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Cause-Related
Marketing by: Steven Van Yoder
Altruism. Corporate responsibility.
Philanthropy. These are often used to describe cause-related marketing,
an activity in which businesses join with charities or causes to market
an image, product, or service for mutual benefit.
Embracing a cause makes good business
sense. Nothing builds brand loyalty among today's increasingly hard-to-please
consumers like a company‚s proven commitment to a worthy cause. Other things
being equal, many consumers would rather do business with a company that
stands for something beyond profits.
Powerful marketing edge
Cause-related marketing can become
a cornerstone of your marketing plan. Your cause-related marketing activities
should highlight your company's reputation within your target market. Cause-related
marketing can positively differentiate your company from your competitors
and provide an edge that delivers other tangible benefits, including:
-
Increased sales
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Increased visibility
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Increased customer loyalty
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Enhanced company image
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Positive media coverage
By choosing a cause you are passionate
about, cause-related marketing is emotionally fulfilling. It's a way to
merge your profit center with your "passion center" and build a business
that mirrors your personal values, beliefs and integrity. If your cause
also resonates with your target market, your activities will generate tremendous
goodwill and media attention can be its side effect.
Real-World Success Story
Cosmetic dentist Mark McMahon made
himself a media mini-celebrity with a thriving practice due in part to
his high-profile pro bono work in his community, a strategy that landed
him radio and TV appearances in areas where he worked.
McMahon established partnerships
with local charities, including a homeless shelter and a shelter for battered
women, and offered free dental services to their members. Before each event,
he contacted local media and let them know what he was up to. Several TV
crews showed up, filmed him treating patients, and later aired the segments
on the evening news.
"These events were surprisingly easy
to arrange, and every year, they'd help us get press simply by doing these
charitable promotions," McMahon says. "Local television news stations loved
the emotional element. And it was obviously rewarding to see patients after
we'd treated them who'd been in pain for months talking about how glad
they were to be relieved of their toothaches."
Another project involved the Delancey
Street Foundation, a residential education center for former substance
abusers and ex-convicts. "I agreed to treat some of their members' acute
dental needs," McMahon says. "I quickly appreciated the media appeal of
transforming the appearance of these rough-looking guys with terrible smiles."
McMahon captured the event with before
and after photos. "These guys had missing teeth and terrible smiles," he
says. "So I had a professional photographer capture before pictures of
these guys in street clothes with their snarling faces. After I fixed their
teeth, we took more pictures, but this time dressed the guys in suits and
ties, now looking like lawyers and accountants, with me sitting right in
the middle. The media loved it, and it was great seeing these men looking
like new."
McMahon's TV appearances created
name recognition. "After I did the story on a local television show, I
was recognized in my gym by a masseuse who had seen the show," McMahon
recalls. "She said, 'I was thinking about you this morning while I was
flossing my teeth.' She became a great source of referrals."
(Excerpted from the book Get Slightly
Famous: Become a Celebrity in Your Field and Attract More Business with
Less Effort, by Steven Van Yoder)
Getting Started
Cause-related marketing yields mutual
benefit. Look for partners with a similar agenda whose goals can be better
achieved by partnering with your business. Take inventory of the assets
that make you an appealing partner in a cause-related venture.
There are many types of mutually
beneficial relationships you can form with your cause-related partner,
including special events, sales promotions and collection plans. An easy
way to embrace a cause is to team up with a charity.
Whenever Johnny "Love" Metheny, a
slightly famous nightclub owner in San Francisco, opens a new club, he
shares the limelight with a local charity. "I have a history of including
the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in my grand openings," says Metheny,
who was voted the society's Man of the Year in 1991. "It's not only something
I feel good about, but it helps us market our businesses to the community
and media at the same time."
Volunteer with an organization. When
Eunice Azzani, an executive recruiter, volunteered to serve on the board
of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, she didn't anticipate that it would
connect her with executives from Mervyn's, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo
Bank, all of who eventually hired her to work for them.
"People don't hire a piece of paper
or a process. They hire people they trust," Azzani says. "Volunteering
for a position at a local organization makes you very trustworthy." She
advises business owners to target causes they believe in. "If you're helping
with a cause you believe in, people will see that you care. And they'll
realize you will probably care as much about your work."
As your partnership takes shape,
become ambassadors for each other. Talk about the charitable organization
and have flyers available. Promote the organization (and your partnership)
on your website and in your newsletters. Ask your partner to extend the
same courtesies to you.
Never lose the marketing focus of
your community partnership efforts. Even though the work is philanthropy,
your cause should generate interest in your company and motivate people
to buy from it. Select a cause that is important to your target market,
and make sure your target market sees that connection.
About The Author
Steven Van Yoder is author of Get
Slightly Famous: Become a Celebrity in Your Field and Attract More Business
with Less Effort. Visit http://www.getslightlyfamous.com
to read the book and learn about 'slightly' famous teleclasses, workshops,
and marketing materials to help small businesses and solo professionals
attract more business.
steven@getslightlyfamous.com
Courtesy of http://www.ArticleCity.com/
