There’s a lot online these days about Cause Marketing, but also some confusion about what is meant by it. Wikipedia notes it as “Marketing done by a for-profit business that seeks to both increase profits and to better society in accordance with corporate social responsibility, such as by including activist messages in advertising.” Basically, it’s a business taking on a cause as a means to advertise themselves and further the cause at the same time.

This concept has already become competitive in the sense that a lot of companies are doing it. And you know what? There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that! The more money that companies spend on spreading the word about a cause, and making more of us aware about such causes, equates to education, health, and social consciousness for all. 😉

The world of online marketing has certainly benefited from this trend. There are even advertising agencies that specialize in cause marketing, and good for them! What we take from this, as a community-based marketing firm, is simply that we will continue to do what we’ve always done, and that is to encourage our small business clients to tell their stories. Their stories are often fueled by a cause or take inspiration from a cause. And this information can be used as an incredible marketing tool. Any information that can be shared with customers to show that your company has heart, and wants to make a difference in our world, resonates…plain & simple.

As an example of the success of cause marketing, here are a couple of high-profile campaigns:

• Patagonia’s “Don’t Buy This Jacket” Common Threads Initiative, to reduce, repair, reuse, and recycle their clothing, which in turn alleviates landfill waste in the U.S.
• Mastercard’s “Start Something Priceless” campaign, with which each goal scored by Argentinian soccer player, Lionel Messi, or Brazilian soccer player, Neymar, Jr., would convert to a monetary donation to the World Food Programme and provide meals to 10,000 children.

We are huge believers in the correlation between small business and causes. Most small businesses can easily identify a cause that aligns with their values and that can be crafted into a cause marketing campaign as well. This idea is not too lofty for a smaller company, it simply takes some creativity and good advice.

Our hope is that this article inspires you. We encourage you to use the same basic concept that these very large companies did. It can only lead to better engagement with your customer. And the added benefit, of course, is this happens while doing good for the community!

1) Communicate with your customer base:

Whether you are directly impacted or not, it’s important to keep your customers apprised of what is going on with your business. Addressing whether you will conduct business as usual, change your hours, or change how you work with them…give them any information needed so they feel like they know what to expect.

2) Engage with your audience:

Remember that you have potential clients too. It’s just as important to communicate with them by following, liking, and commenting on their posts. The way you interact in this kind of situation will put you on the map, and in turn, you may even gain new customers.

3) Try out Facebook or Instagram Live:

Are there things going on within your business or office that could be shared by video? This is another way to keep your constituents informed and to keep them interested. If you haven’t done anything live in the past, now is the time to learn how. Get a step ahead of your competitors during this crucial time.

Bonus Tip: Don’t Panic!

Whatever you do, don’t buy into the craziness that the news media (and others) fuel. Now is the time to keep calm, think positively, and show your customers that you are keeping the situation in a balanced perspective. This is what they really need right now.

In the coming days and weeks it is going to be very tempting to react to the information that comes out on this topic. If you must comment, be sure to take a deep breath and think first before doing so.

Listening to Podcasts is a great way to expand your knowledge base when you are strapped for time, which so many of us are in the business community. Spending 20, 40, or 60 minutes listening while driving or relaxing can reap all kinds of benefits for you, your company or nonprofit.

Below we’ve listed our Top 4 Podcasts for Small Businesses and Nonprofits, with explanation on why we think they, in particular, are beneficial.

1) How I Built This with Guy Raz (NPR): https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510313/how-i-built-this

This podcast will give confidence to anyone who listens. Journalist Guy Raz speaks with CEOs of a huge array of companies — many very familiar to us…Uber, Toms, Burt’s Bees, Instagram, etc. Many tell rags to riches stories, rags to rags to riches, riches to rags and back…you get the idea! Most of these stories are incredible testimonies of real people who had great ideas and their journeys to bring them to life, successfully. Guy has a very likeable way of talking with his guests and all episodes include a lot of laughter.

2) Nonprofits Are Messy, the Podcast — Lessons in Leadership with Joan Garry: https://blog.joangarry.com/nonprofits-are-messy-podcast/

Joan has an interesting past. She began her career as part of the management team that launched MTV and eventually made her way to the non-profit sector when becoming executive director of GLAAD, one of the largest gay rights organizations in the US. She’s seen all sides of the business and non-profit world and holds a wealth of information. Her manner of speaking is quite engaging and the team of experts that she calls upon in her broadcasts share extremely useful information on the many roadblocks that non-profits face.

3) Marketing Over Coffee, with Christopher Penn & John Wall: https://www.marketingovercoffee.com/

This podcast provides a nice mix of company talk and research-based strategy. John Wall has been in marketing, sales and technology for years and Christopher Penn is a professor of Advanced Social Media and Internet Marketing at the University of San Francisco. They discuss classic techniques and new marketing practices with high powered members of the marketing world and provide great tips on how to stay on the cutting edge within the business community.

