In the halls of doing good, many of us are dealing with change–which means we are dealing with behaviors. Surrounding behavior is knowledge and beliefs coupled by environmental factors, assumptions and noise. To make an impact, we need to know what kind of behavior we are selling.
For experienced social marketers this might seem like a review–but we can all use a review sometimes. People leading change often “sell” one of the following:
- Accepting a new behavior (i.e. Wear a helmet when biking)
- Rejecting a potential behavior (i.e. Don’t drink and drive)
- Modify a current behavior (i.e. Wear sunscreen with an increased SPF)
- Abandon an old behavior (i.e. Quit smoking)
Some say that selling behavior versus a concrete product or service comes with increased challenges–for one, it’s harder to measure. Two, it’s hard to deliver. Three, we’re talking about deeply rooted, often value-based, behaviors and decision making. Hard? Yes, historically. But, it doesn’t mean that is has to stay true.
We can do better–for example, HHS recently launched its Community Health Data Initiative–freeing up data, making it accessible, drawing out understanding, making connections–this can help us in our efforts to achieve behavior change by working to address that measurement issue.
Challenge
Think about a current project that you or your organization is working to achieve. Can you pinpoint the type of behavior you are driving? If so, tell us about it in the comments. Perhaps we can brainstorm some ways to make it “easier.”
(Hint: Look into the approach and framework of social marketing–lots of good research and case studies!)
Flickr Credit: trawin