Cause-Related Marketing

Written by Steven Van Yoder


Altruism. Corporate responsibility. Philanthropy. These are often used to describe cause-related marketing, an activity in which businesses join with charities or causes to market an image, product, or service for mutual benefit. Embracing a cause makes good business sense. Nothing builds brand loyalty among today's increasingly hard-to-please consumers like a company‚s proven commitment to a worthy cause. Other things being equal, many consumers would rather do business with a company that stands for something beyond profits. Powerful marketing edge Cause-related marketing can become a cornerstone of your marketing plan. Your cause-related marketing activities should highlight your company's reputation within your target market. Cause-related marketing can positively differentiate your company from your competitors and provide an edge that delivers other tangible benefits, including: * Increased sales * Increased visibility * Increased customer loyalty * Enhanced company image * Positive media coverage By choosing a cause you are passionate about, cause-related marketing is emotionally fulfilling. It's a way to merge your profit center with your "passion center" and build a business that mirrors your personal values, beliefs and integrity. If your cause also resonates with your target market, your activities will generate tremendous goodwill and media attention can be its side effect. Real-World Success Story Cosmetic dentist Mark McMahon made himself a media mini-celebrity with a thriving practice due in part to his high-profile pro bono work in his community, a strategy that landed him radio and TV appearances in areas where he worked. McMahon established partnerships with local charities, including a homeless shelter and a shelter for battered women, and offered free dental services to their members. Before each event, he contacted local media and let them know what he was up to. Several TV crews showed up, filmed him treating patients, and later airedrepparttar segments onrepparttar 120777 evening news. "These events were surprisingly easy to arrange, and every year, they'd help us get press simply by doing these charitable promotions," McMahon says. "Local television news stations lovedrepparttar 120778 emotional element. And it was obviously rewarding to see patients after we'd treated them who'd been in pain for months talking about how glad they were to be relieved of their toothaches." Another project involvedrepparttar 120779 Delancey Street Foundation, a residential education center for former substance abusers and ex-convicts. "I agreed to treat some of their members' acute dental needs," McMahon says. "I quickly appreciatedrepparttar 120780 media appeal of transformingrepparttar 120781 appearance of these rough-looking guys with terrible smiles." McMahon capturedrepparttar 120782 event with before and after photos. "These guys had missing teeth and terrible smiles," he says. "So I had a professional photographer capture before pictures of these guys in street clothes with their snarling faces. After I fixed their teeth, we took more pictures, but this time dressedrepparttar 120783 guys in suits and ties, now looking like lawyers and accountants, with me sitting right inrepparttar 120784 middle. The media loved it, and it was great seeing these men looking like new." McMahon's TV appearances created name recognition. "After I didrepparttar 120785 story on a local television show, I was recognized in my gym by a masseuse who had seenrepparttar 120786 show," McMahon recalls. "She said, 'I was thinking about you this morning while I was flossing my teeth.' She became a great source of referrals." (Excerpted fromrepparttar 120787 book Get Slightly Famous: Become a Celebrity in Your Field and Attract More Business with Less Effort, by Steven Van Yoder)

The Worst Marketing Strategy You Can Use

Written by Charles Davidson


PUBLISHERS: You may use this article in your online ezine or on your web site provided you do not changerepparttar article. You must also includerepparttar 120776 resource box atrepparttar 120777 end ofrepparttar 120778 article.

Any links that appear inrepparttar 120779 body ofrepparttar 120780 article or inrepparttar 120781 resource box must be hyperlinks and should be made active if they are to appear on a web site or in any archive available fromrepparttar 120782 Internet.

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mailto:davidson@rapidbizsuccess.com

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THE VICTORY LAP by Charles Davidson

Today's Track: The Worst Marketing Strategy You Can Use

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Hi there! Welcome to another issue of The Victory Lap. Here atrepparttar 120786 Victory Lap, you'll learn how to kick your business into overdrive.

There's no hype or fluff here. Just down and dirty, white knuckle advice to steer you towardrepparttar 120787 fast track. No advertising. No gimmicks. No shameless promotions. Justrepparttar 120788 stuff you really need. Plus a kick inrepparttar 120789 seat to get you to shift into high gear.

Sit down . . . buckle up . . . here we go . . .

HEY, SMALL BUSINESS OWNER, TAKE A LOOK AT THIS!

"Submit your website to 104,287 search engines and websites. Before you know it, your website will be seen by everyone on Planet Earth and you'll have more money in your pockets than you know what to do with. Isn't that worthrepparttar 120790 small one-time fee of $34.95?"

OK. Maybe I made that quote up.

Sounds tempting, though, doesn't it?

It's so easy and effortless. You know how hard it is to list your website with search engines. It takes time and lots of typing.

If you could only type all of that information once and then send it to all of those websites withrepparttar 120791 click of a button. Isn't that what your computer is supposed to do, anyway? Make things easier for you?

The scenario is probably familiar to you. You've stumbled on a web page that promises thousands of search engines submissions with relatively little effort. All you have to do is buy their software or subscribe to their service.

All your marketing problems will be solved before you can say, "Your credit card has been charged."

There is only one minor drawback. It doesn't work.

I know. They make it sound so convincing. They make it sound so easy. They make it sound so effective.

Welcome torepparttar 120792 world of marketing hype.

Let's take a look at what happens behindrepparttar 120793 scenes . . .

FEELING A LITTLE OVERWHELMED?

First of all, these marketing systems want you to believe that there are thousands or hundreds of thousands of search engines onrepparttar 120794 web that you can submit your website to.

Let's assume you're brand-new torepparttar 120795 world of Internet marketing. If you heard about a service that offered to submit your website to 104,287 search engines, you would probably be thinking . . .

"Wow, that's a lot of search engines I have to visit and enter my website information into!"

and probably also . . .

"I've gotta get me some help."

These marketers want you to think thatrepparttar 120796 job of posting your information to search engines is overwhelming. Otherwise there would be no market for their useless products.

But come back torepparttar 120797 real world for a moment and think about ir for a second.

HOW DO YOU SEARCH FOR INFORMATION?

When you want to find something onrepparttar 120798 Internet, where isrepparttar 120799 first place you go?

Do you automatically surf over to "Bob's Quaint Little Seach Engine" at http://www.bobsplace.com/~search/ffasubmit.html

Cont'd on page 2 ==>
 
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