Cause marketing is a strategy which is often used by companies to attract consumers to their products, and with good reason. According to a recent corporate social responsibility study by Cone Communications about 92 percent of consumers, if given the opportunity, would buy a product with social and/or environmental benefit and 84 percent of global consumers would tell friends and family about a company's CSR efforts
Those are powerful statistics in favor of establishing a strategic corporate giving program and using cause marketing to bring it to your customer base. But consumers aren't the only group that can benefit from and appreciate a well-executed cause marketing campaign. Consider these statistics:
A job where employees can make a very good impact is important to the employees happiness, and a study from Rutgers University found that more than 50 percent of workers and more than 70 percent of students agree that a meaningful job is highly important, ranking third in importance and only slightly less important than marriage. When the engagement level of a workplace with 10,000 employees is increased by a mere 5 percent, the estimated profits can increase by as much as $40 million, according to one recent study.
Getting employees at all levels involved in cause marketing is the best way to get employees engaged and committed. This can be done by laying out a range of potential causes and producing a structure for the decision making where everybody is involved and they can support fully, and this is the business strategy to follow.
Of course, it is unlikely that 100 percent of your employees will wish to participate, but creative planning can make giving much easier for employees. There are many different options to consider that will keep the level of participation in your cause quite high.
A creative option can be donating a percentage of company profits to a local homeless shelter that the company supports, and this can be a good example. Automatic deduction donations made by employees through payroll deductions can provide an easy way to give. Two employees spending half of their day at work working at the shelter each week can also be arranged by the company.
A fundraising fun run can also be arranged by the company to raise funds for the homeless shelter, and a 5K run can be a great idea. Offering special prizes to workers who volunteer to work at the shelter on their own personal time can be an option, and also by donating company gift certificates for the homeless shelter's annual auction.
It is said that an employee who is empowered is also a committed employee. When a cause excites somebody, it can also be said that they may want to share this with people. The social networks enhance this desire more times and this is observed more than before. You can make this work for you by having your employees do this and in the process make them share information about you and your cause marketing activities; share these with their friends on Facebook and their followers on Instagram or Twitter, and especially mentioning their part.
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.
Maintaining employee engagement over the long term is far more effective as it encourages a loyal, knowledgeable and long-standing workforce that continues to increase in productivity and effectiveness. People who have been at a company for a long time tend to have better relationships with their co-workers, foster more collaboration within teams, and have a better chance of bringing new hires into the engaged fold as well.
Those are powerful statistics in favor of establishing a strategic corporate giving program and using cause marketing to bring it to your customer base. But consumers aren't the only group that can benefit from and appreciate a well-executed cause marketing campaign. Consider these statistics:
A job where employees can make a very good impact is important to the employees happiness, and a study from Rutgers University found that more than 50 percent of workers and more than 70 percent of students agree that a meaningful job is highly important, ranking third in importance and only slightly less important than marriage. When the engagement level of a workplace with 10,000 employees is increased by a mere 5 percent, the estimated profits can increase by as much as $40 million, according to one recent study.
Getting employees at all levels involved in cause marketing is the best way to get employees engaged and committed. This can be done by laying out a range of potential causes and producing a structure for the decision making where everybody is involved and they can support fully, and this is the business strategy to follow.
Of course, it is unlikely that 100 percent of your employees will wish to participate, but creative planning can make giving much easier for employees. There are many different options to consider that will keep the level of participation in your cause quite high.
A creative option can be donating a percentage of company profits to a local homeless shelter that the company supports, and this can be a good example. Automatic deduction donations made by employees through payroll deductions can provide an easy way to give. Two employees spending half of their day at work working at the shelter each week can also be arranged by the company.
A fundraising fun run can also be arranged by the company to raise funds for the homeless shelter, and a 5K run can be a great idea. Offering special prizes to workers who volunteer to work at the shelter on their own personal time can be an option, and also by donating company gift certificates for the homeless shelter's annual auction.
It is said that an employee who is empowered is also a committed employee. When a cause excites somebody, it can also be said that they may want to share this with people. The social networks enhance this desire more times and this is observed more than before. You can make this work for you by having your employees do this and in the process make them share information about you and your cause marketing activities; share these with their friends on Facebook and their followers on Instagram or Twitter, and especially mentioning their part.
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.
Maintaining employee engagement over the long term is far more effective as it encourages a loyal, knowledgeable and long-standing workforce that continues to increase in productivity and effectiveness. People who have been at a company for a long time tend to have better relationships with their co-workers, foster more collaboration within teams, and have a better chance of bringing new hires into the engaged fold as well.
About the Author:
Sebastian Troup loves writing about philanthropic solutions for businesses and non profit organizations. To get more examples of corporate social responsibility, or to find help setting up a corporate charitable giving program, please go to the Truist website now.
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