What is causes related marketing?

Cause related marketing (CRM) is a situation when business data meets both the economic goals of an enterprise and responds to certain social problems, trying to communicate and solve them. This is the simplest manifestation of a wider phenomenon called “corporate social responsibility”. Cause related marketing is usually associated strictly with the sales process or, as the name implies, marketing. On the other hand, corporate social responsibility can be present in every aspect of a company’s activity and does not have to be widely communicated. The difference is best illustrated with examples.

Cause related marketing:
– for every $ 20 spent in our store, we donate $ 1 to Foundation X.

Corporate Social Responsibility:
– our company employs 400 drivers. We make sure that they undergo health tests every year and organize cyclical training courses to improve driving techniques.
– our company creates jam. We acquire fruit and vegetables only from local suppliers and support the domestic economy.
– we are a clothes distributor. We acquire our products only to ethical enterprises that respect employee and human rights.

The difference is therefore in the direct connection to the sales process. On the other hand, both things – undertaken by the company responsibly and sensibly – simply pay off. In marketing it’s quite simple – it’s nice to buy something and help. In the second case, e.g. thanks to driver training, the company can “save” on traffic accidents, as well as avert potential image crises associated with such accidents or operational liquidity.

The difference is also in the time horizon of the projects concerned. Cause related marketing can usually be started overnight and turned off just as quickly. Corporate social responsibility is already a long-term process that requires capital and human investment and good planning. Therefore, many companies end up with socially engaged marketing – it is simpler, and at the same time effective because its impact on sales results can be seen immediately.

Advantages of cause related marketing

The benefits of cause related marketing can be divided into three parts. The company benefits, but also the recipient of the product or service, as well as the entity we help – it can be said that all sides of this system benefit.

Benefits for the company:
– a positive image due to association with a third sector organization,
– stimulation of involvement among the company’s community and employees,
– increased consumer loyalty,
– lower level of complaints and returns,
– increase in sales.

Benefits for the consumer:
– help thanks to the purchase slightly “absolves” consumerism itself,
– greater satisfaction with purchases,
– relatively higher satisfaction with the products and services provided.

Cause related marketing – example

Toms – is an American footwear brand, which already at the business design stage assumed that each pair of shoes purchased by the customer results in the transfer of a second pair to countries and communities where it is particularly needed (regions of Africa and Asia, but also South America). A cool idea, which also shows how something apparently obvious to us, is still a scarce commodity in other regions of the world. They are usually not cheap shoes, which did not prevent the brand from achieving success in the highly competitive American market, which was simply mature in the context of the footwear industry. People love TOMS and more often attribute positive qualities to them, such as comfort or durability.

Why is it worth?

It is worth noting that cause related marketing is mainly used by large brands or … startups. As you can easily guess, the motivations for making such a decision vary depending on the size of a given business entity.

Thus, large companies and brands strengthen their brands and customer loyalty. In addition, consumer expectations related to the positive impact of large companies on local communities and the environment in general are growing. We expect more and more often that the company will compensate for its environmental impact, and even that it will provide us with information on this matter. This is a very good trend, because it turns out that it pays off in the long run both to our environment and to the company that made such an effort. Unfortunately, it is difficult to talk about some mass reorientation of thinking here. Large corporations are powerful and uncontrolled ships. They arouse admiration, but before they change course, a lot of time must pass.

The situation is different when the startup immediately decides to get social problems involved in acquiring clients. This is usually because of personal motives and motivations to somehow differentiate their actions from those powerful corporations that feed on consumerism like leeches. Startup is more and more often not only a product or service, but also a rebellion against the current state of affairs.

Credibility cause related marketing

On the internet, of course, whenever someone is in favor, someone who is opposed will also be found. Therefore, even related related marketing has its enthusiasts as well as oppositionists.

From the latter group, there are most often accusations of lack of “pure intentions” for help or cynical use of someone’s misfortune to fuel sales. Of course you can approach it this way. However, it is worth paying attention to the obvious fact that in such a world everyone would lose. Were it not for the company and a given form of assistance, as a consumer we would never have heard about a given problem and the given action would not have seen additional funds. So if you still want to make a purchase – why not do it with someone who offers sales and additionally helps someone?

