The Importance of Cause Marketing
We give a lot space to how your brand can get found on the web and everything else that goes into a solid digital marketing strategy. It is vital, can’t-do-without-it work, but there is a decidedly low-tech approach to highlight an additional (and easy … and fun … and personally rewarding) opportunity to increase your company’s brand exposure, both offline and online.
Cause Marketing is an invaluable way to etch your brand in the memories of your current and targeted customers. Simply put, it is aligning your business with a nonprofit charity or social cause in some way.
You encounter Cause Marketing every day. From the grocery checkout (“Would you like to round up your purchase to the next dollar today to help a good cause?”), to major credit card advertising where a percentage of the proceeds go to a non-profit, to that new pair of kicks you bought knowing that somewhere a child will also get a new pair of shoes because of your purchase, Cause Marketing has exploded over the past decade.
The barrier to entry is almost nonexistent and the costs are usually very manageable. You’ll feel good. Your team will feel good. And your customers will feel great doing business with you.
A dog-grooming business partnering with the Humane Society? That’s a no-brainer. As is the idea of a sporting goods company outfitting youth sports leagues with proceeds from your purchases. The possibilities are seemingly endless, but today there are some new opportunities that can make your Cause Marketing efforts an important part of your branding and digital strategy.
Before we go any further it’s time for an important caveat. Sincerity matters so be careful not to overplay it. Consumers are smart, and they can see easily through anything that exploits a good cause. They also don’t expect your business to become a charity, so even light affiliations and alignments can matter a lot.
Because along with just about anything in life, things can go wrong, especially if there is a purchase involved … even when your intentions are true. Just check out Alley Watch’s list of Cause Marketing Gone Wrong overreaches.
Having worked for over 20 years with Earth Day Omaha — one of the oldest continually running Earth Day events in the country – we’ve helped shape strategies there that hit on these important opportunities to leverage metro-wide media exposure and a proven and sizeable community-focused event.
“Green” buzzwords like resiliency and sustainability continue to see higher levels of consumer interest and adoption. Whether it’s about saving money and personal independence or big issues like climate change, that kind of alignment reaches across political interests and industries. Which is why Earth Day Omaha is offering some unique features this year that deliver day-of experiential marketing and year-long branding and digital benefits, going well beyond just adding your logo to marketing materials.
–Based in Elmwood Park, Earth Day Omaha has plenty of room to let your organization define its space and event experience to the estimated 8,000 attendees, while also allowing umbrella opportunities for industry clusters like Vehicle Showcases, Local Food, Home Efficiency and Public Health.
–With a wide range of FREE demonstrations, speakers and entertainment, Earth Day mixes performances with an exhibit area rich in family activities, part of the reason it draws a lot of families and a steady flow of attendees, including young professionals and empty-nesters.
–With it’s new Green-Friendly badge, you can display your affiliation year round at your location and with your online properties and receive an important back-link that delivers authority and relevancy.
–Content plans, both written and video, allow you to tell your story year round on Earth Day Omaha’s digital properties and your own, helping you also engage directly with this audience.
Join businesses ranging from the largest auto dealerships to roofers, landscapers and other home service providers, from Fortune 1000 manufacturers and agriculture to civic organizations and major educational institutions at this year’s Earth Day Omaha!
Looking for more inspiration? Take a peek at Selfish Giving’s 10 Best Cause Marketing Promotions of 2015. And once your ideas begin to percolate, the Harvard Business Review has some something to say about The Elements of an Effective Cause Marketing Campaign.
We’ve seen a lot of success helping our clients engage local causes, whether it’s home service providers and restoring older homes or medical practices and health awareness. We’ve encouraged natural relationships that engage built-in audiences and helped our clients earn a branding and digital edge.
We’ll touch on that and more in our regular Lunch & Learn sessions, where we look at some of the more advanced opportunities in 2017. The next Lunch & learn will be Feb. 21 at PizzaWest, so reserve your spot now.
