Before the stores are flooded with products boasting pink ribbons in support of breast cancer research next month, let’s take a look at how you can put cause marketing to work for your business.

Cause marketing is basically a marketing partnership between a business and a non-profit for mutual benefit. Smart companies know that these types of projects can make a difference in the world–and have big benefits for the company as well.

In fact, research shows that customers are both much more likely to buy from and stay with a company that’s involved with a cause they care about.

And when it comes to both branding and charitable efforts, no one does it better than Oprah.

O is for Oprah…and Opportunity

The newest line of O Bracelets is a great example of what cause marketing was meant to be.

This year, the collection of beaded bracelets benefits three groups:

• Fair Winds Trading , a group that trains women in Rwanda, Zambia and Kenya to make woven disks for bracelets (and other jewelry). The group pays the women up to 12 times the average daily wage so they can buy food for their families and send their children to school.

• New Orleans artists, who were hired to design and create the bracelets, many of whom are still jobless and living in temporary homes four years after Hurricane Katrina.

• Hope Shines, a mentoring program for orphaned girls in Africa that receives 10% of the purchase price.

Notice a common thread? All three groups help disadvantaged women and children in the U.S. and Africa to create better lives.

She’s NOT trying to save the whales or the environment (both of which are worthy causes, so don’t get mad and misunderstand what I’m saying here) or anything else at the same time with this product.

Sticking with one charitable theme that’s important to your customers is a super smart strategy when your business is spearheading charitable projects.

Because one focus = bigger impact.

But as she’s done here, the cause should be one that will resonate with many of your customers. Otherwise, it’ll be hard for them to get excited about it.

Tomorrow, we’ll talk about four more savvy cause marketing strategies Oprah used that any you can implement to “do well while doing good.”

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