4) Nonprofit Leadership Podcast: Making Your World Better, hosted by Dr. Rob Harter: https://nonprofitleadershippodcast.org/

Rob is an inspirational & motivational speaker and is considered a nonprofit executive professional. He’s been a member of many nonprofits tied to human rights and faith-based causes, just to name a few. Covered topics are those that are standard issues effecting every kind of nonprofit. Some of the best selections: Positioning to Receive Major Philanthropic Gifts, How to Become more Inclusive and Equitable, Self-Leadership and What the Harvard Business Review has to say about Leadership.

Why not try listening to one (or all) of these podcasts? We feel that you’ll be inspired by what you hear. We encourage you to take the time and to take advantage of the opportunity to be informed and learn from these great resources!

A few weeks ago we wrote about how to handle some of the changes that the Coronavirus crisis may have imposed upon your business. Now that this new phenomenon has set in, we think you’re probably aware that it’s about more than just navigating Zoom calls! We want to encourage you to branch out and really immerse your business in social media marketing — now is the time!

Considering the fact that the number of individuals online every day has skyrocketed, this is a great opportunity for you to become more social media savvy. First off, audit what you are already doing. Do you have active social media accounts for your business? If not, we suggest opening Facebook and Instagram accounts immediately. 😊 These two channels are in the top five of the most used apps right now. And if you already have social media accounts to advertise your business, which channels do you post on?

We believe that for most businesses your presence on Facebook and Instagram should be the priority. If you have a Twitter account and don’t have a very specific reason for keeping it intact, we recommend that you close it. Twitter has become so political that we feel it doesn’t serve most businesses in a beneficial way. LinkedIn is another channel to think about. It has become more widely used, but it doesn’t serve every type of business. If you provide a service (photography, accounting, etc.) you are more likely to benefit from LinkedIn. It’s a wonderful way to network with others in (and outside of) your industry, and to secure referrals. But if you sell a product, it may not be a logical venue for you.

Once you’ve chosen your channels, or you have committed to putting more time into posting on the channels you already have in place, you can move on to the next step. Think about the type of social media posts that appeal to you. Are they funny…thought provoking…or “salesy?” Probably the first two. 😉 This is where it gets a bit more difficult. How to write posts that don’t bang people over the head with what you want to sell, right? Our response is three words, Make Them Personable. This doesn’t mean that you have to share personal information. The best way to describe what we’re getting at is to just write them as though you’re sharing valuable information with a friend. Again, think about the type of posts you have seen that appeal to you — use them as examples.

And finally, here are just a couple more suggestions to get you on your way to becoming a social media marketing pro. 1.) Use hashtags — Add only 2 or 3 relevant tags to your Facebook posts, and then as many as you can find for each Instagram post (which is where hashtags really make a difference). This is another way to reach more people. And 2.) Post at a variety of times of day, then track the progress of your posts. If you find that more people “like” and share your posts at particular times, go with that information and set a schedule. You may find that these types of trends change over time, so be prepared to adjust down the road too.

Good luck!

We’ve all seen and heard of the adverse impact that COVID-19 has had on businesses. But what’s going on with nonprofits? How can they possibly continue to ask donors to give during this time? What will their futures look like?

Actually, now that the dust has settled somewhat, many nonprofits are finding that it’s not so bad out there for them. People are still giving. And our current climate has even seemed to propel the giving mindset. It’s all about change. With Coronavirus looming and national concern for the state of our union in so many respects, people want to be a part of positive change. And they can contribute to that change through financial gifts to the organizations that are doing good work within our society. It makes perfect sense when you think about it.

As businesses have had to pivot and do things differently to serve their customers during this time, nonprofits have also shifted. Now digital fundraising is at the forefront. There are several options available to nonprofits. It’s really just a matter of determining which option (or a combination of more than one) offers the best fit for their particular demographic. One of the most widely used options now is to hold a virtual event. These are done by using Zoom, where people can gather and watch together and even interact “face to face.” YouTube is another, where “attendees” can watch simultaneously and communicate with each other via chat. The choice between the two really comes down to what kind of event is being held and which hosting service provides the best backdrop and capabilities.

For each of the abovementioned fundraising options, there are several ways that donations can be accepted. Text donations are a quick and easy way for most to give and there are several platforms out there now to choose from, Mobilecause, Txt2Give, and Give Lively are just a few. Give Lively, in particular, is a free service to nonprofits with a platform overview: “We believe nonprofits shouldn’t sacrifice their means to satisfy their missions. We are a philanthropist-funded, social-impact driven tech company that collaborates directly with nonprofits…”

Donating by text may alienate some within a nonprofit’s database. Though nearly everyone has cell phones these days, they don’t all want to use them for transactions. In this case an alternate would be to set up a giving portal on the organization’s website. Network for Good (NFG), which is known for “Nonprofit Donor Management” is a great choice. Though they charge a per transaction service fee, the donor can opt to pay that amount as part of their donation. In addition, NFG provides detailed reports that can be used for a variety of purposes such as accounting and tax filing, or even sharing with board members for quarterly or event specific reporting.

There most certainly are more choices available to nonprofits right now to facilitate online fundraising, but we feel those that we’ve mentioned are the best choices. We encourage nonprofits of all sizes to continue their fundraising efforts. You can help us all to Be The Change our world needs!