ETHICAL MARKETING POLICY

This Ethical Marketing Policy applies to all marketing and personal information collected by Good4Business Pty Ltd via the website located at https://www.good4business.au/.

1. We commit to honesty in marketing
As ethical marketers, we commit to absolute honesty in our marketing for our own campaigns and for customer and partner-driven projects.

  • We promise never to use dishonest marketing tactics such as false advertising, fake or overly doctored reviews and testimonials or inflated analytics/results.
  • Never misrepresent specific data points in marketing or communications related to our client’s overall impact reporting.
  • Withhold negative information or data from the public to protect a brand’s image.
  • To use realistic descriptions of products, services or the impact that we are reporting.

2. Ongoing project-based reflections
To ensure honesty in marketing we commit to consider ethics of our marketing strategy and tactics. We aim to ask the following questions during the marketing strategy and execution processes:

  • Are we clearly communicating the value of our service without misleading or exaggerating?
  • Are we using language that honestly communicates the features and benefits of our service?
  • Are we accurately quoting client’s testimonials and reviews?
  • Are we using data and examples in an honest and accurate way when promoting our services or the impact of our service?

3. Commitment to rejecting impact washing
Impact washing is similar to greenwashing when a business exaggerates its positive impact to gain a marketing advantage or cover up negative outcomes that harm people or the planet. We commit to:

  • Accurately report data and stories that represent overall outcomes.
  • Communicate the truth when reporting on our promises and expected results.
  • Share stories and create impact initiatives that are founded on the business’s authentic mission, vision and values.
  • Never use a social impact initiative to distract from negative social or environmental problems.

4. Commit to cultural sensitivity in marketing campaigns
Marketing campaigns and messages have the potential to be insensitive. To avoid this we aim to approach marketing campaigns with self-awareness and inclusion of others in the creative process.

  • We will proactively prevent any form of exploitation, appropriation, or stereotyping of underrepresented or historically marginalized individuals or groups within our marketing materials.
  • We will actively solicit feedback to ensure the appropriateness and sensitivity of our marketing content. Our approach may vary depending on the project but typically includes collaborating with clients to obtain stakeholder input and involving the target audience through surveys, focus groups, or interviews.
  • We will continually engage in internal training programs to enhance our cultural sensitivity and inclusivity awareness.

5. Commitment to permission-based email marketing

Permission marketing, a concept introduced by marketing visionary Seth Godin in his 1999 book of the same name, embodies marketing practices where the recipient willingly grants permission to receive marketing communications. This is often referred to as opting in to receive marketing messages.

Our commitment to email marketing is dedicated to the following principles:

  1. Providing value within all our free content, encompassing videos, blogs, online resources, online classes, social media posts, and more.
  2. We are ensuring compliance with GDPR.
  3. Upholding the trust of our email lists by consistently delivering value and confining our messages to content aligned with the original opt-in intention

6. Commit to ethical digital advertising

Good 4 Business is committed to ethical advertising, ensuring accuracy, honesty, and privacy in digital advertising. Our approach considers the following key factors:

  1. Honesty and Accuracy: We emphasize the importance of honest and accurate advertising. Misleading claims or misrepresentations of products or services are considered unethical and unacceptable.
  2. Advertorial Advertising: We maintain transparency in distinguishing paid advertising from editorial content. Advertorial content, considered an ethical grey area, is handled with integrity. Influencer marketing is also conducted transparently to avoid misleading users.
  3. Pop-up and Modal Windows: We recognise that intrusive pop-up and pop-under ads can be irritating and negatively impact the user experience. To use modal windows effectively, we adhere to these best practices:
    • Ensure clear value is offered to users.
    • Limit the frequency of modal window displays and provide opt-out options.
    • Make it easy for users to close modal windows.
    • Avoid repetitive displays to users who have already closed a modal window.
    • Once a user completes a modal window opt-in, we refrain from showing it to them again.

We understand that the ethical landscape of digital advertising is evolving with shifting consumer attitudes and technology advancements, and we are committed to adapting our practices accordingly.

8. Ethical Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

Search engines rely on algorithms to determine content ranking. Any process involving computer-based decisions, affecting business outcomes, can be exploited. In SEO and content marketing, unethical tactics are known as “black hat” practices, while ethical approaches are “white hat.”

Best Practices for White Hat SEO and Content Marketing:

  1. Link Building: Create valuable content to earn organic backlinks.
  2. PR and Partnerships: Develop links through public relations and partnerships.
  3. Proper Redirects: Use redirects effectively to guide users.
  4. 404 Pages: Design informative, well-branded 404 pages with navigation.
  5. User-Centric Approach: Prioritize user value, align content with your mission.

Black Hat SEO: Avoided and Discouraged Tactics:

  1. Purchasing Links: Paying for backlinks, instead of earning them.
  2. Automated Link Building: Using software or bots for link generation.
  3. Hidden Content and Links: Concealing content or links for search engines only.
  4. Automated, Stolen, or Plagiarized Content: Creating bulk content using scraping, AI, or direct theft.
  5. Keyword Stuffing and Over-Optimization: Striking the right balance in content optimization without overdoing it.
  6. Misdirection: Employing unethical redirects like cloaking and doorway pages, which divert users to sales, affiliate, or paid advertising pages, differing from the content that earned the high ranking.

We are dedicated to white hat practices and discourage black hat tactics to maintain ethical and effective SEO and content marketing.

9. Commitment to update these practices as the industry evolves

As marketing technologies advance, ethical practices evolve. The boundary between ethical and unethical marketing can change swiftly with platform updates like Google, Facebook, and others offering data-driven targeting. We’ll stay vigilant, adapting our methods to industry developments across various marketing channels.

10. Questions and feedback

We are committed to ethical practices in our work. If you have questions, feedback, or specific requests, please use our website’s contact form for:

  • Information requests
  • Providing feedback
  • Accessing, editing, or deleting personal information.
  • Registering a complaint

Your input helps us continually improve our services.