Advertisement Ideas: Have A Heart!!!
As someone who has been involved in the non-profit and for profit sector for over 40 years I believe that I possess the ability to help many businesses to have a heart. Having a heart means being kind to everyone who comes into or calls your business for you never know how that person can be of service and value to your business. In all your advertising you should be showing people that you are a business with a heart by showing what organizations you are supporting as people like to do business with those that they perceive to be giving back to the community.
The majority of consumers want to know what you are doing to support causes. In educating them about the causes you support you build their trust and they feel like they know you. People like to business with people they know, like, and trust and one great way to get people to like you, know you, and trust you is to support the local causes in your community.
I have seen where having a heart increases business. I was The Sports Memorabilia Manager at Sinbad Sports in 2016 from May until October and I made it point to donate items to local charities when they asked. The owner had to be convinced that this was a good idea so I showed him the stats as I tracked where sales were coming from and I was able to show an increase in sales. In my final month at Sinbad Sports we did $12,000 in sales and I was responsible for $10,000 in sales as I was beginning to build a following simply from donating a few items to local charitable organizations. In using cause marketing in every position that I have held I have been able to show the community that the businesses I represent have a heart and thus the brand awareness improved and the revenue increased. The key is to have a heart and be willing to give as it opens the channels to receive.
Recently I approached Riddell Helmets about donating mini helmets to The 2018 American Cancer Society Relay For Life Of Sunrise. They said yes and set mini helmets from The Steelers, The Giants, The Patriots, The Jets, and The Dolphins. have been using them to raise funds for research, education, advocacy, and services to hep attack cancer from every angle. As a result when I am ready to purchase mini helmets I am going to go to a store that sells them or order them directly from Riddell. When asked what regular football helmets to buy by the football teams I announce for I will be saying Riddell. I use this as an example of what can happen when you have a heart.
After a little prodding Wilson Football showed they have a heart as they sent 3 Superbowl LII Footballs to use in the fundraising efforts for The 2018 American Cancer Society Relay For Life Of Sunrise. In doing so they have received some positive publicity as well as recommendations from leagues that I announce for to purchase their official game balls through Wilson Football. In having a heart Wilson increased its visibility and revenue as people have now heard the story of how they came through to help those touched by cancer and as a result have made purchases of football related items.
One of the best ways to show that your business has a heart is by partnering with a local organization and donating a percentage of sales back to the organization. This brings people to you that normally would not patronage your business and allows you the opportunity to cultivate new customers/clients. In having a heart and showing that you care you will grow your business and word gets around that your business has a heart. Remember there is no substitute for kindness.
The National Association of Basketball Coaches and WWE sent items to use in the fundraising efforts for The 2018 American Cancer Society Relay For Life Of Sunrise. As a result they have gained some positive publicity. In giving you open up many opportunities to put your company in a positive light and reach an audience that maybe you did not think about before. In being open to say yes and finding a way to be of service and value to the community you will see that your revenue builds and your brand is strengthened.
It is time for you as a business owner to stop making excuses and find ways to say yes. Think about it there is always something your business can do to help the community and as a result you will help your business. It is when you give that you receive a return ten fold.
The other night I stopped by my local Subway and mentioned Relay For Life and they asked what they could do and I told them we can always use food items. They said they would donate 100 cookies. Guess who will be getting more of my business.
It is now time for you to find ways to show that you have heart and to show the community that not only are you taking money from the community but you are putting money back into the community.
If you are a frequent reader of this blog you know how deep my passion runs for helping those touched by cancer through my involvement with Relay For Life. I do my best to share Relay with as many people as I can especially businesses that can use cause marketing as a strategy to acquire customers and retain customers. I have partnered with many business like The Tijuana Flats in Tamarac, FL, The Chuck E. Cheese’s in Sunrise, and Skyline Chili in Sunrise, FL to do fundraisers and I have been very successful in bringing people to these establishments who normally would not have gone. As a result several of those involved in Relay have become regular customers at these establishments. I have had mush success with those who understand the importance of cause marketing. The key is to partner with a cause that you are passionate about and then leverage your involvement by mentioning it in advertising, through your social media, and in your media releases. The idea is that you never know who may come into your business because of your support of a cause.
I went to a McDonald’s located Nob Hill Road and Sunset Strip yesterday (4/1/2017) to seek support of Relay For Life and the manager told me you have to call the owner but didn’t have the owner’s number. I thought here is someone who is supposed to be looking out for the best interest of The McDonald’s franchise and should be astute enough to understand the importance of cause marketing. The interesting part of the interaction was that I was going to place and order but because of the manager’s attitude and lack of information to give me to contact the owner I left and went to SUBWAY and bought my meal there as they have supported Relay For Life. Think about it and do the math I would have sent about $8- $10 at McDonald’s but because of the manager’s lack of understanding of the importance of cause marketing another business received my business. The reason I share this with you is to show you that you must empower your managers to make some decisions when it comes to cause marketing because you may be leaving money on the table because of their lack of understanding the importance of cause marketing. $8-10 may not seek like a lot of money to be walking out the door but think about it how many people will see this story and not go to that McDonald’s and do you think I will be going back to patronize that location?