6 Tips to Help Your Business Market a Social Cause

In October 1985, the American Cancer Society in partnership with a pharmaceutical company, founded the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, to be held annually in October.  The goal was to increase awareness of the disease and raise money for research into finding a cure, better treatment, early detection and more.

From this humble beginning, thousands of charities and for-profits have since contributed to making the month of October, global support for breast cancer awareness, with the iconic pink ribbon recognizable the world over as a symbol for the cause.

It is truly admirable to support and be passionate about a good cause, whether your business is a non-profit or a for-profit.  However, simply being passionate about your cause is not always enough to get the support you need. It is essential that as a business, you learn how to market your cause effectively.  Here are some key steps that can help you achieve this.

• Have a plan – It is always important to have a detailed marketing plan before executing any marketing strategy and marketing a cause is no different. You must outline your goal (or goals), objectives, target audience, strategy and tactics, budget, timeline and more. A well-constructed and clearly outlined plan will serve as a road map for successfully marketing your cause.

• Keep Your Message Simple & Direct – Having a muddled and confusing message that tries to include too many things at once increases the risk of no one understanding what it is you are trying to achieve and their losing interest. Having an excellent marketing plan to start will help in this regard. Your plan should have a specific goal and knowing exactly what your goal is will be a strong asset in helping you define your message in a clear and concise manner.

• Be Authentic & Credible – This should go without saying but it is extremely important that people believe you are honest and sincere in your efforts; otherwise, it is unlikely they will support the cause. The quickest way for a cause to fall apart is for individuals to think you are untrustworthy. This also refers to facts and figures. Don’t exaggerate statistics or the issue to gain support.

• Leverage Social Media (The Right Way) – It’s virtually impossible to avoid social media today and the fact is if utilized in the right way it can be a very effective marketing tool at a fairly low cost. The key, of course, is to use it in the right way. Like most marketing channels, each social media channel has its own pros and cons, demographics, etc. Understanding these differences will help you to better utilize each in the right way to achieve your ultimate goal. For example, YouTube is the platform for videos and the use of videos is a must for social causes.

• Don’t Ignore Traditional Media – We’ve probably all heard the refrain that “print is dead”. With the advent of the Internet and the proliferation of smartphones, that certainly seems to be the case for many. However, that belief is a fallacy. Traditional media is still a very effective marketing tool, especially depending on the type of audience you are trying to reach. Press releases, radio and television media interviews, for example, are all still very effective methods of getting the word out about your cause.

• Have a Great Website – This is an absolute must. While social media is great, it is not enough. A well-designed and thorough website is a great hub for posting all the information anyone will need to know about your cause and organization. It is a great resource for posting press and media related materials, news, call to action, organization background, blog articles, photos, videos, testimonials and so much more. A quality website can also help establish your credibility as individuals can see tangible proof of the work your organization has done.

Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you successfully execute your marketing strategy.