Are you looking for a reliable way to boost brand awareness? Do you want to help a cause or your community while promoting business? Would you like an opportunity to reach new audiences? Participating in cause marketing can do all of this and more. In fact, some of the biggest cause marketing benefits include walking the walk, contributing to positive change, and standing up for issues your target audience values. 4% of global consumers say they will choose, switch, avoid, or boycott a brand based on where the brand stands on an issue they feel passionate about.
Enter: cause marketing campaigns.
A cause marketing campaign helps you while helping others. There's no better win-win opportunity. Here's everything you need to know.
Cause marketing is a type of marketing a company participates in with a non-profit organization to boost business and profits while bettering society through supporting the non-profit's cause. The purpose is to contribute to the community while expanding your reach in the industry. The boost to your bottom line is just icing on the community cake!
Cause marketing benefits include:
- Increasing brand loyalty
- Building stronger relationships with your audience
- Social responsibility (70% of Americans cite companies making the world a better place as 'somewhat' or 'very important')
- Helps differentiate your brand from the competition (89% of leaders say leading with purpose gives a competitive advantage in today's marketplace)
- Improving your brand's image (64% of consumers find brands that stand for something as 'more attractive')
- Boosts employee morale and loyalty
- Attracts top talent
- Makes you more trustworthy (consumers are 4.1X more likely to trust your brand if you have a purpose)
The role of cause marketing in promoting social good and building brand reputation
Cause marketing promotes social good by contributing a portion of its sales or encouraging customers to contribute to the cause. In turn, that cause receives more awareness and donations, making a difference in thousands or millions of people's lives.
According to Edelman, this is significant because most customers (73%) believe brands should be taking actions to increase their profits and improve social conditions.
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4 Tips for an Effective Cause Marketing Campaign
Optimize your cause marketing campaign with these four tips.
1. Identify causes that align with your company's values and target audienceNot every cause will make a difference for your brand and audience. Therefore, not just any cause should be considered for your campaign. Look at all your options, but make sure they truly resonate with you and your customers. This could be something close to home and your community, like those impacting education, arts and culture, food banks, schools, or hospitals, etc. Here are some local options. If your vision is much bigger, with the hope to influence the U.S. or the world, you may want to consider potential causes for disease, the environment, etc.
2. Create a clear and compelling messageYour message is crucial to your causes marketing success because consumers prioritize authenticity and transparency when promising to contribute to society. You can't just say you're doing it and never update your consumers on how it'll be done, the timeline, and subsequent results. More than half of consumers (56%) already think many brands 'do good' just as a ploy to sell more of their offerings. Keep your actions authentic and create compelling messages to show your genuine support.
3. Design marketing materialsThe materials you leverage in your cause marketing should be relevant to your audience and successfully communicate the reasons your brand supports the cause. Press releases and social media can be huge for community and global support. However, causes in the community may also require print materials easily shared and passed around, like:
- Direct mail
- Flyers
- Newspaper, etc.
Spend your time, money, and effort on only the channels your audience is active on. Otherwise, you risk them missing it! Although marketing channel specifics (platforms, strategies, and methods.) will vary on several factors — by industry, business needs, goals and objectives, etc. — the following are worth considering:
- Social media
- Search engines (SEM and SEO)
- Radio
- Events, and more!
Find a Partner – A Non-Profit, A Shelter, A Cause
Once you find the perfect cause and partnership to support —one relevant to your industry, business needs, goals, values, and your customers—you'll want to make the following happen:
- Establish clear expectations and responsibilities for each party
- Build and maintain a strong relationship with your partner
- Launch the campaign
- Track and measure success after the campaign ends
- Identify areas for improvement
- Evaluate and refine the campaign for next time
A media partner can jumpstart your campaign! Contact Mid-West Family Madison to launch a successful cause marketing campaign with a multi-media approach.
