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Why Cause Marketing Matters for B2B Companies

Why Cause Marketing Matters for B2B Companies

It’s the time of year where feel-good marketing abounds — a powerful reminder that building a company that finds a purpose beyond the 9-to-5 is a win-win-win.

Whatever the season, cause marketing is as important as anything else in your marketing strategy. Not only is it a mutually beneficial way for companies to align with causes they support, but customers also take note:

  • Seventy-eight percent of Americans believe that companies have a larger responsibility than just making money; they also need to positively impact society.
  • Seventy-seven percent of Americans say that they feel a stronger connection with companies driven by a purpose.

If your company has yet to align to a cause, here’s your guide to finding a fit — and the value in doing so.

Cause Marketing in the B2B World

B2C cause marketing campaigns — like Coca-Cola’s highly successful polar bear work with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty — are easily identifiable. But there are plenty of brands doing it well in the B2B space too. Here are a few worth noting.

IBM

The tech behemoth has long supported women in technology and computer science with their P-TECH and Girls Who Code programs. In 2017, their “COD3Rs” series, which spotlighted women in their programs, garnered millions of views and helped expand programs to more than 80 schools.

Salesforce

The software company has positioned itself as a must-have for massive corporations and nonprofits alike. By providing technology at a discounted rate to thousands of nonprofits, investing and giving grants of more than $230 million, and supplying more than 3 million volunteer hours, Salesforce is showing consumers that it practices what it preaches.

Dunder Mifflin

Kidding aside, we’d be lying to say Michael Scott’s Dunder Mifflin Scranton Meredith Palmer Memorial Celebrity Rabies Awareness Pro-Am Fun Run Race for the Cure didn’t make us want to buy paper and learn more about rabies awareness.

How to Build an Effective Cause Marketing Program

Be Authentic.

Be sure to choose a cause that matters to your brand and your team. Ask:

  1. Does this make sense? Is this a cause that aligns with our mission, core values, and team members?
  2. How can we support this cause in the long term?
  3. How will we get our team members passionate and engaged? (The 2018 Benevity Engagement Study showed that employees who donated both money and time to their employer’s cause had a 12% turnover rate, as opposed to a more-than-doubled rate of 28% for those who didn’t.)

Go Above and Beyond.

After you choose a cause that is significant and relevant to your brand and community, remember:

  1. Maintain the same standards of quality that you would for any other project. Cause marketing content has the potential to surpass your typical audience and customer base, so skimping would be a big miss.
  2. Lead by example with involvement outside and inside the office. Tap into your community to help make change happen.

Make It Measurable.

Data, strategy, and KPIs matter, and they’re the only way to truly make a difference. To make sure your cause marketing is successful:

  1. Take time to discuss and create concrete goals and objectives with the group behind your cause. How will you consolidate resources to meet them?
  2. Use tools that will help you measure how your cause marketing efforts are doing. From UTM codes to tracking software, there are plenty of ways to make sure you’re reaching your goals.

Cause marketing is an essential part of your strategy, so like anything else, you need to approach it in an authentic, measurable, and high-quality way. Now get giving!

Feeling inspired? Support your local community by getting involved with United Way, D Custom’s cause of choice.