In my last article, I covered some of the benefits of cause marketing. Here are a few more ways you can take advantage of doing good while growing your company.
How to spread the word
On the local level, the best way to help get your company exposure is through free publicity that comes from cause marketing. It doesn’t cost you a dime, and you are giving back to your community. But your eager participation in a cause like Cleaning For A Reason won’t translate into publicity unless you actually tell people about it!
You’ll be the best kept secret in town if no one knows that you’re providing this free service. So start to spread the word that you’re giving free house cleanings to women who are battling cancer. It’s a feel good story that people will love to pass along to their friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers.
Social media is a great place to start. Post on your local Facebook groups, LinkedIn, Nextdoor, Twitter, wherever you feel comfortable. Post a picture of your staff and announce that you are giving back to the community (bonus tip: take the photo in front of your sign or branded cars).
Not sure where to start? Why not try Cleaning For A Reason, a nonprofit that provides free house cleanings for women who are battling cancer (full disclosure: I’m the founder of this organization).
Create an email campaign to notify your customers and prospects to announce that you’re offering free house cleaning services to women with cancer. This creates front-of-mind awareness. Ask people to share this email with their friends and colleagues. You’re offering an incredible service, completely free, with no strings attached. People will be happy to pass that information along to anyone they know who might benefit.
But don’t just tell people once. This is key. You’ve got to remind people that you’re giving this free service.
Create a letter or flyer to drop off in every home that your team cleans and have your staff ask their clients to spread the word to friends and neighbors who might need help. This will turn your customers into referral partners. In relation to the free cleaning you’re giving to the community, people will see your company name and hear about your good work.
Often there are local business groups you can join online that have rules around self-promotion. Generally, you can promote Cleaning For A Reason on those groups because it’s a free service that helps the community. Many of these local groups have thousands of members in them, all talking about local things. They’ll appreciate knowing how you are giving back.
Don’t make the mistake of posting once and then never posting again. Get on a schedule to post maybe once a week or every couple of weeks. When you repost, don’t just say the same thing over and over— mix it up and provide a story or a detail about someone you helped. This is organic exposure that drives awareness for your cleaning company and will create unprecedented brand alignment with giving.
Be consistent and you’ll create the buzz and exposure you are looking for.
What about approaching your local newspaper, tv, or radio station? Reach out to them and let them know what your company is doing for the community. This is especially effective if you’re already buying advertising in those media outlets. One of your pitches is that you’re trying to get the word out about the program because you haven’t had many patients to serve since they don’t know about the program. So pick up the phone, make the effort. Send follow up emails. Keep trying. Don’t give up if you don’t hear back from them. This will be easier in October when media outlets are looking for pink, cancer-themed stories. Being able to tell a unique story about your community is incredibly newsworthy to them, instead of running yet another piece about a Race For The Cure.
Let me recap some of the benefits of cause marketing:
- It gets the word out about your company.
- It creates unprecedented exposure for your business.
- The credibility factor for your company goes sky high when you’re on TV – you’re looked at as an expert.
You can leverage any media coverage by posting it on your Facebook page and in emails. Use it a couple times a year; you don’t need to be freshly interviewed each time you post it. Remind people that you’re still here, still available, still helping your community. Give people a reason to talk about you and share what you do and how you do it.
Align your brand with giving. It resonates emotionally with your customers. When you don’t let them know that you do this, you miss an opportunity to touch their heart and let them know how special your company is. The best thing that you can do for your brand is to create this kind of positive awareness.
Are you already in the Cleaning For A Reason program or some other local giveback program? Please leave a comment below— I would love to know what you are doing!
This is just a sample of the kind of help I can offer in my Cleaning Business Fundamentals course.
