A strategy that is used often by companies to draw customers to them is cause marketing, and they do this with a purpose. A corporate social responsibility study done recently by Cone Communications indicated that 92 percent of consumers buy products from companies that also care about social and environmental causes. The study further found that 84 percent of these consumers also will recommend these businesses to friends, family and co-workers.
Using cause marketing to bring the company's efforts to the customers is a good but a well planned and executed campaign will not only benefit consumers. These types of campaigns can reach even farther. Consider the following data as examples of how effective cause marketing can be.
One recent study from Rutgers University, for example, showcased that 53 percent of employees that were interviewed and more than 70 percent of students that were interviewed want more than just a paycheck, they want to work for a company that supports important causes. For the students, working for this type of company was only slightly less important than getting married as a future goal. A Taleo Research analysis study also showcased the fact improving the engagement level of employees by a mere 5% in a large company with 10,000 or so employees could increase profits by more than $40 million.
Improving the engagement of your workers at every level of your organization should be one of the goals of the cause marketing campaign from its inception. This is done by discussing the business strategy and the range of potential causes that will come with this strategy, and from there, produce a decision making framework where everybody can participate and also support.
Each and every employee may not be comfortable participating in this and it is impossible to make them do it. However, by giving different options and thinking creatively can definitely boost enthusiasm and participation in a specific cause marketing campaign.
For example, to support a local homeless shelter your company could donate a percentage of net profit to the shelter every year. A business also could set up a payroll deduction program to allow employees to automatically donate a portion of their paychecks to the shelter. Also, you could arrange for two employees to spend half a day working at the shelter each week.
In addition, why not plan a fun run for your cause? This could be a 5K event that your company sponsors to raise money for the shelter in question. Many shelters hold an annual event to raise money for their organization, so you might donate gift cards or actual products for a silent auction or as prizes. You also can reward employees that donate time outside of work by providing prizes for these employees.
An employee can get committed when he is empowered. He may also want to share the cause he is into, and this is only natural. There is the natural desire to share experiences and this is through the social networks, of which it is more popular than ever before. Encouraging employees to share information about the company's cause marketing activities can be done, using outlets such as Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
You can do this by making an example of your cause marketing campaign and giving this strong exposure on the social networks and your corporate channels, especially when including the giving of employee recognitions where they will get inspired to share on their own social networks.
Employee engagement can be quickly improved and results immediately acquired, but it can also be fast in disappearing. You have to make sure that your cause marketing and engagement plans for employees are not just a fad.
The goal is a long-term investment in a charitable cause and the engagement of employees for a long time, as well. Employees that are engaged in long-term charitable programs tend to be more satisfied with their jobs and continue to work on improving productivity and this enthusiasm can be contagious, fostering a more collaborative team atmosphere at all levels of your company and this type of camaraderie also is quite attractive for new hires.
Using cause marketing to bring the company's efforts to the customers is a good but a well planned and executed campaign will not only benefit consumers. These types of campaigns can reach even farther. Consider the following data as examples of how effective cause marketing can be.
One recent study from Rutgers University, for example, showcased that 53 percent of employees that were interviewed and more than 70 percent of students that were interviewed want more than just a paycheck, they want to work for a company that supports important causes. For the students, working for this type of company was only slightly less important than getting married as a future goal. A Taleo Research analysis study also showcased the fact improving the engagement level of employees by a mere 5% in a large company with 10,000 or so employees could increase profits by more than $40 million.
Improving the engagement of your workers at every level of your organization should be one of the goals of the cause marketing campaign from its inception. This is done by discussing the business strategy and the range of potential causes that will come with this strategy, and from there, produce a decision making framework where everybody can participate and also support.
Each and every employee may not be comfortable participating in this and it is impossible to make them do it. However, by giving different options and thinking creatively can definitely boost enthusiasm and participation in a specific cause marketing campaign.
For example, to support a local homeless shelter your company could donate a percentage of net profit to the shelter every year. A business also could set up a payroll deduction program to allow employees to automatically donate a portion of their paychecks to the shelter. Also, you could arrange for two employees to spend half a day working at the shelter each week.
In addition, why not plan a fun run for your cause? This could be a 5K event that your company sponsors to raise money for the shelter in question. Many shelters hold an annual event to raise money for their organization, so you might donate gift cards or actual products for a silent auction or as prizes. You also can reward employees that donate time outside of work by providing prizes for these employees.
An employee can get committed when he is empowered. He may also want to share the cause he is into, and this is only natural. There is the natural desire to share experiences and this is through the social networks, of which it is more popular than ever before. Encouraging employees to share information about the company's cause marketing activities can be done, using outlets such as Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
You can do this by making an example of your cause marketing campaign and giving this strong exposure on the social networks and your corporate channels, especially when including the giving of employee recognitions where they will get inspired to share on their own social networks.
Employee engagement can be quickly improved and results immediately acquired, but it can also be fast in disappearing. You have to make sure that your cause marketing and engagement plans for employees are not just a fad.
The goal is a long-term investment in a charitable cause and the engagement of employees for a long time, as well. Employees that are engaged in long-term charitable programs tend to be more satisfied with their jobs and continue to work on improving productivity and this enthusiasm can be contagious, fostering a more collaborative team atmosphere at all levels of your company and this type of camaraderie also is quite attractive for new hires.
About the Author:
Sebastian Troup likes blogging about philanthropic solutions for businesses and non profit organizations. For more examples of corporate social responsibility, or to help help setting up a corporate charitable giving program, please go to the Truist site today.