By Ethan Lyon, Senior Writer
Every year, businesses across the country participate in charity events, sponsorships, community development programs and other social initiatives. There is a trend towards doing more, beyond just writing a check. It’s about putting down the checkbook and rolling up your sleeves that will award you more attention to not only your charity, but to your brand. We’ll discuss ways in which you can marketing your social cause and brand to maximize your social efforts.
Develop a Concrete Concept
Concrete concepts are tangible. When developing your social cause concept, consider a very basic question: “How can my audience relate to my social initiative?” Essentially, you’re trying to figure out how to get your audience to remember your initiative in a day, month, year or even decade from now. This is where creativity is imperative.
Consider playing with numbers. Salesforce.com donates 1% time, 1% equity and 1% product. This 1-1-1% concept is simple and easy to remember, making it very tangible for Saleforce audiences. Or consider the one-for-one deal. Though it’s not original, it’s very memorable.
RoryMartin is an example of a one-for-one in the business-to-business world. Rory Martin, a Seattle-based marketing firm, launched the “Blog for a Blog, Blog for a Cause” initiative to give their clients an opportunity to give back to a charity of their choosing. For every new contract, Rory Martin will: 1) create a blog showcasing their philanthropic efforts, 2) optimize search for blog content and 3) allow the client “gift” blog to the charity. RoryMartin uses the one-for-one concept to promote their company while leveraging their expertise for a charity.
Innovative Approach
To grab attention for not only your company, but your cause, an innovative approach is crucial. Ruby Tuesdays donates a portion of the sales from their cookies to a charity. You might not have heard of their “social initiative” because it’s more or less blasé and boring. If you’re going to launch a social initiative, be creative and bring something interesting to the market.
Take example from Charity Water. They’ve leveraged the networking power from Twitter to keep their supporters updated and engaged in organization initiatives. Charity Water is a leader in marketing and getting the word out. Currently, they have over 570,000 followers on Twitter. Through social networking on Twitter, they can engage new and existing audiences, while promoting their mission.
Measure the Impact
Social initiatives aim to make an impact. Just as in your day-to-day business, measure your impact. Sponsoring a social mission isn’t aimed to drain company coffers, nor waste time. Consider where you can do better so next year you can make an even greater impact.
Josh Cohen, managing partners at VC firm, City Light Capital said in an interview with WSJ, “we only invest in mission-driven, early stage, for-profit companies focused on meeting immediate social needs through their core product or service. However, we also differ from many social venture capital firms in that we will only invest in companies capable of producing outstanding financial returns.”
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