Cause-Marketing Through the Holidays
First, let’s define cause-marketing:
It is a type of Corporate Social Responsibility where a for-profit business selects one or more nonprofits to receive a benefit achieved through marketing efforts. Oftentimes, it is a gateway to show a shared affinity with members of a targeted community. Some organizations market almost exclusively through cause-marketing while others use it as a supplement, seasonal, or single campaign.
What does that look like in the real world? Some of us are familiar with cause-marketing when we drive through a McDonald’s and we’re asked if we want to contribute to the Ronald McDonald House or we get asked by a cashier at our grocery store if we want to donate a dollar to the charity of the month. We see events around us that benefit a certain group and we know what month the world dons all things pink. Cause-marketing can be very powerful in the ways it draws attention of loyal supporters and in its ability to make an impact.
Of course, it’s best to select a nonprofit who aligns with your social beliefs and has good standing, otherwise, why mindfully select them?
A successful cause-marketing campaign begins with a conversation with the nonprofit. This is where you set expectations, explore what other businesses have done in the past, get a feel for what worked and didn’t work, and understand what, if any, campaign support you can expect from the nonprofit’s side and how metrics can be measured to determine success.
Does a nonprofit have to participate in every cause-marketing idea? Absolutely not. Nonprofits are like any other business and need to keep focused on their work and relationships. They are also not obligated to fulfill collaborative requests. Be mindful that a “no” or “not something our team can do right now” is not necessarily a reflection of your organization but it should be a consideration as you move forward.
Once you meet with the nonprofit and get a snapshot of your involvement together, now’s the time to get creative. Depending on the time and energy you have, this can be something simple like a jar on the counter or it can be elaborate like hosting a VIP event.
Tips:
Keep in mind what has worked for the nonprofit’s base before (they are part of your target audience for this campaign), keep it simple during the holidays and for your team and theirs, and remember to think about impressions you’re making before, during and after.
Once you do select your cause and your team has identified how you want to make your commitment, there are some key steps:
Team Buy-In
Communicate to the team what you are doing and why. Depending on the time you have, you can do this after you have the campaign mapped out or you can ask for feedback and participation from the team.
Analyze Your Campaign Budget and Capabilities
Campaign budgets can vary dramatically – some plan for minimal expenditures while others budget for a Super Bowl commercial. There are “low cost” ideas, such as a social media post, electronic email, or adding a banner or blog to a website. We say “low cost” because while it may be pennies to share a photo on social media, we honor the true cost of time, collaboration, and manpower it takes to craft, dispense and engage with those deliverables. With cause-marketing, coordinating outreach pieces with the nonprofit will take additional time.
Some ideas to coordinate between the two organizations:
- Creating a calendar together, such as social media or PR calendars
- Having mutually agreed upon mailings or outreach pieces, such as invitations, flyers, postcards, or signage
- Inclusion on each other’s websites and at events that occur before, during or after the campaign
- Providing in-person or virtual impressions, such as videos or testimonials, of the work being done and what the campaign can/did achieve
- Adopting the language that is allowed for the nonprofit, such as “Sponsored by”, “Partnering with”, or “Benefitting” – some organizations are very restricted and will need to adhere to allowed verbiage
Create a Campaign Calendar
Your team has their goals and adding cause-marketing can be an asset to existing goals or it can be an additional asset that requires juggling. Be considerate of stakeholders as you push forward. Some cause-marketing campaigns may involve your team’s physical involvement, such as volunteering at a food pantry, cleaning a beach, or hosting an event. Balancing your team’s joy and involvement with the nonprofit may mean leadership decisions like closing early, and it’s important to work through those details for your team and for your customers’ awareness.
Metrics
Metrics are very important for cause-marketing pieces because they can be forward facing to motivate your team and your customers. These types of metrics are part of the marketing impression plan and it reinforces the idea that it’s a good idea to participate, others are doing it too, adds to the legitimacy of the campaign, and invokes a feeling of inclusion. Being included makes people happy. Read more about forward-facing metrics here.
Behind-the-scenes metrics are obviously important too and you want your team and the nonprofit to have a system in place to determine if this cause-marketing effort was a wise decision. Your campaign will dictate what some of those metrics can be. Examples can include how many times did someone click on a boosted post or select “add a dollar” online check-out, you can ask the nonprofit if they can add a donation line to their giving page that expressly identifies your marketing campaign. Explore the metric possibilities and reports together.
Honor Your Involvement
However your organization participates, you can create joy around your community involvement. Camaraderie makes a difference for your team and your customers. Show your gratitude by illustrating what was achieved and the impact that was made. Detail with real-life evidence how each dollar or minute donated meant more because everyone contributed together. Describe the effort your team put in, such as how many hours your campaign was active or how many employees participated.
Celebrate your team’s work for getting the campaign out and for meeting a goal. Spotlight those who were integral in the development and the delivery of the campaign components. Invest in a memory maker, such as branded volunteer t-shirts or photo magnets, that capture the moment for a long-lasting impression. Record the journey from the start and relive it for your customers, team and leadership; photographs and videos make for great content in between campaigns, as a layer in future campaigns, and in publications, such as Annual Reports.
As part of your Corporate Social Responsibility, you can share your metrics with other organizations so that they see the benefit of community-minded endeavors. As you become masters of cause-marketing you may elect to add more nonprofits to benefit or you may grow your campaign to support a single organization.
Take Away
Cause-marketing is about strengthening relationships, internally and externally for your organization. What that means and the impressions you cultivate should be thoughtfully planned. The real opportunity is how you maximize the marketing you do now and the foundation you can grow on. Be cognizant of the energy that you invest and responsive to the evolution of your efforts.