Marketing persona – what is it all about?

People talk a lot about marketing, but not everyone knows what they are. A marketing person can be defined in various ways. Simply put, this is the type / profile of the client that represents the greater part of a particular group. Persona has its own individual characteristics, behaviors, values – these are the guiding principles when choosing a product or service. The so-called. buyer persons (or marketing persons) are fictional characters but have the characteristics of real customers. Their task is to facilitate the work of marketing, communication and sales departments. Thanks to them it is possible to design a communication path for a particular group of recipients.

To speak more scientifically, “Persons are fictional characters based on customer data that represent different segments of target audiences.” However, the simplest definition of marketing person is the ideal client of a given brand / product / service.

Perfect customer – how to find him?

Creating a marketing person requires a lot of time and attention. I recommend focusing on even the smallest details, because they can later be of great importance in communication. Person can be determined based on your own imagination – this is a solution for young brands, but it is also much better to reach for analytical data on already acquired customers. When looking for the perfect customer, you need to combine both demographic and psychographic data. Remember that persona is not only a description of the ideal customer’s personality, but also a set of all factors that may affect the purchasing process. What should a good description of marketing personnel contain?

– Demographics. They answer the question of who the ideal customer is. This part of the description includes information such as age, gender, place of residence, education, role in the family.

– The financial data”. They answer the question how much an ideal customer earns. This part of the description analyzes information such as the type of work performed, position held, scope of duties, industry, size of the company, amount of earnings (in the range), how much it spends, how it pays, where it buys, what savings it has.

– Data on rituals and behaviors. They answer the question of what a typical ideal customer’s day looks like. For each brand, different rituals and behaviors will be important, but it’s worth gathering them as much as possible. In this part you can, for example, describe how persona moves to work, what she does in her free time, where she goes on vacation, what she reads, what she eats for breakfast, what time she gets up, where she goes shopping, what her interests are, or browses the Internet on a computer or mobile, at what times it is active on the network, etc. This subitem of description is one of the most important, because it allows you to immediately determine what points of contact with the brand can be and when they can occur, e.g. during a tram ride on universities.

– Data on needs. They answer the question, what is the ideal customer’s problem and how can you help him develop it? Problems may loosely relate to the services sold or be closely related to them. For example, a young mother may have a problem with lack of time for herself – the solution: she needs your time planner or e-book to organize yourself at home.

– Value data. They answer the question, what are the most important values, ambitions and goals of an ideal customer. This information is needed to determine the incentive that a marketing person will be given to make them want to buy.

– Data on concerns. They answer the question what an ideal customer is most afraid of. This type of information can also motivate the customer to act. The biggest fears are a good way to encourage action – e.g. you don’t want to have a stomach band, reach for an e-book with exercises or healthy recipes.

– Data on shopping behavior. They answer the question of how a perfect customer buys. This part of the description should contain information whether the client is susceptible to expert words, whether he pays attention to promotions, whether he values ​​the recommendations of friends / family / influencers, whether he checks price comparisons, whether he focuses on quantity or quality.

Based on all this information, a description is created of the marketing person to whom the name is given and the photo is added. This allows you to better image the perfect customer. Good advice: it is best to add the photo at the very end (so as not to succumb to stereotypes based on the appearance), and also put on the most natural image possible.

When creating a marketing persona, it’s always worth reaching for professional tools. Thanks to them, it will be easier to obtain quantitative data and will not be a divination from coffee grounds. It is good to combine data with observations, as well as customer interviews (if any).

Client or clients – how many marketing persons should a brand have?

Hardly any company has only one marketing person. Typically, brands make up to 3 to 5 people. This is considered a minimum. However, you must remember not to force a dozen or so perfect clients. Creating a person is not about describing every possible customer on the market, but the one who can actually be the perfect brand. Another thing to remember is that each persona created should represent a different audience segment. Perfect customers cannot be almost identical and differ from each other only, e.g. by age.

It should also be mentioned here that marketing persona is not only a B2C business tool. Companies operating in the B2B sector should also take care of their creation.

Why is it worth to meet an ideal customer?

