Everybody knows about TOMS shoes. They’re famous for their Buy One, Give One campaign, which shipped one pair of shoes to a person in need for every pair sold.

And you know what? It was hugely successful. TOMS sales soared as a result of their BOGO campaign.

The TOMS campaign is a perfect example of purpose-driven marketing done right. You don’t need a crazy budget or large scale to benefit from purpose-driven marketing, either.

What is purpose-driven marketing?

Purpose-driven marketing combines a charitable cause with your product or service.

It’s essentially a form of activism through doing what you do best: business.

The goal is to do good through your business, either in the form of donating liquid cash or providing much-needed resources, like shoes, to people in need.

Purpose-driven marketing is incredibly popular during the holidays, too. It encourages people to get into the spirit of giving back in an effortless way that can still make a difference.

It also has the potential to increase a business’s sales in a way that’s genuine and philanthropic.

How purpose-driven marketing increases profits

The first thing to keep in mind with purpose-driven marketing is that it has to be real.

It’s pretty slimy to create a charitable campaign in the name of profiting on it. Of course, profit is still a goal, but the “why” of your campaign has to have charity and goodwill as the priority.

Here’s how purpose-driven marketing has the power to jettison your small business’s sales while making the world a better place.

1. It builds an emotional connection.

I admit I got teary-eyed when Dawn donated product to save wildlife from oil spills.

Dawn cleverly added a picture of a cute, fuzzy duckling to their products in-store, too, reminding everyone that they donate to wildlife rescue efforts. It’s been years since that campaign and I still feel an emotional connection to Dawn’s ducky.

Support charity through your business to build a deeper connection with your customers.

2. People have a desire to help.

It’s one thing to buy a pair of shoes because your friend says they’re great. It’s another thing entirely to buy shoes if you know your purchase will help someone.

Charity campaigns have a tendency to go viral because we like the feeling of doing good.

Potential customers will be more likely to check out your campaign, and loyal customers will be sure to spread the good word.

3. Combined efforts mean more results for less work.

Rideshare giant Uber partnered with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) to create a campaign against drunk driving.

In fact, Uber ran promotions for free and discounted rides to encourage people to get home safely. In turn, the large non-profit MADD promoted Uber’s brand to its large following.

These two organizations joined forces to increase awareness of a serious issue. When you create a purpose-driven campaign and partner with an external charity, it has greater chances of succeeding by combining resources and audiences.

How to implement purpose-driven marketing

Ready to get the show on the road with a purpose-driven marketing campaign?

Follow these steps to get started.

1. It has to be genuine

I know, I know. I’m a broken record here.

But if you don’t have the right motivation going into the campaign, you’re not going to have a good outcome. If you go into a purpose-driven campaign looking for profits first, your audience will sense that, and it’ll be damaging to your brand and business.

2. Choose a cause related to your product or niche

TOMS cleverly chose a campaign that complemented its business and products: give shoes to those in need.

The second step to planning a purpose-driven campaign is to choose a cause. The cause should have a direct correlation to your business.

For example, if you knit wool scarves, your campaign might relate to animal welfare. Of, if you make jewelry from African beads, the campaign could promote fair trade.

If you’re still stumped, take a look at what your customers care about. A quick peek into Google Analytics data will show what causes your audience support.

You can also make a purpose-driven campaign based on time or season. Many campaigns run during the holiday season, Women’s History Month, and more.

3. Choose how to give

How will the structure of your campaign work? Plan the infrastructure of giving your funds, donations, or time to your charitable cause.

It would suck to raise money for women entrepreneurs in South America, only to find you can’t transfer the money.

Outline precisely how you’ll donate to the charity, whether it’s in the form of money, time, or materials.

This is the best time to reach out to an external charity if you’d like to partner with one. They usually have a process for partnering with businesses.

Even if you aren’t partnering with a charity, it’s a good idea to sign up a document outlining the cause, duration of the campaign, and donation procedure.

4. Outline and launch your campaign

Decide on the start and end dates for your campaign. Sometimes a charitable mission is built into the fabric of a small business, and for others, it’s a limited-time promotion.

Here’s the fun part! Figure out a few ways that you can promote this purpose-driven campaign. Opt for low-cost vehicles like social media, email promotions, and videos.

The key is to make it effortless for customers to share your campaign. Make sure your site and posts are easily shareable.

Check the backend of your site to make sure the charitable offers are being applied and that they’re coming across correctly.

But don’t make this purpose-driven campaign a one-and-done thing.

Share with your customers how they made a difference. Send video updates from those who received charity, write a blog post on the total contributions and how they’ll help the world, or offer to match contributions to keep the love going.

Like any marketing campaign, promote your purpose-driven campaign after the fact to give sustained life to your hard work.

The bottom line

Everybody wants to make a difference in the world. Luckily, you can do good through a savvy purpose-driven marketing campaign for your business. Feed both your business and your soul by giving back doing what you already love.