4 Ways to Boost Your Cause Marketing Success
By Christine Lavelle on Dec. 12, 2016SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.-- From hanging shamrocks for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) to gathering coins at the counter, convenience stores have been cause marketing for decades.
Corporate social responsibility has become increasingly important as consumers say they are more inclined to spend their dollars with retailers who are community- and charity-minded. On the downside, not being tied to a cause can negatively affect a brand.
A recent presentation by Maureen Carlson, senior vice president of strategic partnerships for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals (CMNH), said that 63% of convenience-store shoppers felt positively about the store after donating.
Here are some suggestions from CMNH for ways retailers can improve cause-marketing success ...
1. Ask your employees
Success is improved when employees are empowered to decide which causes the company will support. In the past, companies focused on telling employees how to support the causes the company selected. Turn it around, and employees become great advocates asking for donations for a cause they are passionate about. They also are more likely to be able to answer customer questions about a charity.
The Cause Marketing Forum Catalist’s Revelations at the Register report showed that 72% of consumers have donated to charity at the register. Those who don’t donate most often say it’s because they “don’t know anything about the cause.”
2. Avoid appearing self-serving
Some retailers worry that touting their support for a cause will appear self-serving. To mitigate that risk, ask the cause partners to create the conversation. Then tell their stories. Chevron and CMNH worked together on such a solution, with CMNH creating the message, and Chevron sharing it in stores and through social media.
Research from CMNH shows that the preferred method of giving at convenience stores is to add $1 at the register. And don’t be afraid to ask often. CMNH said customers prefer to be asked to donate at convenience stores once per month or more.
3. Engage influencers
4. Create content
How you tell the story can affect the fundraising success, but you don't have to do it alone.
Look to your cause partners for rich content that showcases or reinforces their work, and link to or publish that on your websites or social-media platforms. Companies also can create content with their cause partners and market that content together.