Marketing persona is primarily to improve the activities of marketing and sales departments. Creating them makes communication more effective, and so-called budget burnout smaller. Other benefits of meeting an ideal customer include:

– Defining the target group of the project, e.g. introducing new phone models to the store,
– Understanding the needs of customers, their goals and motivation, which allows, among others determine whether the introduction of a new service / product makes sense,
– Adjusting brand communication (of all teams and departments) to the language spoken by the customer, which will eliminate errors and allow you to reach him and sell the product faster,
– Identifying the “places” where customers are most often and conducting the most intensive marketing activities there.

The role of marketing persona in the purchasing process

Marketing persona can play many roles in the purchasing process. Moreover, it will not always be involved in the transaction. It is therefore important to know the role of the person. They are divided according to the tasks they play.

The first role a persona can play is the buyer. He purchases the product. Persona can also be an initiator, i.e. subject to the idea of buying a service or product. The next roles are advisory, user, decision maker. Understanding these roles allows you to assign them to specific people. It should be noted that decision-makers are not always reached. Many brands in their person grid will have primarily advisors and initiators, this is not a bad thing, but you need to adapt the content to their needs and decision-making possibilities.

Is marketing persona needed in SEO?

Marketing persona are usually used by marketing and communication departments. Persons are also important for the sales department. However, little is said about the importance of marketing persona in the context of SEO. However, they are inseparably connected. The created personas facilitate the optimization of the website and its positioning in the search engine. A brand that has created people knows what products they are looking for, their priorities and how it works on the web. Thanks to this SEO activities are more targeted. They allow, for example, to choose a set of keywords for a given person and carry it through the entire purchasing process.

Marketing persona also help in working on Customer Journey Map. CJM is a customer journey map from the first contact with the brand / product to purchase. Knowing your persona, you can significantly reduce the route of travel, prevent chaos, maximize positive experiences. Thanks to this, the company does not burn the budget and runs tailored SEO campaigns.

Let us also remember that marketing persona are increasingly important for the website’s UX and its readability and functionality. As every SEO knows well, this translates into search engine results. Many companies decide to create websites, or landing page dedicated to specific people. Their appearance is tailored to the needs, preferences and expectations of the perfect customer.

Marketing persona are one of the most important elements of each brand’s advertising and content strategy. They can also help in SEO. Thanks to her, one knows how, to whom and what to talk about. The process of creating persona is not a day or two. You have to get to know your perfect customer. Determining your age, gender and place of residence will not make him your friend. And he should be. The better and more accurately you meet the marketing person, the more useful it will be in building communication, marketing and SEO strategies.

Target group in SEO according to GSC

If you look at GSC (Google Search Console) then you won’t find information about target groups there, which you can specify by e.g. age but you can read a lot from the keywords that appear there: – price cuts – this is already a clue that you can use to expand the site with additional subpages or content. The target group determined by the prism of price shapes your pricing policy and also indicates whether a given group of words will benefit you or not (because you may not sell this assortment up to $ 20 but you will still start). At the same time, on this basis, you can specify the target group in terms of income (or at least try).
– questions – they prove the nature of the information sought and constitute the basis for building answers. For example, if someone types in “how to examine the competition’s keywords,” we can assume that it is either a seo or the owner of a new business. So why not answer this question with a solution scheme and an additional incentive to buy my service?
– “how to teach a dog to bark” – here you can also do a lot in terms of building content and handling specific target groups
– it may happen, however, that the target group is not the same as the typed phrase – for example, “online printing house”. If the customer is indeed a printing house but only supports the B2B market, then it is worth clearly saying to such a customer that yes, he has a lot of traffic, but there are no customers there, because this is the B2C market and in organic results this group of customers is the overwhelming majority. That is why it is worth considering whether we really want to push ourselves – our customer.
– devices – in GSC we have the ability to verify group traffic according to the type of device used. Thanks to this, we know whether the target group are passionate computer players or mobile people (e.g. tourists).

1. A negative approach to marketing in social media itself

If you think social media is not suitable for your industry and its associated demographics, then you are probably wrong. Many people still think that social media is only interested in teenagers and technology fans. However, this situation has changed a long time ago. For example, one study found that the fastest-growing Twitter age group is between 55 and 64 years old. In turn, the fastest-growing demographic group on Facebook is in the range of 45-54 years. Social media has penetrated all layers of our society. That’s why you can use them to reach virtually any target groups that are relevant to you.

