What is Cause Marketing?

If you want to grow your business and expand your customer base cause marketing offers the perfect solution. Many brands leverage cause marketing to reach their goals, such as increasing brand awareness, reaching new audiences, and enhancing their reputation. Cause marketing also empowers companies to advocate for worthy endeavors while promoting business. 

What is Cause Marketing, and How Can It Benefit Brands? 

Cause marketing has been defined as "a type of campaign in which a for-profit business seeks to advocate for a social cause while increasing profits." The purpose of cause marketing is twofold: first, to build engagement and brand loyalty among targeted consumers, and second, to contribute to the cause in question. (Which of these two objectives is more important depends on company leadership.) 

Cause marketing drives brand awareness, lead generation, sales, customer retention, and increased profitability. For example, research indicates that 71% of millennials will pay more for a product if they know that some proceeds go to a charity. Cause marketing has a profound influence on how your brand is viewed and how well it performs. 

How to Develop and Deploy an Effective Cause Marketing Campaign 

How exactly can you develop a winning cause marketing campaign for your brand? Let's discuss some key steps you can take. 

1. Select a cause

This should be one of your first actions when developing a cause marketing campaign. You'll want to identify a cause that aligns with your company's values and resonates with your target audience.  

There are several great causes in local Northern Illinois to choose from, including: 

• Veterans Golf Outing -- benefits veterans  
• Oktoberfest Golf Outing -- benefits the K-9 unit for the Rockford Police Department  
• Stuff the Bus - collects schools supplies for Rockford public schools 
• Feed the Need - collects cash and a literal truckload of food for the Salvation Army 

Once you've selected a cause, indicate your support for that cause. Convey your support and how you plan to contribute (e.g., "10% of all sales will be donated to this charity," and so on). In addition, design your marketing materials to aesthetically bolster trust in your message. For instance, if you plan to contribute to a conservation foundation, include nature and wildlife images in your campaign.  

A marketing campaign is only as good as the media it uses. Make sure you're using the right channels to reach your target demographics. For example, among social media channels, Facebook is more prevalent among baby boomers and Gen X than members of Gen Z (many of whom prefer TikTok). Streaming services are gaining market share yearly, and radio reaches a high percentage of listeners weekly. The point is to determine your audience's preferred channels and then focus on those. 

It's helpful to find a specific partner as you develop your cause marketing campaign. This could be a non-profit, a shelter, or another charitable organization. Be sure to establish clear expectations and responsibilities for each party. You could pledge to donate 10% of certain product sales to the charity; in return, you may ask the charity to allow your marketing materials in their stores or on their website.  

If you build and maintain a strong relationship with your cause marketing partner, you'll be better positioned to benefit from the positive feelings they foster among their donors and sponsors. 

When launching, don't imagine your work is done yet! Monitoring your campaign's performance, measuring its success, and improving with the next iteration are vital. Ensure a framework for evaluating and refining your efforts has been set up.  

At the end of each campaign, you should be able to answer key questions such as: 

• Did we meet our campaign goals? 
• Where did we succeed, and where do we need to improve? 
• How can we strengthen our relationship with our cause marketing partner(s)? 

Reach Your Cause Marketing Goals with Help from Mid-West Family 

Cause marketing offers a way for businesses to "kill two birds with one stone" — that is, to promote worthy causes while boosting their bottom line. By selecting the right cause, conveying the right message, using the right channels, and finding the right partner, you can launch a successful cause marketing campaign with exceptional ROI. 

Of course, partnering with a marketing agency with experience developing and deploying winning cause marketing campaigns may be wise. For instance, our team of experts at Mid-West Family Northern Illinois has helped scores of clients reach their marketing goals. We take a customized, multi-media approach to each campaign we execute. If you'd like to learn more about how we can help your cause marketing plan take off and soar, reach out to us today!