writing is like non-verbal communication in a written form.
Supply the Gold Mine of Incentives
Another reason to take this anchor seriously lies in the comparison of the Copia’s copy style. If you explore the entire site, you’ll notice copy related to all other topics is written to be concise. The communication is still powerful, but note that the most fleshed out topic links to business incentives.
Main incentives boasted by Copia include:
- Safely donate their excess food (eliminates the hassle of a business using own resources to handle this)
- Access enhanced tax deductions (Copia offers an internal service to complete this task)
- Receive powerful data to inform food purchasing decisions (helps a business save money on over-purchasing and overproduction)
Towards the bottom of the homepage, their “Celebrate Your Impact” incentive is listed. In the copy, you will see the following:
“We’ll provide customized, press-ready materials to help you share your impact and demonstrate your forward-thinking approach to benefiting the community.”
Copia even helps the businesses make themselves look good. A business can feel good about impact and business growth, then continue to benefit by showcasing both.
Grabbing the attention of potential business partners is a priority in this view of their operations. Copia’s current business model gains momentum from business partners agreeing to cooperate. After piquing the interest of the business, the initiative encourages action and follows-up with service. The relationship is a major step in the solution for Copia’s hunger mission.
Copia does not center the business in a “sale your soul” way that depletes their initiative’s purpose. The anchor method is a tool adopted to optimize performance. Copia commits to gold aim marketing with the intention of creating less friction. Perhaps a better way to say this: Copia commits to a way of reducing friction. Convincing someone is a challenge initially, and push back naturally comes when showcasing the “value” of an offer. Amazingly, Copia provides a set up too accommodating to be ignored.
Applicable Takeaway
An anchor-based on gold aim marketing helps lock-in the key relationships of your initiative. As an experiment, examine ways you communicate with the main player in your mission.
Copia’s charming gold aim marketing completes this profile.
People Helping People Podcast is seeking methods clearly supporting an effective impact. Observations and discussions on happenings in the social enterprise community is a significant part of our contribution to social good. Continue to check-in for more conversation-starting content.