2. Lack of goals and target group arrangements

Knowing who your audience is can be the biggest challenge you face. When creating a campaign, it is important that you identify your target group and tailor your activities to it:
– Who did I create this product for / I offer the service?
– Do I try to reach adults, adolescents, men or women?

All these questions are important from the point of view of identifying the target group, so you can set your initial campaign goals. Once you have defined your group, you should determine how to measure the success of the campaign. To do this, set parameters and define your goals and KPIs:
– How many customers do you want to reach and with what commitment?
– Is your attention just focused on increasing brand awareness or do you want to direct traffic to the company website?

The more you specify your goals, the better!

3. Lack of measurement of results

Social media marketing is a powerful way to promote your brand. In addition, you can track all your activities and progress in real time. This allows you to make strategic changes to your campaign over time. You can stop inefficient advertising to save your budget until it is re-optimized. Expecting amazing results from the first post or campaign is a bit too optimistic. To succeed, you’ll always need a series of patches and tests to get the results you want.

4. Vague and overly general actions

Should you be on all social platforms? Probably not.
If you want to conquer all platforms, it will be rather difficult for you to create unique and high-quality content on each of them. The mere handling of profiles and interaction with the target group also takes time. You also need to choose your marketing channel accordingly. If you operate on one platform, but your target group is on another, you won’t do much. You can choose to choose only one or combine several. Remember not to overdo it and consistently generate good content for selected platforms.

5. Avoiding, deleting and counterattacking negative comments

Negative comments give you the chance to improve the quality of services and build trust in your brand’s community. When a customer is dissatisfied with the service and makes a sharp negative comment, many brands decide to ignore it, and some even try to remove it or respond with even harsher statements. Look at it from a different perspective.

This situation is an opportunity to turn a complaining customer into a satisfied customer – one who will remember your culture and patience.
Therefore, take negative comments seriously and try to solve the problem the client is facing. Reply directly to the comment, and then move the matter to a private channel.

6. Too many self-promotion

– Buy it.
– Download it.
– We were here.
– Wait for our latest offer.

Imagine you are following a brand that publishes only this type of content. Each individual post is self-promotional – it adds no value to you. Nothing fun, nothing motivating, no interaction with customers.

Would you be honestly interested in such a brand?

Social media is a fantastic place to build and develop your community. This is where you can get feedback and establish long-term customer relationships. Therefore, follow the 20/80 rule, where 20% of your posts are self-promotion, and the remaining 80% is a specific added value for your recipients. This balance will help you subtly promote yourself while not overwhelming with your messages.

7. Not using different content formats

Is your fanpage not like a boring history book?
Large blocks of text without graphics make the content monotonous. The text itself is not engaging enough. If you want to effectively attract attention, in addition to text, place photos, infographics and videos. Facebook users watch over 100 million hours of movies a day. Individual content formats also have different results in terms of engagement. In a survey prepared by Paraphrase-Online, marketers determined which forms of content brought the best results:

– 40% – original graphics (e.g. infographics).
– 23% – movies and presentations.
– 20% – charts and data visualizations.
– 12% – stock photos.
– 5% – gifs and memes.

People love graphic content because they are easier to learn than just reading text. Therefore, try to combine it with photos and videos.

Summary

Promoting your company on social media is an activity that will definitely bring benefits. Therefore, avoid the mistakes listed here, and you’ll see the results you want much faster.

New customer profile – senior online

To start with, let’s specify who we call senior or elderly. In research, this nomenclature already affects people over 55, and therefore often professionally and socially active people. And the difference between the consumer needs of a 60-year-old and a 70-year-old is huge.

Let us assume, then, that we will refer to senior or online as people who have not grown up surrounded by modern technology, but adapt to it to a greater or lesser extent. Due to the manner and frequency of Internet use, we can divide this group into the following consumer profiles:

– Beginners – their knowledge of the network and technology is small, in this topic they rely primarily on the knowledge of loved ones. They often use only one thing, e.g. mail;
– Advanced – they work with the computer on a daily basis, understand the principles of the Internet and computer programs, and are able to use it no less advanced than the younger generation;
– Enthusiasts – they discovered the internet at a late age, it became their passion, that’s why they use new technologies, invest in them, for example: replace the old phone with a smartphone, understand the operation of applications and games.

