Cause marketing refers to a method in which a commercial company works to help a charity group or NGO cause. The company does this to increase its social responsibility and increase customer loyalty. Besides that, it also helps the charity by talking about the brand and getting funds for a worthy cause.

Some businesses create a “buy one, donate one” campaign. In these campaigns, it donates a single good or service to people who need it for every item bought. This is an instance of cause marketing.

In this article, we will be discussing the meaning of cause marketing and its benefits. We will also look at the strategies and practices for a cause marketing campaign.

What is Cause Marketing?

Cause marketing happens whenever a business profits through doing good deeds. Businesses can use cause marketing to change the way people view their brand. It is the alliance of a profit company and an NGO group for a collective good. Cause marketing also can refer to profit brands’ social or charity campaigns. 

A brand’s alliance with a charity organisation will increase the company’s social responsibility. In exchange for their donations, the NGO adds to the knowledge of their company.

The younger generations are starting to introduce new value systems. So, companies should tilt their methods to match these standards. Companies that work to sustain the environment are on people’s priority lists. Thus, cause marketing will help bring the company’s morality to customers’ attention.

Cause-related marketing also benefits groups of people. Raising understanding creates a chance for growth. Solutions for problems advance due to these efforts and the people who support them.

Benefits and Importance

Educating people, as well as the need to conserve, has become popular. To keep up, brands must make changes. In the present era, consumers have put conscious brands at the forefront. Cause marketing will help brands to profit while also causing social change. The partnership of a profit and an NGO helps make people more aware and conscious of the issues.

Cause marketing tends to make people aware of the NGO partner’s brand. It also exposes the brand. Besides that, NGOs usually have limits to their budget. And so, working with a small firm can help gain details of their activities. You can also see the cause in the eyes of customers they would not normally reach. But, there are many advantages for the business partner, such as:

• Meeting the request for corporate social responsibility.

• Improving the image of the company.

• Developing a connection with customers and the community.

• Boosting loyalty to the brand.

• Increasing the morale of employees.

• Standing apart from the crowd.

How to Create A Cause Marketing Strategy

Here are some great strategies to really develop your cause marketing.

• Choose a powerful cause for the fundraising effort. When thinking about a strategy, choose a cause that your personnel can connect with. When employees are involved, they work with passion. This kindness is evident and will deliver the best outcomes. Choosing a relevant cause that is compatible with your company is important.

• Establish a goal. Setting an objective is necessary to achieve the desired results. Your results will improve if you take this simple action.

• Choose a time for the initiative in a smart manner. The old saying “time is money” would seem to relate to cause marketing strategies as well. A label company can successfully leverage assets and capitalise on the opportunity. All you need to do is to choose an appropriate time for the occasion. It should also relate to corporate timelines and other relevant factors. For instance, you can try to set up an initiative during a busy period. But, it may not sound good because employees might be overburdened. This could be due to normal business activities and so they are unable to give some time to the initiative. As a result, both the campaign’s opening date and duration are critical.

• Involve your customers. Cause marketing is more than just signing a check and walking away. Participation of the customer is essential to make the most of a chance like this. You can insert popular hashtags on customers’ posts to create excitement. This is a good way to get them involved. You can also add suggestive one-liners to support the hashtag. This can also get you a lot of responses.

Pros and Cons

Here are pros of cause marketing:

• Cause marketing benefits the entire world. This is worth saying since it is critical not to ignore the importance of the goal. Supporting a cause helps to create a more positive place. You should be genuine and trust in the purpose you support. Maintain this as the central focus among all cause marketing efforts.

• It gives your marketing more meaning. Cause marketing helps new discussions with your potential customers. It generates a distinct message. You can focus your public relations and marketing efforts around it. It also helps your company stand out from the crowd.

• It could also be cost-effective. The costs change if you take a decision to include promotions in your cause marketing. But, basic aspects of cause marketing seem to be cheaper. Small businesses can take part in cause marketing efforts for next to nothing. A local store chain, for instance, may ask the customers if they want to make a donation to an NGO partner. Despite the lack of technology, the stores could raise and deliver funds to the charity they help.

