How to earn buy-in from consumers with Facebook ads: what we can learn from Greenpeace
If you’ve heard of Greenpeace, you either love them or you hate them and that’s a big part of why they’ve been so successful.
They make loud, polarizing statements about the way they see the world. My mentor told me once that polarity is good in branding — you want to be clear about your beliefs so that anyone who doesn’t see it that way steers clear.
The secret to effective marketing in the digital era (especially on Facebook) is to get as close to one-to-one messaging as possible. That means seeing the world similarly and having shared beliefs. I’m not suggesting you go and make up a bunch of beliefs that your brand has — they have to be authentic, and baked into everything you do.
To do that, you can’t appeal to everyone. You don’t want to because you know who exactly who your audience is and no one else matters.
It’s all about the customer lifetime value
It’s getting a lot harder to sell these days on social. People are skeptical, they’re tired of a feed full of ads, and there are a lot of ad blockers out there preventing the message from ever being received.
As a result, constantly seeking out brand new customers to sell to is a total grind. Not to mention, relying entirely on paid acquisition for new customers means you’re at the mercy of the ad platforms you advertise on (remember how expensive Facebook got last year?).
Some of the most powerful brands have found their success by navigating this exact problem. The solution? Offering different, similar products to existing customers once they’re on your mailing list.
In other words, taking time to nurture a single relationship as opposed to a revolving door of single-purchase customers.
The beauty of having polarity built into your acquisition strategy (or even just your brand overall) is the luxury of knowing exactly who those people are and what they believe in. That makes it a whole heck of a lot easier to develop a relationship and create new products that pique their interest and solve their problems.
Greenpeace’s acquisition strategy
There is so much we can learn from Greenpeace about finding a loyal niche of customers.
Greenpeace is the world’s most visible environmental organization. Known for their radical methods, they’ve accomplished some truly incredible things for our planet in their 48 years.
Petitions are a big part of how they rally change, which also doubles as the perfect way to get in front of new supporters.
People who feel passionate about the importance of reducing plastic (like myself) feel emotionally compelled to sign the petition, giving them a low-barrier way to take action. Little did I know that by signing this petition, my relationship with Greenpeace was only just beginning.
Using Email to Nurture
Greenpeace knows their different initiatives need to reach the masses, but they also know that there is a much better chance of those messages actually being heard when they come from peers instead.
After I signed the petition, 2 days later I received an email from Javier Bardem (you know, that really lovable guy from Eat, Pray, Love… one of my favourite movies of all time).
He was urging me to sign another petition as part of their campaign to protect the Antarctic Ocean. Without so much as a thought, not only did I sign the petition, I became that much more invested in the organization.
Over the course of one month, I’ve signed two petitions, donated to the Amazon Rainforest project, and bought tickets for the TIFF premiere of Sanctuary — a documentary about the Antarctic Campaign with Javier Bardem. I’m even looking into volunteering internationally when we’re abroad next year!
And it all started with a polarizing statement.
What does this mean for advertisers?
The Greenpeace strategy highlights the importance of two things:
First, don’t be afraid to have a voice or an opinion. Too often I see brands playing it safe, hoping to attract as many different people as possible. It can be difficult (while not impossible) making that approach work with Facebook ads.
Take for example Gillette’s #MeToo commercial about toxic masculinity or thebirdspapaya Instagram account singing praise for the female body in all its glory. The more profound the message, the more likely it is to receive just as many negative responses as positive from the people it’s actually meant to resonate with.
Second, seeing each customer as a chance to build a relationship rather than just a single transaction. That looks like many touch points over a long period of time — some selling, others not.
Relationships need to be nurtured (in real life, too!) and that means taking the time and effort to see that through. On the technical side, this means email marketing and social media. Hook your target market and keep them engaged until they are invested enough to scoop up whatever cool new thing you’re selling to the world.
This isn’t about tricking people, it’s about empowering brands and organizations to take what they believe in and use it. Passion breeds enthusiasm in others and the world needs a lot more of that right now.