What technologies does e-senior use?

Seniors are not strangers to using a smartphone or a computer, and in case of problems they use the help of younger family members or IT courses. E-seniors are also eager to use tablets and e-book readers. Thanks to the data, we know that 18.5% of people in the age group up to 75 are actively using the internet. People over 50 can spend up to 4 hours a day on it. So what do they most often use the network for?

What does a senior do online?

In studies carried out at the request of Paraphrase-Online.com, 94% of respondents declare that they actively use online banking, and 68% of them do it at least once a week. Thanks to the online service of a bank account plus the increasing knowledge of the network, new opportunities have opened up for seniors in the form of online shopping.

The most frequently purchased products include clothing, cosmetics, perfumes and books. Often these are gifts for friends and family members. Household and RTV purchases are also becoming more and more popular. Thanks to research carried out by Paraphrase-Online.com, we also learn that 62% of seniors spend time searching for information about brands, and 65% before buying, compare products, looking for a convenient offer for themselves. Senior online is no different from a young internet user.

Mobile activity is not worse. It turns out that the smartphone often replaces your favorite newspaper or TV show. According to a survey conducted by Paraphrase-Online.com, 60% of users use it every day, and not just for sending sms or phone calls. E-senior willingly takes pictures, and then shares them on social networks, gives on forums, comments. Research has shown that 39% of users aged 55-64 have an account in social media. On portals for seniors you will also find a series of guides on how to use e.g. Snapchat or Instagram.

Adaptation of UX solutions to the needs of E-seniors

It is worth noting that the mechanisms, which are intuitive for the young generation, will most likely be incomprehensible to the senior. Should they be changed completely? As long as e-senior is not our main recipient, the exchange of solutions can be replaced by instructions or a guide. In the opposite situation, it is worth investing in designing the interface or customer path tailored to the needs of the older user. What should be considered?

– Security – one of the most important values for the elderly in the network. Very often he becomes a victim of fraud, cheating or cyberbullying. It is worth stressing the recommendations and certificates, as well as providing access to the hotline or other contact with a person who will assure the senior about the company’s credibility;
– Clear interface – should be easy to use and have specific descriptions and commands;
– Product or service description – must be very accurate. Seniors are a generation that values ‘live’ shopping very much because of their physical sensations – nothing else will provide them with the benefits of a product like seeing it or trying it out. That is why it is worth investing, e.g. in 3D or 360 preview;
– Comments and opinions – seniors do not differ from other clients in this field. They want reviews that will verify product information, so you should increase their visibility on the page.

Customer profile and future of the market

Thanks to statistics and research, we know that the growing number of seniors can significantly affect the consumer market. Longer professional activity and higher earnings are just some of the factors that allow you to look at this group with more interest. Increasing technological awareness gives a lot of new marketing opportunities targeted specifically at e-seniors. Therefore, it is worth paying attention to his needs when creating and improving contact points with the company, especially in the face of data that shows that in a dozen or so years he will be the main recipient of the market.

First a good word

First of all, it is worth realizing that March was dramatic only for a few industries, such as catering and hotel industry. Services also started to slow down considerably, but the first two weeks of the month allowed a slight amortization of the financial result for the whole month. However, there were a lot of industries in our online garden, which even soared up and pulled the overall picture hard enough to relatively even the results of all campaigns.

An online business, before it decides to limit or suspend expenses as a result of emotions, should first consider whether it makes sense. In many cases, irrational decisions can result in the forfeiture of earning opportunities. In other cases, there may be opportunities for savings. All this requires deep analysis and embedding it in the entire economic context. Before you make a decision, think over the topic twice and consult the topic with your agency or freelancer.

