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The Cause behind the Marketing

Submitted by Mitch Seigel on Tues, 10/2/2012

To just do marketing to add to the branding aspect of your business anymore, just doesn't make sense. It is too costly to not have some kind of call to action and reason to buy. In many cases, the reason to buy could be because the purchase will support a cause your company supports.

Cause marketing has been around forever, and maybe only in the last thirty years has it been a common term among marketing circles. The bottom line is that it is a very effective method to enhance your message to your target market. If your target market understands the need of the cause, they may choose to buy from you before your competition.

I recently met someone who is on the board of the YMCA. My first question to her was “Do you get involved in marketing campaigns that offer donations to the organization?” And of course the answer was yes. That being said, it’s not always as easy as one, two, three to put it together. Compliance with the terms and conditions of the non-profit is essential. You need to check these out before starting to develop the relationship.

If you are a representative of a non-profit, there is absolutely no reason you can’t be pro-active and develop relationships for exposure, by approaching appropriate marketing partners. Again following compliance is important.

Do some research to determine the strongest causes in the area of your business and start setting up some preliminary meetings. You’ll be surprised at how quickly campaigns start to materialize. Best of all, the rewards you get for being helpful to the cause you select is worth ten times its weight in gold.

What are your challenges when it comes to cause marketing? I look forward to hearing your comments. Until next time…