When it comes to good cause marketing, size isn’t everything!
Marketing, particularly cause marketing continues to become more and more complex.The tools, the systems, and tactics used by marketers not only are complex, but are continually changing with market trends, consumer habits, and new technologies.
This can make it exceedingly difficult for smaller organizations, not-for-profits, associations, and community groups to keep on top of it all. As they hit their productivity and knowledge limits, their effectiveness declines.
Honestly, I don’t think that’s fair. There needed to be a better approach.
Early in my career I was training activists by the thousands on how to implement tactics and strategies to grow their movements and generate popular support. When I left politics and joined MPH Agency I continually thought about how to implement this in the private sector. How can smaller budgets, and smaller staffed organizations develop real strategies to move their cause forward?
Certainly large organizations have no problem building cause marketing specialists in the public affairs departments, contracting teams of mobilizers and strategists, and bringing in some of the best campaign consultants out there. (MPH Agency is proud to partner with a number of these specialists on execution, and delivering effective marketing products) But what about the little guy?
Well, it took over 6 years of thought, and then a global pandemic to give me the time to formalize the concept. Late in 2020 my days became consumed with true white board sessions, putting all our problems on the board, all the tools and examples we could think of, and then long discussions with the MPH team, colleagues, friends, experts, and anyone else who I could bend the ear of to perfect it, hone it down to exactly what it needs to be.
The end result was STAMPS by MPH Agency, a fully self contained cause marketing strategy playbook - specially designed for your organization.
STAMPS by MPH Agency includes a number of elements, it is built by our team of experts by exploring your entire market space, your cause goals, your marketing capacity and experience, and adding the best tactics and step-by-step actions necessary to reach your objectives.
There are any number of scenarios having a STAMPS Strategy will be valuable, here are just some key elements:
- A STAMPS Strategy is not time sensitive, so it can be developed well in advance of deployingment. This allows for more effective long term planning of your future needs.
- A STAMPS Strategy has a fixed cost with no ongoing commitment, so with a one time purchase you get an action plan and budget for your strategy to present to financial backers, boards of directors, and key stakeholders.
- A STAMPS Strategy can be implemented by any marketing team, your own staff, or a hybrid of both. Their expertise is in the plan, you will need an effective team to execute it but your STAMPS Strategy comes with decades of experience in cause marketing provided by MPH Agency.
- A STAMPS Strategy is a written down plan you can measure your goals, timelines, and other KPIs against. Too often cause marketing plans are nebulous and vague. This is a detailed, goal oriented plan that sets you on a path for success.
These advantages make a STAMPS Strategy by MPH Agency the perfect starting point for an industry association, corporation, or not-for-profit with a public affairs challenge and limited marketing capabilities.
It has become so much fun to see clients' eyes light up, first with excitement and then with relief as their STAMPS products are delivered. It’s almost always the same - first when the Content & Expert Situational Analysis comes in they see how we have captured their entire environment, capacity, tools, and perspectives and documented it from beginning to end. Then we see the excitement grow when we deliver a Solutions Map that includes step by step tactics on how to achieve their goals, support their mission statement, and make a real difference for their stakeholders.
Admittedly, these days I usually only get to see their eyes through Zoom calls, but I hope to be back in person soon!
As the need for professionalized and integrated cause marketing continues to grow I’m expecting to continue to see those reactions while building winning STAMPS documents. Putting a STAMPS Strategy in your toolbox is going to be critical… whatever your size!