Offline to Online – who can’t

Undoubtedly, each business should be treated individually. For all companies that cannot move from the Internet for various reasons, we recommend that they create various bricks, vouchers and coupons that can be redeemed at a later time. For now, it is difficult to predict how the situation will unfold, but it is reasonable to assume that in the coming months, there will be less money on the market, and the will to spend them may be less. Therefore, if you are a hairdresser, photographer, selling accommodation or undertaking other activities that need to be postponed, then today start the form of sales “for later”. The later you do this, the less customers will be able to spend money.

In addition, if your business is standing, you can successfully use this time to strengthen your competences in the area of e.g. online advertising. Once the battle dust settles – and it settles down – then the competition will be really fierce. Therefore, it is worth taking care of the tools and additional competences that will pay off later.

Transformation from offline to online – who can

Fortunately, there are plenty of businesses on the market that can at least partially transfer to online. Here are some real-life examples:

A small store in the construction category/house and garden.
This industry is currently doing very well on the internet. If you don’t have an online store, you can try your hand at online auctions with virtually no startup costs. Of course, the competition is powerful there, but you can also use the advertising system. These are internal ads that you only pay for when you switch to your offer. It’s very fair and will allow you to download (with proper design), caloric movement. Of course, online auctions will also charge a commission and you should calculate your sales well, especially taking into account the services that users like. People, taking advantage of the “opportunity” went to small or large renovations in their homes. Thanks to the favorable weather, they also decided to refresh their gardens. Everything – from flower pots to tulip bulbs, is currently selling perfectly.

A small shop from the industry category
There are plenty of stationary and at the same time small industrial chemistry stores as well as individual pieces of given products from heavier categories. Such stores should use their supplier base as soon as possible and lead their activities to the Internet. At Paraphrase-Online.com, we’ve seen a huge increase in product searches and purchases such as glove dispensers, but also power generators and portable freezers. Sale of even several dozen such products will allow you to survive the most difficult time of such small stores.

Gastronomy
Do you currently run a restaurant without customers? Already a lot of such businesses have quickly dealt with this by turning waiters into … drivers. If you do not want to use ready-made applications, you might as well create a simple promotion and post sponsored on Facebook, which informs you about the offer and encourages you to order take-out food. Believe me – if customers like your kitchen, they will successfully use your offer with delivery.

Courses
Like mushrooms after rain, companies that have so far trained only offline have grown up on the Internet. Many freelancers or service providers have joined this trend – even as hairdressers or make-up artists. They can all transfer their knowledge online. The success of this sector is also reflected by the fact that everyone sitting at home is looking for new ideas not only how to survive a difficult time, but also to get out of the intensified situation. It is therefore a great moment to raise your competences, the more that online courses are usually cheaper and often available in the on demand formula, which is when we want to. The same applies to language schools.

From online to … online

It is not, however, that only offline businesses got a slap. There are online stores which, due to their product range, have also seen large declines. In this case, it is worth considering introducing new products that are just selling well and will be somehow related to our business.

Not everyone is eager to see this because of the laboriously built brand. After all, we are building a brand based on given products. Everything depends on how severe the situation is for a given business. Brand is important, but if you are wondering whether your business will survive at all, it may be time for – at least temporarily – the evolution of the product range.

You can find the full article on the topic here.

From detail to general

Above were the specifics. If, after reading the above, you still don’t know what to do next, general tips on how to respond to changes may help you. Remember that they should be treated randomly and only part of them may be justified in your situation.

A. Move from offline to online in various ways – choose the best promotion channel for you and do anything – training in your field, voucher, delivery on the phone or quickly set up an online store.
B. Analyze data – check what sells, capture trends, learn to sew masks if you have no other choice.
C. Copy other solutions that work. Instead of finding innovative and incredibly creative processes, you can use what already works. In the short term, it’s simply worth it.
D. Try to transfer your employees to online.
E. If they are at home anyway and work efficiency decreases, it is worth creating even a mini incentive program in promoting your company or selling products. They can just as well take care of your company’s image. If your employees are at home and cannot do much for the company and its clients, then you can involve them in creating content. They can create content for your blog or website, they can expand existing things, they can respond to opinions about the company in various channels, and they can also temporarily take over your various marketing channels like Facebook, so that your profiles remain active. Here a lot depends on creativity.

We hope that every business will survive this storm and return to the strengthened market. Good luck!