Here are the cons of cause marketing:

• Making the wrong choice. When businesses collaborate with non-profit institutions, they quite often make poor decisions. This is because companies want more profit, and non-profits want funds with no strings. Non-profit and for-profit groups have varying goals and objectives. This can sometimes lead to long-term conflict.

• It may get expensive. When you intend to earn a positive reputation, you must write a large check with no leverage. It is difficult to know if it is running with or against you. It sometimes attracts only a small proportion of the market, while other times it does not.

Tips

Here are some great tips to keep in mind while creating your cause marketing strategy.

• Use a range of channels to reach the highest number of people. A campaign’s chances of success are increased by using various media devices. Since it is difficult to predict the best results, it is sensible to test a selection of media tools.

• Make sure you have a clear, cheery, and simple call to action. Nothing takes place in life or in the realm of cause marketing unless someone acts. The aim is to entice donors and customers to do something by donating time or funds to a great charity. And so, knowing how to create the best call-to-action message is important.  When you create the perfect call-to-action you can use psychological tools. Captivating a donor’s wish to appear great to someone else is usually a good strategy to use. This type of recognition is called social currency. It is useful to promote donor levels and recognise those who provide more.

• If you wish to motivate people to act, you should connect with them. You should try to bring about high emotions like excitement, anger, or humour, in people. They are bound to pay attention to you. You must inform them of the correct procedure; they must donate. Funds will suffer if the process is too complicated.

• Make sure that the cause you choose and the wording of it are not political or polarising. This can harm your whole campaign through rallies, bans, and low customer reactions.

Best Practices

The cause marketing campaign is a process. The question now is how to develop its campaign; some key practices to follow are:

• Fix a budget for your cause marketing. The most vital step is deciding how much money you can budget to spend on the campaign each month. It is advisable to set a figure for a month. But, if you’ve got a limited budget, you could launch an interaction for customers. This can help encourage people to take part. A fundraising campaign is important for your finances. This is because it allows you to raise money while still spreading your message.

• Create an Engaging Message. Your message and cause must be captivating and inspiring to others. It could be something you feel confident in and are prepared to support at any cost. So, if you care about this issue, it will make your team and you happy. It will also keep you motivated. After choosing your cause, you also must create the message using proper expressions. Some popular causes are women’s empowerment,  anti-bullying, breast cancer research and so on.

• Make use of social media. When generating donations you can choose tools like Instagram or Twitter. These channels are a great way to get your message out and draw the attention of a large number of people. As a result, you must closely craft the advertising message and launch the campaign. Also, you must keep your budget in mind when documenting the whole plan. It would allow you to be more exact about the phrasing and graphics of the advertisement. If you lack the necessary set of skills, you should seek expert help.

Top 3 Cause Marketing Examples

Check out these top 3 marketing examples:

• The Body Shop: This brand is committed to protecting the environment and was founded on such values. Even so, the packaging design not only says “100% Vegan” but the website also states that they are against testing on animals.  The Body Shop is constantly developing campaigns to promote environmental protection and social conscience.

• Dove: Dove provides several examples of cause marketing. One example is its #ShowUs campaign, which promotes body positivity. The idea was to basically highlight more authentic and real women.

• Monterey Bay Aquarium: For some time, there were no sales because the Monterey Bay Aquarium needed to shut down for customers. The aquarium had no revenue. Even so, the animals required standard treatment from the employees. Marketing professionals decided to launch a Youtube page and post clips about marine life to fix their financial problems. They also successfully taught audiences about marine life and raised various animal issues in this manner. They also launched the “Act for the Ocean” initiative. This was displayed at the public aquarium. It aimed to educate people about environmental issues, pollution, and environmental conservation, and to make them more aware.

In Conclusion

Cause marketing is different from typical charity activities. It seeks to include customers instead of the company just donating. You could hold a charity campaign or a social campaign.

A charity campaign could in the long run increase funds for cancer research. It could also include contributions to a local food pantry. Or it could be some gifts in aid of other charity organisations. A social campaign is when a company supports conserving the environment.

Which brand’s cause marketing caught your eye? How do you think brands can approach cause marketing better? Let us know in the comments section below.