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.
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:
According to a study from Rutgers University, 53 percent of workers and 72 percent of students say a job where they can make an impact is very important or essential to their happiness, with the students ranking it third in overall importance and only 1% behind marriage. Taleo Research shows that increasing the engagement level in a 10,000-person organization by 5% can boost profits by an estimated $40+ million.
The best way to create employee engagement through cause marketing is to involve employees from every level of the organization right from the beginning. Discuss the business strategy and outline a range of potential causes that fall in line with it, and then create a framework for making a decision that everyone can take part in and fully support.
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.
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 empowered employee will be an engaged employee. When someone gets excited about a cause, it's natural that they want to share it with others. Online social networks make that natural desire thousands of times more powerful than it was in the past. You can take advantage of that fact and engage your employees in the process by encouraging them to share information about your cause marketing activities with their Facebook friends or Twitter followers, and especially to tout their own part in it.
Lead by example by giving the cause marketing campaign heavy exposure on the corporate social channels, including offering specific employee recognitions that they'll be thrilled to share through their own networks.
While employee engagement can be improved quickly and can yield nearly immediate results, it can disappear just as fast. Make sure that your cause marketing and employee engagement plans aren't just a passing fad.
If you can have employee engagement in the long term, it can be more effective and it also encourages a loyal and long standing workforce that have increased productivity and effectiveness. Employees that are with the company for long have tendencies to be better in their relationships with their co-employees, work better as a team member, and also with good tendencies to bring others into this engaging and committed effort also.
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:
According to a study from Rutgers University, 53 percent of workers and 72 percent of students say a job where they can make an impact is very important or essential to their happiness, with the students ranking it third in overall importance and only 1% behind marriage. Taleo Research shows that increasing the engagement level in a 10,000-person organization by 5% can boost profits by an estimated $40+ million.
The best way to create employee engagement through cause marketing is to involve employees from every level of the organization right from the beginning. Discuss the business strategy and outline a range of potential causes that fall in line with it, and then create a framework for making a decision that everyone can take part in and fully support.
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.
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 empowered employee will be an engaged employee. When someone gets excited about a cause, it's natural that they want to share it with others. Online social networks make that natural desire thousands of times more powerful than it was in the past. You can take advantage of that fact and engage your employees in the process by encouraging them to share information about your cause marketing activities with their Facebook friends or Twitter followers, and especially to tout their own part in it.
Lead by example by giving the cause marketing campaign heavy exposure on the corporate social channels, including offering specific employee recognitions that they'll be thrilled to share through their own networks.
While employee engagement can be improved quickly and can yield nearly immediate results, it can disappear just as fast. Make sure that your cause marketing and employee engagement plans aren't just a passing fad.
If you can have employee engagement in the long term, it can be more effective and it also encourages a loyal and long standing workforce that have increased productivity and effectiveness. Employees that are with the company for long have tendencies to be better in their relationships with their co-employees, work better as a team member, and also with good tendencies to bring others into this engaging and committed effort also.
About the Author:
Sebastian Troup likes blogging about philanthropic solutions for businesses and non profit organizations. To get more examples of corporate social responsibility, or to help help setting up a corporate charitable giving program, please check out the Truist website now.
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