3 Do’s and 3 Don’ts of Cause Marketing

Cause marketing is a great way to get engaged with the community, boost morale and generate awareness for a brand — all while making a positive impact. Usually, it includes partnering with a nonprofit for a good cause with funds or actions. However, this form of marketing is only effective in connecting with audiences and building brand credibility when done authentically. If consumers feel ingenuity or falsified information is present, it can do more harm than good. Here are three do’s and don’t to help traverse cause marketing sincerely:

DO:

1. Be Relevant: investing in pertinent causes are important to the target audience and part of a bigger initiative.
2. Associate Cause with Business Values: selecting a cause that is both useful to your community and aligns with your business values will resonate with employees and target audiences.
3. Measure the Success: understanding the impact your campaign had can give insight into what’s important to your audience, what isn’t and help identify future objectives.

DON’T:

1. Imitation Involvement: falsely advertising how much or why a brand is invested in a nonprofit can cause more damage than good.
2. Lack Transparency: not keeping consumers in the loop about nonprofit relationships or values behind projects/campaigns can be harmful and hurt brand reputation.
3. Only Make Statements: having a passion is one thing, but putting it into action is another. Maintaining a relationship requires actions and statements.

When participating in cause marketing, brands get the opportunity to make a positive difference and receive good marketing in return. Authenticity and transparency are key aspects of cause marketing, as they initiate a value driven project that boosts morale. Whether through funds, actions or both, nonprofit partnership is a great way to connect brand values with actions and make an impact in the community.