8 Ways to “Sell” Your Cause

When you’re involved in a cause marketing campaign, it’s key to remember you’re still marketing. So the rules of marketing continue to apply, and detailed content is necessary to express the intentions and goals of the campaign. Are you raising funds based on product purchases? Encouraging volunteer involvement? Asking for votes on where to donate company funds?

This info needs to be expressed effectively. You need to sell the idea to your prospects just like anything else. We’ve outlined the top eight approaches you can take. You can use more than one tactic in a single cause campaign:

1. Tell a story. Storytelling is a terrific way to capture interest and drive a point home at the same time. Though it’s indirect, a story is a good way to engage your prospect with your message. Sometimes, telling a story makes the benefit more interesting.
2. Make an ethical argument. Your ideal prospect already mentally supports your cause, so making an ethical argument as to why he or she should do something about it can be very effective. Note that you have to be careful to base this on where your prospect is coming from and not on your own ethics.
3. Build excitement that translates to moral benefits. Detail the satisfaction your prospect will gain if he or she participates in a cause campaign, and you just might hit home.
4. Tug at the heartstrings of your prospect. If you share the most touching facts or stories about the suffering your cause campaign will alleviate, it can be as effective as grabbing your prospect by the shoulders and shaking him or her. In other words, it’s an invaluable attention-getter.
5. Strive for an emotional balance. Remember, even though you must be transparent about the details of your campaign, you still need to draw out your prospect’s emotions.
6. Make a direct request. Though simplistic, this is a tried-and-true method. Make your request upfront and clear. Put it in an obvious place. It’s never a good idea to try and fool your prospect into taking an action, so don’t ever beat around the bush about what you’d like him or her to do. Write with honesty.
7. Express a direct opinion. Cause marketing is not a forum for the wishy-washy. It’s where you stand up for something and shout loud enough for everybody to hear it. Some types of copy tread softly so as to not offend. In cause marketing, you play your trumpet loudly. Politely, but loudly.
8. Use truth and sincerity to your advantage. These are two of the most important elements in any copywriting endeavor, but in cause marketing — they are gold.

Is there a method that has worked best for your cause marketing campaign? We’d love to hear about it!