Cause marketing is an excellent opportunity for a business to give back and earn some positive PR and marketing value. However, businesses that half-heartedly do it can end up with a PR crisis on their hands.

Blogs and social media have empowered the passionate supporters to protect the integrity of their cause. They have become investigative reporters ready to call foul on any entity looking to use their cause for corporate gain. The internet provides them with information and a voice - a very powerful combination.

So how do you avoid the angry virtual mob? Authenticity.

One of the easiest ways to ensure your campaign’s authenticity is to make sure the cause you are supporting makes sense. Ideally it would directly relate to your business’ products or services. What you want to avoid is support a cause in a way that looks like an obvious public relations stunt. This would be like BP creating a campaign for wildlife conservation after their oil spill in the gulf. Their motives would be questioned and the campaign would be dismissed

A personal story adds authenticity by giving the campaign a relatable human element. It’s a great way to explain why your business is joining the cause. It could be for a local cause that affects your business or that your employees or customers are passionate about. Using testimonials to explaining why your business is partnering with a particular cause can take away some of that “marketing” smell for your audience.

Being clear about your intentions can add to the authenticity of your campaign. Consumers are afforded, and expect, a great amount of transparency with business. It’s harder for businesses to hide their dirty laundry. Cause marketing that is used to cover a past sin will quickly be routed out. If you need a campaign to cover a crisis, be upfront abut your reasons. This can help quite critics and even warm over bloggers as they feel their voices were heard.

Social responsibility is becoming more important in the market place and consumers want to be able to trust the companies they do business with. Using a cause marketing campaign with an authentic motive is a great way to build that trust. However, if your campaign appears fake or forced, your cause marketing will fall flat or at worst cause a PR nightmare.

Take a second to share some of the successful or questionable cause marketing campaigns that you have seen.