The Sandwich board: Cause Marketing

Good cause marketing requires you to keep it simple, be authentic and engage with your customer.

More for-profit companies in Southeast Missouri are marketing their business or product to benefit a nonprofit charity in support of a social cause. Few get it right. Here are key components among those who do:

Be authentic

Nothing is worse than bogus generosity. Choose the cause that aligns with your brand. Then involve the nonprofit you are aiming to help in planning and execution of the marketing.

Have a specific goal

Incorporate a system to measure your goal's success. For example: increase brand awareness, strengthen brand image, increase social engagement, improve conversions or gain customer insight and data. It can be whatever it needs to be. But always measure against expectations.

Engage your customer

If you remove the consumer from the equation, you might as well just write a check and send out a press release. Cause marketing is all about engagement. Ideally, you are making it easy for your customers to spread the word through interactions, social, hashtags or endorsements.

Find the right time

Timing is key. Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all answer for determining the proper timing for a cause campaign. Just be sure you explore all options when choosing the time and length of the campaign (shorter is usually better).

Clear call to action

Make sure consumers know what they are supporting and what they have to do to participate. If your campaign lacks clarity, it will not succeed. Again, simplicity in how you share the cause and involvement is key.

Make sure it looks good

The right story with smart visual assets will determine the success of your campaign. Make sure the look and feel of your campaign matches your company as well as the cause. Do this with a simple and inspiring message. Consider all channels of storytelling: print, video and experiential.

Seek total commitment

Without the support of your team members, the likelihood of your campaign succeeding is slim. Your employees are the voice of your company. If they aren't excited about the campaign, consumers won't be, either.

Make a difference

The best cause marketing campaigns are the ones that have much thought behind them. Caring people and causes already exist; brands just need to connect with them. Together, a business and community grow.